Desire Under the Elms: A Play by Eugene ONeil

Desire Under the Elms is the last of ONeils naturalistic plays written in three parts with
each part in split into four scenes. This play was first produced at the Greenwich Village
Theatre, Noem!er ""
th
, "#$% &'oung(. This play is !ased off Euripides) Hippolytus, and *ean
+acine)s Phdre. Two plays in which a father who returns home with a new wife in which the
son falls in loe with &,ritannica(. This play has !een descri!ed as -a fine process of solidity
and finish, it is !etter written throughout. it has as much tragic gloom and irony !ut a more
mature conception and a more imaginatie austerity/ &'oung(.
Characters:
Ephraim 0a!ot
1imeon
2eter
E!en
3!!ie 2utnam
'oung girl and neigh!oring town fol4.
Plot Summary:
Part One
1et in New England of "567, all action of the play ta4es place either inside of outside of the
0a!ot 8armhouse.
1cene One
The play starts as 1imeon and 2eter come in from a hard days wor4. 3s they come in, they tal4
a!out moing to 0alifornia to stri4e gold, and !ecome rich.
1cene Two
E!en, 2eter and 1imeon are all at the ta!le eating supper, discussing the health of their father.
E!en !eliees that !ecause he is the youngest son, and that his mother was last married to 0a!ot,
he is the rightful owner of the farm. E!ens mother died when he was "6, which left him to do
all his mothers wor4. 3fter supper, E!en gets up to leae into town to see 9innie, a prostitute,
while his !rothers tease him.
1cene Three
1imeon and 2eter are in their room asleep. E!en !ursts in, and says that he heard news that their
father has :ust married a ;6 year old woman. 1eeing it as their fathers way of 4eeping them
from inheriting the farm, 1imeon and 2eter once again !ring up the idea of leaing to 0alifornia
again.
1cene 8our
<t is the ne=t day. 1imeon and 2eter leae the house to start wor4, !ut stop and change their
minds since their father has remarried. E!en, angry !ecause they wont do wor4, and in a fit of
possession leaes the house to mil4 the cows and do their wor4 for them. 3fter a moment,
1imeon and 2eter decide to :oin him. ,efore they leae, E!en returns saying hes spotted their
father coming down the road with his new !ride. They hide in the !ushes to see his new !ride,
and after they pull up, 1imeon and 2eter come out of the !ushes, tell their father theyre leaing
for 0alifornia and throw roc4s thru his new !rides !edroom window. >ater, with 0a!ot out of
the picture, E!en meets 3!!ie, and she instantly uses a seductie tone, saying she doesnt want
to !e his mother, !ut his friend. 3fter a slight moment of hypnosis, E!en snaps at her and says
that the farm !elongs to him. 3!!ie disagrees and playfully taunts him. 0a!ot returns, cursing
his two sons, and then insults E!en.
Part Two
1cene One
E=t. of the 8armhouse on a hot 1unday afternoon. Two months later.
E!en and 3!!ie start off the scene. E!en is attracted to 3!!ie, !ut tries to deny it to himself. The
conersation leads to a ?uarrel of who owns the farm. <n anger, E!en starts his way into town
&@is original intentions(. 0a!ot, from hearing the argument comes onto the porch, as4ing what
happened. 3!!ie changes the su!:ect. 0a!ot !egins to tal4 of his old age, and that one day he
will die. 3!!ie, intrigued !y getting possession of the farm as4 0a!ot if he)ll leae the farm to
her. 1he is surprised that he won)t. ,ut yet, he doesnt want to leae the farm to E!en either. @e
would rather !urn it to the ground his dieing day. 0a!ot says there is no man to ta4e care of the
farm after he dies. 3!!ie, changing her approach, suggest that she !ear him a son. 1he says that
she)s !een praying for one. *oyously, 0a!ot thin4s this is a great idea and prays for her right on
the front porch. 3!!ie sneers in her ictory.
1cene Two
,edroom, 5A77 29
0a!ot and 3!!ie are in their room. 0a!ot e=plains his trials and tri!ulations with the farmB how
he made if from something into nothing. @e is still e=cited a!out the idea of a son. 9eanwhile,
3!!ie)s mind is directed toward E!en. E!en, in the opposite room stares at 3!!ie thru the wall.
3fter 0a!ot)s tal4, he leaes to sleep in the !arnB the house is too cold and lonesome for him.
3fter he leaes, 3!!ie goes oer to E!en)s room and passionately em!races and 4isses him.
3fter a moment of su!mission, E!en throws her off him. @e accuses her of plan to steal the farm.
Tempting him, 3!!ie says that the farm will soon !e hers.
1cene Three
The 2arlor, a few mintues later. 0andles lit.
3!!ie sits at a sofa. E!en soon enters and ta4es a seat !y her. 3!!ie mentions she feels a spirit.
E!en is positie it is his mother. 3!!ie says that the spirit is 4ind to her, when E!en things the
spirit should hate her. E!en starts to spea4 of his mother. 3!!ie in a motherly, yet lustfully puts
her arms around him. The passion escalates and 3!!ie tells E!en that she)ll !e his mother and
loer. E!en feels as if his mother)s spirit wants him to sleep with her to aenge his father callous
treatment, and for stealing the farm.
1cene 8our
Outside the farmhouse, dawn.
E!en emerges from the house a changed manB he is !right and cheerful. 3!!ie po4es her head
out of the window for one last 4iss, and then the two loers hae a flirtatious conersation oer
who has more 4isses. E!en leaes 3!!ie and heads to the !arn to start wor4. @e meets his father
and continues his !right mood. @is father, curious why he)s acting so differently, as4s what)s
gotten into him. E!en e=plains that he feels that his mother can now rest in peace. 3s he leaes
to do his wor4, his father sneers, saying there is no hope for him.
Part Three
1cene One
Night. 1pring of the following year.
There is a cele!rationB the !irth of 3!!ie)s son. There are townsfol4 gathered around,
cele!rating, !ut mostly crac4ing :o4es. They 4now the !a!y is not 0a!ot)s. 0a!ot, drun4 on
whis4ey encourages eeryone to en:oy themseles. The townsfol4 continue to ma4e remar4s.
The fiddler !eings to play and people dance. 0a!ot !rea4s the dancing up to show eeryone how
it)s done, and does an impressie :o!. E=hausted from dancing, he leaes for the !arn to cool off.
3!!ie ascends the stairs, to chec4 on the !a!y, where she sees E!en hoering oer their child.
They 4iss passionately.
1cene Two
E=terior. @alf hour later.
E!en is standing !y the gate, when 0a!ot in high spirits. @e ?uestions why he isnt at the dance.
E!en e=presses his disinterest, and replies that he has the farm anyway. 0a!ot, amused !y this
tells him of something 3!!ie said earlier...how she would hae a son with him, to steal the farm
away from him. This enrages E!en, and a fight !rea4s out. 0a!ot, still strong, pins E!en !y
cho4ing him. 3!!ie appears in time to !rea4 the fight up. 0a!ot goes into the house, and 3!!ie
and E!en stay on the porch. E!en internally hurt is now angry at 3!!ie. 1he tries her !est to
e=plain that this was !efore they !oth loed each other. E!en still hurt gets up, says he)s going to
leae in the morning to :oin his !rothers, get rich in 0alifornia, and come !ac4 an ta4e what)s
rightfully his...and 4ic4 eeryone else of the farm. 3!!ie tries to ma4e him understand !ut
cannot.
1cene Three
*ust !efore dawn.
E!en is in the 4itchen with his carpet !ag, ready to leae. 3!!ie comes down stairs and e=plains
she has made things !etter !etween them. This intrigues E!en to as4 her why. 1he said she 4illed
the !a!y. <nstead of ma4ing things !etter, this enrages E!en. 3!!ie tries to tell him that
eerything is o4, and that she still truly loes him. E!en leaes to get the 1heriff, swearing that
she will pay. 3!!ie on the front porch again tells him she loes him, and faints to the floor.
1cene 8our
Citchen, an hour later.
0a!ot wa4es, and spea4s to 3!!ie as if she is in !ed !eside him. Dhen he realiEes she isnt, he
?uic4ly dresses and heads downstairs. Dhen he sees 3!!ie, he tells her to mind the !a!y. 3!!ie
says she)s 4illed it, and that it was E!en)s !a!y, and not his, and the she loe E!en. 9a4ing the
connections at the party, eerything !ecomes clear to 0a!ot. @e starts for the 1heriff, !ut 3!!ie
e=plain E!en has already left. 0a!ot leaes for wor4. E!en returns in a whirlwind of emotion. @e
is heart!ro4en, !ut his loe for 3!!ie has returned. @e tells her he wants to go to :ail with her, to
die with her. @e tells her he)s going to tell the sheriff that the two of them planned it. 3!!ie
protests. 0a!ot returns, and finds the two on the floor em!racing. <n disgust he says he)s ready to
head out...to :oin his two sons in 0alifornia. @e said he turned the lie stoc4 into the woods and
was ready to ta4e a match to the house and !arn. The 1heriff arries and wal4s in. 3fter a !rief
moment, the sheriff escorts the two of them out of the house...and as he does so, the 1heriff
compliments the farm and says, FDished < owned itGF
Themes
2ossession and Greed &E!en and the 8arm(
True >oe &E!en and 3!!ie(
0ompetition &E!en and 3!!ie( &E!en and 0a!ot( &E!en and his !rothers(
ONeils style of women.
or!s Cited
FDesire Under The Elms.F Encyclopedia ,ritannica. "##H. ; No $77I
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