The Re-Actualization of The Aristotelian Theory in Two of Eugene O'Neill's Plays - The Iceman Cometh and Mourning Becomes Electra

Danielsen, Tanja Rath

4. term

English, Master

2016

2016-06-01

58

Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan to tragedier af Eugene O’Neill – The Iceman Cometh (1947) og Mourning Becomes Electra (1932) – genoptager og fornyr Aristoteles’ ideer om tragedien. Med Aristoteles’ teori menes de klassiske tanker fra det antikke Grækenland om, hvad der kendetegner en virkningsfuld tragedie. Først præsenteres projektets formål og O’Neills dramatik, og der trækkes linjer mellem de gamle græske tragedier og moderne tragedier. Dernæst placeres O’Neill i amerikansk litteraturhistorie, herunder hans engagement i den amatørteatergruppe, Provincetown Players, som var med til at fremme hans karriere. Analysen er delt i to: én om The Iceman Cometh og én om Mourning Becomes Electra. Hver del indledes med en kort introduktion til stykket, herunder O’Neills inspiration og centrale opsætninger (især for The Iceman Cometh). Herefter følger en gennemgang af sceniske rammer og en karakteristik af persongalleriet. I begge dele er der et særligt afsnit om den tragiske helt eller heltinde, der undersøger, hvordan figuren er opbygget, og hvilken rolle den spiller i forhold til Aristoteles’ teori. Endelig behandles stykkernes temaer. Afslutningsvis samler specialet trådene i en diskussion af, om og hvordan O’Neills to tragedier gør Aristoteles’ tragedieteori relevant i en moderne sammenhæng, og runder af med en konklusion over undersøgelsens resultater.

This thesis examines how two of Eugene O’Neill’s tragedies—The Iceman Cometh (1947) and Mourning Becomes Electra (1932)—revisit and renew Aristotle’s ideas about tragedy. By Aristotelian theory, it refers to the classical concepts from ancient Greece about what makes a tragedy meaningful. The thesis begins by outlining its aims and introducing O’Neill’s plays, drawing connections between ancient Greek tragedy and modern tragedy. It then situates O’Neill in American literary history, including his involvement with the Provincetown Players, an amateur theatre group that helped advance his career. The analysis is presented in two parts, one for each play. Each part opens with a brief introduction to the play, including O’Neill’s sources of inspiration and notable productions (especially for The Iceman Cometh). This is followed by a review of settings and a characterization of the cast of characters. In both parts, a dedicated section focuses on the tragic hero or heroine, examining how this figure is constructed and what role it plays in relation to Aristotle’s theory. The themes of each play are then explored. Finally, the thesis brings these threads together in a discussion of whether, and in what ways, the two plays make Aristotle’s theory of tragedy relevant in a modern context, and it concludes by summarizing the results of the analyses and discussion.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

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