Digital Commons Network^™

The Use Of Obsessions And Delusions As A Tragic Device In The Major Plays Of Eugene O'Neill, Ruth Bartlett Thomas

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This introductory chapter contains definitions of obsessions and delusions, and examines the validity of these ideas as tragic devices. It discusses obsessions from the point of view of Freud and Jung.

The major plays of Eugene O’Neill have been divided into three psychological types: the first type we shall call the statement-of-the-problem plays; the second, the simple anima plays; the third, the complex anima plays. These terms and divisions will be explained as we proceed.