Mourning Becomes Electra
"Mourning Becomes Electra" is divided into three plays with themes that correspond to the "Oresteia" trilogy. Much like Aeschylus' plays "Agamemnon", "The Libation Bearers" and "The Eumenides", these three plays by O'Neill are titled "Homecoming", "The Hunted", and "The Haunted". However, these plays are normally not produced individually, but only as part of the larger trilogy. Each of these plays contains four to five acts, with only the first act of "The Haunted" being divided into actual scenes. Thus, "Mourning Becomes Electra" is extraordinarily lengthy. In many productions, the length is cut for the sake of practicality, and the chorus of townsfolk cut from productions due to the expense, leaving only the eight main players.