The Inheritance And Development Of O’neill’s Plays On Eastern And Western Tragic Thought

American economy in the 20 th century was developing rather rapidly.Because of the available abundant material,American people’s living condition was greatly promoted.However,the traditional christian faith could not satisfy people’s spiritual needs.And the outbreak of the World WarⅠhas further aggravated social turbulence and people’s belief crisis.Therefore,by drawing on Greek tragic thought and creatively integrating his own tragic view in dramas,O’Neill attempts to call on American people to keep a positive attitude in predicament and encourage them to reconstruct the value of life and pursue a happy life.O’Neill’s creation not only affirms tradition,but also accords with the vicissitude of times,which has great practical significance to advance the inheritance and development of Greek tragic thought.In the meantime,O’Neill infiltrates the profound Taoism in his works,trying to find a new spiritual support for people,on which they can rely to compensate for their empty soul and lead a new meaningful life.Therefore,this thesis takes one of O’Neill’s mid-late masterpieces,Mourning Becomes Electra,as an example to analyze the eastern and western tragic thought in O’Neill’s works and his great influence on later American and eastern playwrights.It aims to make a thorough trace of the process of how O’Neill’s tragic view changes and offer a new prospect for the research on O’Neill’s dramas.First,this thesis analyzes the source and features of O’Neill’s tragic view.Bycombining the characteristics of the times and individual,it attempts to analyze the tragic features of Mourning Becomes Electra from three angles---theme,images and the ending.Then,the thesis particularly discusses the inheritance and development of Mourning Becomes Electra on Greek tragic thought,and the reference and integration with Taoism.Through the combination of expressive techniques in Greek tragedy and modern dramatic skills,O’Neill innovatively employs mask-like expression to reveal the characters’ psychology,and creates some symbolic images to heighten a tragic atmosphere in this play.What’s more,his research achievement on Taoism theory,such as the concept of Yin and Yang,cycle,returning and so on,is apparently embodied in characters’ aversion to the war and their yearning for happy life on the “Blessed Islands”.The thesis finally attaches emphasis to the development of western tragedy theory and O’Neill’s tragic view.Focusing on the two important modern plays,Thunderstorm and Death of a Salesman,it interprets the influence of Mourning Becomes Electra and O’Neill’s other works on the younger generation in the drama fields all over the world.The conclusion indicates that O’Neill’s works convey profound eastern and western tragic thought,and are featured with superb art skill,which endows his plays with high value of studying.Therefore,it is no exaggeration to say that O’Neill’s works occupy a remarkable position in the inheritance and development of world tragic thought.