A Study Of Plot In Eugene O’Neill’s Tragedies

Around the4th century B.C., Aristotle first made a comprehensive analysis onthe essential elements of tragedy in Poetics where plot is regarded as most importantand is discussed in detail. This thesis tries to verify the applicability of the Aristoteliantheory of tragedy in the modern age with a close reading of Eugene O’Neill’s plays,the most representative tragedies of the20th century. Eugene O’Neill has notfollowed Aristotle’s principles conventionally. Instead, he has designed “plot of thepsyche” in compliance with “reversal of intention” and “recognition” and pushedforward the Aristotelian principles of the tragic plot in a modern sense.The first chapter of this thesis offers a literature review of the studies of EugeneO’Neill and his plays at home and abroad and then introduces the two purposes ofthe thesis, to verify the applicability of the Aristotle’s principles of the tragic plot inmodern times, and, to point out O’Neill’s development of the complexity of plot.Chapter Two includes a comprehensive understanding of the theory of the tragicplot in Poetics and the plot summaries of Eugene O’Neill’s representative tragedies,Desire Under the Elms, Mourning Becomes Electra, and The Hairy Ape to serve as afoundation for later discussions.The third chapter examines O’Neill’s tragedies against the specific requirementsof completeness, unity, magnitude, and complexity of plot including “reversal of theintention” and “recognition” and proves that Aristotle’s principles of tragic plot arestill important today since the father of American modern drama also depends onthem in making a successful tragic plot.The fourth chapter first briefs on the modern concern over human psyche andthen analyzes O’Neill’s plot of the psyche with Eben’s recognition of true love inDesire Under the Elms, Lavinia’s recognition of her evil intention in MourningBecomes Electra and Yank’s recognition of homelessness in The Hairy Ape. Besides,the chapter also compares O’Neill with Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw in theEnglish world to point out his originality of “plot of the psyche” as well as hisdevelopment of Aristotle’s theory of a complex plot in a modern sense. Finally, in conclusion, the thesis restates that the Aristotelian principles of atragic plot is import in modern tragedies and reconfirms Eugene O’Neill effort inpushing forward Aristotle’s theory of a complex plot with his original “plot of thepsyche”.