The interelations of the love-hate theme in the life and plays of Eugene O'Neill

Abstract

Eugene O’Neill is considered by many to be one of the greatest of dramatists. By many others he is said to be one of the most overrated playwrights, but even those who do not consider him great do state that his plays are powerful and dynamic. In trying to find a reason for such power and dynamism, this writer became aware of the frequency of two of the most powerful of emotions—love and hate. Tracing this theme through O’Neill’s plays led to a search for the source of his material. In reading about O’Neill’s life it became evident that his own tragic existence was filled with the search for love—a search that was constantly blocked by hate. The influence that this dominant love-hate theme had on his drama seemed to be an apt choice for a thesis. I have attempted, in Chapter I, to show how great a part the search for love and the presence of hate played in O’Neill’s life. In Chapters II, III, and IV I have tried to reveal how he, consciously and unconsciously, transposed his concept of love and hate to his plays as their theme or as the driving force behind his characters’ tragic downfall.