Desire Under the Elms is a play by Eugene O'Neill, published in 1924, and is now considered an American classic. Along with Mourning Becomes Electra, it represents one of O'Neill's attempts to place plot elements and themes of Greek tragedy in a rural New England setting. It is essentially a retelling of the myth of Phaedra, Hippolytus and Theseus. A film version was produced in 1958, and there is an operatic setting by Edward Thomas.
Read more about Desire Under The Elms: Characters, Synopsis, Major Productions
Famous quotes containing the words desire and/or elms:
“The democratic youth ... lives along day by day, gratifying the desire that occurs to him, at one time drinking and listening to the flute, at another downing water and reducing, now practising gymnastic, and again idling and neglecting everything; and sometimes spending his time as though he were occupied in philosophy.”
—Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)
“‘No, no; for my virginity,
When I lose that,’ says Rose, ‘I’ll die’:
‘Behind the elms last night,’ cried Dick,
‘Rose, were you not extremely sick?’”
—Matthew Prior (1664–1721)