Long+Day's+Journey+into+Night

= = toc == =** Introduction **= //Long Day’s Journey into Night// was written by Eugene O’Neill and published in 1956. This play is said to be his autobiographical work depicting his life as both child and adult. The play is about the Tyrone family and their day to day struggles with their addictions and relationships with each other. These characteristics are what make this play autobiographical. These characters are representations of Eugene O’Neill, his older brother, and their parents during O’Neill’s younger and adult life. =** Characters **= =** Setting **= The setting of this play is set within the living room of the Tyrone family’s home in Connecticut. Act 1 of the play begins at 8:30 in the morning on a rather sunny day in August of 1912. Act 2 of the play begins at 12:45 p.m. The air is described at this time to be warm and the sky is hazy. Act 3 of the play begins at 6:30 pm. A heavy fog is covering the area, and the nearby lighthouse issues out a foghorn every so often that can be heard in the home. Act 4 of the play begins at midnight. The fog is much denser than it was earlier in the play, and the foghorn continues to be issued out while various ship bells ring out into the night. The play starts in the early morning and concludes at night. Over the course of almost a twenty-four hour period we get to see the setting of what seems to be a typical day for the Tyrone family. =** Plot **=
 * James Tyrone, though he is referred to as simply Tyrone in the play, is a retired actor who is sixty-five years old. He appreciated a hard day’s work and money. His appreciation for money led him to be tight about his money when he got to be older. He is an alcoholic, whiskey drinker.
 * Mary Cavan Tyrone is James wife. She is a morphine addict which was caused by the use of it during the birth of her younger son.
 * Edmund Tyrone is the younger son. He suffers from consumption (Tuberculosis). Edmund is a writer and just like his father he is also an alcoholic and whiskey drinker.
 * Jamie Tyrone is the older son. He is the problem child of the family. He is an alcoholic who spends time a prostitution homes, and has yet to make anything of himself. He suffers from alcoholism as well and from guilt because he feels he is the cause of the death of the Tyrone’s child that died in infancy.
 * Cathleen is the Tyrone’s ‘domestic’ or house maid. She is the comedic relief with her witty side comments on the various makings of the family.

** Act 1: **

 * 1.1**: The play opens up in the Tyrone’s summer home’s living room. It is 8:30 in the morning. This scene starts out with the family together just finishing up breakfast. In this scene we learn that Tyrone (James) enjoys spending money in real estate investments, Edmund suffers from coughing fits, Mary is dealing with food and weight issues, and that Jamie suffers from a lack of ambition and laziness. This scene features a lot of tension between the characters and it is clear that this opening scene is showing a glimpse of an already present family drama. Mary has come back from a rehab facility for her morphine addiction and the boys deciding to keep Edmund’s illness from her. We discover in this scene that it was twenty-three years prior that Mary became addicted to morphine after giving birth to Edmund. The men in the play are repetitive arguers about almost anything and everything. It is also clear that Mary is not well herself and is still dealing with the effects of the morphine and the addiction.

** Act 2: **

 * 2.1:** It is 12:45 pm. The men gather themselves in the living room for a pre-lunch drinking of whiskey and water. Jamie is the easiest to pinpoint as an alcoholic in the early parts of this scene because he immediately pours himself some whiskey without water, but uses the water to add to the bottle so that Tyrone would not know. Edmund’s cough is pronounced and Mary just tells him to stop coughing. Mary is on edge and Jamie makes the conclusion that she is back to using the morphine which is causing her to become both suspicious and dramatic. Tyrone once again chooses to argue with his sons and this time it is over the whiskey, but then they all drink.
 * 2.2:** It is a little later than in the previous scene. The scene opens with the family having finished lunch. Mary and Tyrone are still arguing about the concept of “home” as they had been at the very end of the previous scene. It is clear that Mary is high on morphine. The family receives a call from the doctor about seeing Edmund in the afternoon, Mary is not happy about this at all. Mary’s morphine addiction leads to yet another dispute between the boys about both religion and the addiction. This is the scene that we officially find out about Edmund’s consumption. Tyrone believes consumption is incurable. Jamie wants Tyrone to set Edmund up in a nice sanatorium instead of the cheap one. Mary comes back into the scene to argue more about the concepts of “home” by saying that Jamie would have been a good son if he had been raised in a “real home”. Mary denies her addiction and use of morphine. She discusses redemption and that she hopes she can one day be given redemption.

** Act 3: **

 * 3.1:** It is 6:30 at night, just before dinner time. The scene includes just Mary and Cathleen when it first opens. Cathleen listens to Mary talk about Tyrone’s obsession with money and how she does not believe in Edmund’s consumption. Throughout this part of the scene we learn a lot about Mary’s past and her life before Tyrone. They had been married at this point for thirty-six years, and Mary says that he has not had a single extramarital scandal. Mary grows bitter as the scene progresses and she makes the decision to go consume more drugs at this point, but is stopped from doing so. When Edmund and Tyrone enter the room they recognize immediately that Mary had taken a large quantity of drugs, but it is also clear that the men are drunk. Mary continues to talk bitterly about her past and Tyrone talks bitterly about coming home to his addict of a wife. Mary talks of first meeting Tyrone with a loving tone in her voice, even Tyrone begins to cry. Edmund disrupts this happy moment to tell Mary that he has consumption and Mary gets upset, she does not believe Edmund is truly sick at all. Mary has an emotional break thinking that Edmund will die. Tyrone tries to comfort her while he drinks his whiskey before dinner. It is clear in this scene that Mary is heavily affected by the morphine.

** Act 4: **
=** Themes **=
 * 4.1:** It is midnight and Tyrone is sitting alone in the living room as the foghorn blows. He is drinking and playing solitaire. Tyrone is drunk, Edmund enters the scene drunk and an argue breaks out between them about electricity and money. Tyrone gets angry at Edmund during this argument. As the argument winds down they decide to play cards. Edmund admits to hating Tyrone and that he blames him for Mary’s addiction. The tension between Edmund and Tyrone is high in this scene as they continue to argue about money. Tyrone believes that he is now a terrible father and is visibly effected by this. Edmund and Tyrone end up making amends. The scene concludes with Edmund discussing his memories.
 * Guilt and Blame: The characters are obsessed with thinking over the past and either becoming consumed with guilt or blaming one another for all the problems they each face.
 * Suffering: The whole play on a basic level is about people suffering, how they suffer, and how they react to their own suffering and to others.
 * Drugs and Alcohol: Drugs and alcohol in this play are a primary focus when it comes to the coping mechanisms of the family members. They use it to cope and deal with both the good things and the bad.
 * Memory and the Past: This play is about the anxieties or resurfacing memories and dealing with the past. Each character goes through this throughout the play.
 * Free Will: All the characters want to change their lives, but at the same time they find themselves unable to get out of their repeating cycle of depression and anxiety.
 * Family: This play deals with the brokenness, struggles, and the coming together of family. Even though the family is broken and unable to stay about struggling relationships, they always stay together.

=** About Eugene O’Neill **= Eugene O’Neill is considered to be one of the greatest playwrights in American History. In 1988 he was born in a Hotel room on Broadway to Ella Quinlan and James O’Neill. He spent the first many years of his life touring with his father who was an actor. This is what allowed Eugene to be introduced to the existence of theatre life. Being within the theatre life and around his parents helped him build the concepts for his play //Long Day’s Journey into Night//. It was the struggles of dealing with is despondent father, morphine addicted mother, and alcoholic brother that allowed him to find success in the world of playwriting. It was in O’Neill’s final years that he was awarded a Nobel Prize and that he wrote //Long Day’s Journey into Night//, his autobiographical play based on his own struggles with his family. The autobiographical part of this play is what kept him from producing it before his death. It was not until after his death in 1953 that this play was finally produced. This play is considered to be one of his greatest achievements in life and what led to him becoming one of the twentieth century’s greatest writers. = = = = = = =** Theatre Productions **=

** First: **
The play was first produced in 1956 on Broadway in the Helen Hayes Theatre. At this theatre and during this production run, the show had a total of 390 performances. José Quintero was the director.

** Cast: **

 * Florence Eldridge as Mary
 * Fredric March as James
 * Bradford Dillman as Edmund
 * Jason Robards Jr. as Jamie
 * Katherine Ross as Cathleen

** Awards: **

 * Tony Award – Best Play
 * Tony Award – Best Actor in Play (Frederic March)
 * Pulitzer Prize for Drama
 * Two Theatre World awards

** Most Recent: **
In 2016 the play had a revival at the American Airlines Theatre in New York. It had a total of 61 performances. The director was Johnathan Kent.

** Cast: **

 * Gabriel Byrne – James
 * John Gallagher Jr. – Edmund
 * Jessica Lange – Mary
 * Michael Shannon – Jamie
 * Colby Minifie – Cathleen

** Awards: **

 * Tony Award – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
 * Tony Award – Best Lighting Design of a Play
 * Drama Desk Award – Outstanding Actress in a Play
 * Drama Desk Award – Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play

=** Film Adaptation: **= In 1962 the play was turned into a film directed by Sidney Lumet.

[[image:LongDaysJourneyBackRalph.jpg align="right"]]** Cast: **

 * Katharine Hepburn – Mary Tyrone
 * Ralph Richardson – James Tyrone
 * Jason Robards – Jamie Tyrone
 * Dean Stockwell – Edmund Tyrone
 * Jeanne Barr – Cathleen

** Awards: **

 * Cannes Film Festival – Best Actor (1962)
 * Cannes Film Festival – Best Actress (1962)
 * Mexican Cinema Journalists – Best Foreign Actress (1965)
 * National Board of Review, USA – Best Actor (1962)

=** Critiques **= In 1956, //The New York Times// said “//Long Day’s Journey into Night// has been worth waiting for. It restores the drama to literature and the theatre to art”.

In 2016, The //New York Times// said “A Violent storm has moved into the American Airlines Theater and it’s Jessica Lange, Gabriel Byrne, Michael Shannon, and John Gallagher Jr. who are providing the thunder and lightening”.

In an article written by October 10, 1962 Bosley Crowther of //The New York Times// said that, “For what they have set out to do, Mr. Lumet and the producer, Ely Landau, have given us a fine, fair picture of a tough and maybe tedious O’Neill play”.

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