Mourning Becomes Electra - Eugene O'Neill

Mourning Becomes Electra comes as a Modern Tragedy, the play features murder, adultery, incestuous love and revenge , weak relationship of family members. We can see different minds of people , their secrets, hubris, fate and honor. The characters of this play reflected as a unsuccessful struggler of an individual to escape a tragic fate and the dark nature of human existence. It is considered with Freud’s circle of Human mind/nature-psychological theory as well. Specially there are complexes of the characters of Oedipus and Electra.

As per the title :” Mourning Becomes Electra”  Mourning means :The expression of sorrow for someone’s death,Grief , lament , lamentation Black clothes worn as an expression of sorrow when someone dies.“Electra” means :Sparkling , the fairy sun“Becomes “ in the sense of “befits” Electra to mourn- it is her fate Mourning (Black) (sorrow) is becoming to her, it is the only color that becomes her destiny.

Act I :-

The starting part of the spring season, when the master of house Ezra Manon is coming from war. Another side Lavinia has just returned from a trip. She suddenly knows about affair of Captain Brant and her mother, Christine. Other side her friend Peter is proposing her for marriage again.

Act II :-

In that part , Lavinia appears her mother for adultery and reveals that she followed her mother to New York and saw her kissing to Adam Brant. At that time her mother says that she always loves her son, Orin and Lavinia has always schemed to steal her place. Later Christine proposes to Adam Brant that they will give poison to Ezra and attribute his death to his heart trouble.

Act III :-

Ezra and Christine are alone and she assures him that he has nothing to suspect with regards to Brant. And finally they kissed.

Act IV :-

It is a scene of Ezra’s bedroom. Christine awaits for Ezra’s death and also her freedom. Mannon rises in fury, threatening her murder and then falls beck in agony, his heart clutching and he begging for medicine. Christine gives a poison instead of medicine. After that Ezra realizes her trick and calls Lavinia for help but suddenly he dies. Christine collapses in a faith, Lavinia falls to her knees in anguish.

"Mourning Becomes Electra" is a tale of incest and sexual encounters between different characters of the play with no regard to age or gender.
       Lavinia is having a sexual relationship with Adam while she is in a near incestuous relationship with her son Orin. On the other hand, Lavinia is seeking an incestuous relationship with her father and cannot allow her brother, Orin, to escape from under her influence over to Hazel.

In this play so many different theme are used and with concept of Oedipus complex .In Mourning becomes Electra..where ..Mr.O'Neill interpretation of Freud's theory of psychoanalysis is a totally disaster.Ezra and Orin are away..as a turning point in the development of the Oedipus complex and Electra complex.