Abstract

Eugene O'Neill, "the father of American drama", who was good at writing tragedy in his works and his works were closely related to his personal experience. Desire Under the Elms is one of the representative works in his second writing period.
Puritanism has a profound effect on Eugene O’Neill and his works. After analyzing puritanism, we will have a better understanding on the roots and causes of tragedy in Desire Under the Elms. And three causes of tragedy--wealth, lust and family make the work attractive.
Under the specific history background of early New England, this paper intends to explore the roots of the tragedy of roles in Desire Under the Elms generally from the following perspectives: Puritanism, morality, wealth, lust, family, early new England’s impact on tragedy to reveal the profound connotation in the drama and to interpret the everlasting charm of Desire Under the Elms.

Key words: Desire Under the Elms; Eugene O'Neill; History; Tragedy; Roots  

摘要

尤金. 奥尼尔是美国戏剧之父，他擅长把悲剧融入自己的作品中，而且他的作品与自身经历息息相关。《榆树下的欲望》是他第二段写作时期的代表之作。
清教主义对尤金. 奥尼尔和他的作品的影响深远，在对清教主义的分析中，我们可以更好地了解《榆树下的欲望》的悲剧根源及悲剧成因。而财富，性欲和家庭这三个悲剧的主要原因使这部作品充满吸引力。
在特定的新英格兰历史背景下，本文将通过以下因素对《榆树下的欲望》角色的悲剧根源逐步作出探索：清教主义，道德，财富，性欲，家庭，早期新英格兰对悲剧的影响。从而揭露这部戏剧中的深刻内涵，解释《榆树下的欲望》的永恒魅力。

关键词：榆树下的欲望；尤金. 奥尼尔；历史；悲剧；根源