Desire Under the Elms

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1958 publication of the play, issued to tie-in with the film version starring Sophia Loren (pictured).

Desire Under the Elms is a play by Eugene O'Neill, published in 1924, and is now considered an American classic.

1 Characters
2 Synopsis
3 The Film
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Characters

Ephraim Cabot
Simeon
Peter - his sons
Eben
Abbie Putnam

Young Girl, Two Farmers, The Fiddler, A Sheriff, and other folk from the neighboring farms

[edit] Synopsis

Widower Ephraim Cabot abandons his New England farm to his three sons, who hate him but share his greed. Eben, the youngest and brightest sibling, feels the farm is his birthright, as it originally belonged to his mother. He buys out his half-brothers' shares of the farm with money stolen from his father, and Peter and Simeon head off to California to seek their fortune. Later, Ephraim returns with a new wife, the beautiful and headstrong Abbie, who enters into an adulterous affair with Eben. Soon after, Abbie bears Eben's child, but lets Ephraim believe that the child is his, in the hopes of securing her future with the farm. The proud Ephraim is oblivious as his neighbors openly mock him as a cuckold. Madly in love with Eben and fearful it would become an obstacle to their relationship, Abbie kills the infant. An enraged and distraught Eben turns Abbie over to the sheriff, but not before admitting to himself the depths of his love for her and thus confessing his own role in the infanticide.

[edit] The Film

In 1958 a film version of this play was directed by Delbert Mann and written by Eugene O'Neill and Irwin Shaw. The film had a cast that included Sophia Loren as Abbie, Anthony Perkins as Eben , Burl Ives as Ephriam, Frank Overton as Simeon and Pernell Roberts who played Peter. The film was nominated for Best Black and White Cinematography in the Academy Awards and Laurel Awards in 1959.

[edit] External links

Desire Under the Elms at The Internet Broadway Database
Desire Under the Elms (1952 Revival) at The Internet Broadway Database

[edit] References

http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks04/0400081h.html - The Play, Desire Under The Elms from Project Gutenberg of Australia.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/oneill.htm - "Eugene (Gladstone) O'Neill (1888-1953)". Taken from Authors Calendar written by Petri Liukkonen.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051534/ - Desire Under The Elms (1958) Internet Movie Database