Desire under
the Elms is a modern drama which is written by America's most prominent
playwrights, Eugene O'Neil. In this drama we find three central characters
Cabot, Abbie and Eben. Besides them, we find some other characters to such
like Simeon, Peter, Minnie.
Ephraim Cabot is father of three sons, Simeone, Peter and Eben. Simeone and
Peter begotten by his first wife and Eben is son of Cabot by his second
wife. Simeone is Thirty nine years old and Peter is
thirty-seven, where Eben is twenty-five years old.
Their relationship is so bad with their father. They don't like their father.
Their father also doesn’t love them. In this drama, we find everyone is so
selfish. They are busy with self-interest.
Cabot is obsessed with land, which dedicates and devotes his whole life to the
stony and infertile land to make it grow good crops. He makes every other
member of his family to do hard work. Eben blames his father for his mother's
death, as he forced to do hard work. That's why Eben always thinks to take
revenge on his father to make his mother soul happy so that it’s can get peace
in her grave.
We find here Cabot is a man of seventy-five years old. Although he is so old,
he wishes to alive hundreds of years. He married three times. When His first
wife died then again he got married second time Eben's mother. Third time he
got married to Abbie. He went to go finds God message, but finally he got
married to Abbie who is thirty-seven years but attractive. She married
Cabot only for getting shelter as well as economic security..
In this drama, we notice modern Freudian Theory of Oedipus complex. First we
see it Minnie with who make physical relationship both of father and sons.
Later, Eben who was attracted with Abbie and she is too good.
Finally, we find both of make physical relationship absent of Cabot. Eben did
it to take revenge on his father, and Abbie did it to produce a son to be sole
owner of Cabot's farm.
As Cabot promised, if Abbie can produce a son, then he will give her
the entire farm. To hear it, Eben misunderstands Abbie as he thinks that Abbie
has fallen in love with him. He considers her making love to him as a cunning
game. So he threatens to leave her.
At that time, her passion turns into
genuine love and kills her child to prove her love for him. Eben reports the
murder to the Sheriff. But later, he feels heartache for Abbie and
tells her to run away before the Sheriff arrives. But she does not agree to run
away. To see her determined to get punishment for her sins, Eben also feels
equally responsible for the murder of the child.
At last, we find their real passion for each other and share the punishment for
their sin of adultery.
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