Long Day

Long Day's Journey Into Night
WRITE A SHORT REPORT ABOUT THE PLAY: LONG DAY'S JOURNEY

INTO NIGHT! BY EUGENE O'NEILL
| English | 20.04.2023
INTRODUCTION TO THE AUTHOR
Eugene O'Neill is widely considered to be one of the most important

American playwrights of the 20th century. He
was born in 1888 and began his career as a
playwright in the early 1910s. O'Neill's plays were
known for their realism, intense character
studies, and poetic language. He tackled
controversial topics such as addiction, family
dysfunction, and the struggle for personal
identity. His works were also notable for their
experimentation with theatrical form, including
the use of stream-of-consciousness and
expressionistic techniques.
O'Neill's early plays, such as "Beyond the Horizon" and "The Emperor
Jones," were influenced by the naturalism of European playwrights like
Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg.
Eugene O'Neill was an important figure in the development of modern

American theater, helping to establish the Provincetown Players in
New York City in the 1910s and 1920s. His plays are still performed and
studied today, and he remains one of the most important figures in
American theater history.
Themes:
Fatalism and Resignation

Denial, Blame, and Guilt
Loneliness, Isolation, and Belonging
Love and Forgiveness
The Past, Nostalgia, and Regret
PLOT: The play is set in the summer home of the Tyrone family,
August 1912. Mary has returned to her family recently after receiving
treatment for morphine addiction. Edmund has recently begun to
cough violently and is suspected to have tuberculosis. Mary is still
addicted to morphine, much to the disappointment of her family
members. The family constantly revisits old fights and opens old
wounds left by the past, which the family members are never unable to
forget.Tyrone is blamed for his own stinginess, which may have led to
Mary's morphine addiction. Mary is never able to let go of the past or
admit to the painful truth of the present, the truth that she is addicted
to morphine and her youngest son has tuberculosis. As the day wears
on, the men drink more and more, until they are on the verge of
passing out in Act IV.
Characters:
James Tyrone: The sixty-five year old family patriarch, James Tyrone
is a financially successful and handsome actor whose robust looks and
bearing and make him appear more youthful. He is a self-made man
from a poor immigrant Irish family who is obsessed with money and
owning property, even at the expense of his family's health. He wears
clothes to the limit of usefulness and takes pride in his powerful voice
and language. His wife's morphine addiction and his sons' profligate
lives have made him resentful and angry. Whiskey offers him some
solace, but he is never able to escape the recrimination of his sons.
Mary Tyrone: Mary, wife to James Tyrone, is 55 and has been

addicted to morphine for several years. She is described as having a
“graceful figure” with a distinctly Irish face, once pretty and “still
striking.”She escapes into an idealized version of her girlhood at a
convent school, with dreams of becoming a nun or a concert pianist.
She finds the real world lonely and depressing, offering little hope or
joy. However, she retains her charm and innocence, explaining her
family's loyalty and love and crushing disappointment when she falls
victim to her addiction.
Jamie Tyrone: Jamie, the oldest son of James and Mary Tyrone, at
thirty-three, shows the physical signs of his dissipation. He favors his
father in appearance, but lacks the Old Man’s robust vitality and
graceful presence. He is an unabashed and unapologetic drunk who
has a history of failing at everything he tries. He is also a womanizer
and mocks his father at every turn, blaming Tyrone's miserly ways for
most of the family problems. He admits to a desire to corrupt Edmund,
to shape him in his own image, and he knows why. For Tyrone, Jamie
is nothing but a free-loading, ungrateful bum, quickly slipping beyond
redemption.
Edmund Tyrone: Edmund, the youngest son of James and Mary
Tyrone, is twenty-three and ten years younger than his brother
Jamie. Thinner, and a bit taller than Jamie, Edmund more closely
resembles his mother than his father. He also shares some of his
mother’s nervousness, evident in his hands. He is a journalist and
poet, and is more intellectual than his brother. He has a deep love
of the sea and a morbid view of life, and has a special bond with
Jamie. He is ill with tuberculosis, which is evident in his gaunt
frame, wracking cough, and sallow complexion.
Personal comment: "Long Day's Journey into Night" is a play that I

like because it offers a profound exploration of the human condition
and is both incredibly moving and perceptive. Anyone who wants to
learn more about the complicated and dysfunctional relationships in a
family should read this book, in my opinion.
My favorite character: Edmund is one of my favorite characters

because it is simple to label him as a victim. Simply put, terrible things
occur to him. His traumatic birth caused Mom to become addicted to
morphine. Even his brother wishes he were dead, which makes me feel
bad for him. Despite everything, Edmund maintains order in the
house. He serves as the rock that keeps this family together.
Message of the play: Addiction and dysfunction are deeply rooted in

the human condition and that they can only be overcome through
honesty and self-awareness

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Long Day's Journey Into Night

WRITE A SHORT REPORT ABOUT THE PLAY: LONG DAY'S JOURNEY

Eugene O'Neill is widely considered to be one of the most important

Eugene O'Neill was an important figure in the development of modern

Fatalism and Resignation

Mary Tyrone: Mary, wife to James Tyrone, is 55 and has been

Personal comment: "Long Day's Journey into Night" is a play that I

My favorite character: Edmund is one of my favorite characters

Message of the play: Addiction and dysfunction are deeply rooted in

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