4.5/5 one of my favorite plays!!!

This play has truly captured my heart. It is a work of art that I find myself constantly drawn back to.

Edit: I've read and reread, quoted and analyzed, annotated and thought about this play so much in the last couple of months that it gets bumped to a 5.

The more I engage with it, the deeper my appreciation grows. Every line seems to hold a hidden meaning, waiting to be discovered.

Edit 2: Reread for a class, still brilliant.

Even after multiple readings, its brilliance shines through. It has the power to move and inspire, to make me think about life and love and death in new ways.

The quote "I will always be a stranger who never feels at home, who does not really want and is not really wanted, who can never belong, who must always be a little in love with death!" sums up the essence of the play for me. It speaks to the universal human experience of longing and alienation, and yet there is a strange beauty in it.

This play is a must-read for anyone who loves literature and wants to explore the depths of the human soul.

We are human beings.

Being human inevitably means experiencing suffering, be it within our families or in our careers.

The most excruciating form of suffering is the one that impacts us internally, that is, emotionally.

How do we deal with problems? We often turn to drinking, over and over again.

Edmund claims that getting drunk holds significance in every person's life.

I concur with this view.

The subsequent question then is what one should get drunk on?

Some individuals choose whiskey, while others find solace in reading poetry, and yet others engage in sports and so forth.

We are all aware of where we stand.

However, when you reside in a household where everyone drinks, it becomes extremely challenging to stay away from alcohol.

Almost all of our problems originate from our families.

It is arduous to remain afloat in the midst of all these difficulties.

As Mary states, it is beneficial to pray, but what can one do when they are not a believer?

This poses a difficult situation for you.

Another school read

I really liked this play! I mean it when I say I love a dysfunctional family.

The play presented a complex and engaging portrayal of a family that was far from perfect. It delved into the relationships, conflicts, and emotions within the family, revealing the hidden dynamics and secrets.

The characters were well-developed, each with their own flaws and strengths. Their interactions were both realistic and captivating, making it easy for the audience to empathize with their situations.

The themes explored in the play, such as love, forgiveness, and acceptance, were universal and relatable. It made me reflect on my own family and the importance of understanding and包容 each other.

Overall, this play was a thought-provoking and enjoyable experience. It reminded me that even in the most dysfunctional of families, there is always the potential for growth, healing, and love.

What I truly appreciate about O’Neill is his unwavering honesty. He doesn't attempt to sugarcoat his characters, make them appear better than they really are, or offer excuses for their flaws. Instead, he presents them exactly as they are, without any pretense or false adornment. This raw and unfiltered portrayal often makes us feel uncomfortable, especially in his final and greatest play, A Long Day’s Journey into Night, which was published posthumously and is based on his own birth family.

The characters in this play are complex and deeply flawed. There's Tyrone, the proud, greedy, and cheapskate father who is also a hard-drinking actor. Mary, the vain, clingy, and delusional mother, formerly a pious ex-convent Catholic who has become a drug addict. Jamie, the cynical, lazy, alcoholic, and womanizing oldest son, often serving as a scapegoat. And Edmund, the unwanted, nervous, poetically inclined, and consumptive youngest son, who is based on the author himself.

Despite the discomfort they may cause, spending time with O’Neill’s family through this play can be a powerful experience. Reading A Long Day’s Journey into Night is, of course, much shorter than a real day. If you have the opportunity, watching the play performed is the best way to fully appreciate it, although live theatre may not be as accessible as a book.
The good news is that O’Neill was able to leave this troubled family behind. He didn't hold onto old grudges and hatred like so many others. Instead, he wrote this play and dedicated it to his wife on their 12th anniversary, as expressed in the beautiful words:

\\n  ‘Dearest: I give you the original script of this play of old sorrows, written in tears and blood. A sadly inappropriate gift, it would seem, for a day celebrating happiness. But you will understand. I mean it as a tribute to your love and tenderness which gave me the faith in love that enabled me to face my dead at last and write this play—write it with deep pity and understanding and forgiveness for all the four haunted Tyrones.’ These twelve years, Beloved One, have been a Journey into Light—into love. You know my gratitude. And my love! Gene\\n

In conclusion, A Journey through the Dark Night is a remarkable triumph of love and forgiveness. It teaches us that to truly understand someone, we must be willing to see them in all their flaws and imperfections. And perhaps, in doing so, we can find it within ourselves to forgive. As the Oblates of St. Benedict said, "To know all, is to forgive all."

This apparently semi-autobiographical work is widely regarded by many as the greatest American stage-play of the 20th century. Maybe it truly is. However, it simply isn't my favorite.

It is indeed quite dramatic, and at times, it even verges on being melodramatic. This particular sort of play, similar to "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", where the characters gradually become inebriated and increasingly cruel to one another while reopening old wounds, just doesn't really resonate with me.

Perhaps it's because I myself haven't endured enough wounds. Nevertheless, it does evoke a sense of pity within me for those who have. Like O'Neill himself.

His life experiences seem to have been poured into this work, creating a complex and often painful portrayal of human relationships and the consequences of past traumas. While I may not fully understand or connect with the intensity of the emotions depicted, I can still appreciate the artistry and the depth of the themes explored.

Maybe one day, as I gain more life experience and encounter my own share of hardships, I will be able to look at this play in a different light and truly understand its significance. But for now, it remains a work that I respect but don't necessarily love.

A volte è sorprendente in quali vicoli ciechi ci può portare l'inerzia. Come nella famiglia Tyrone, dove nessuno fa nulla per uscire dal circolo vizioso. Ogni membro sembra fermo, seduto su una sedia, mentre fuori regna la nebbia. La riflessione paralitica è un argomento trattato con maestria in "Amleto", ma qui siamo in uno stato ancora più meschino. È l'autocompassione dell'inetto, quella sensazione in cui permettiamo di credere di poter compatirci per l'infelicità causata da noi stessi, quando in realtà siamo immersi in essa e non siamo capaci di ammettere che forse ci piace più del coraggio necessario per diventare felici.
La famiglia Tyrone è infelice. La mancanza di volontà di tutti loro per uscire da uno stato soffocante è così radicata che è difficile dire dove sia iniziata la loro attuale infelicità. Le cause possono essere diverse, ma forse sarebbe bastata l'assenza di una sola di quelle per salvarli. James Tyrone, il padre, potrebbe avere tentato di non assecondare più la sua avarizia. Ma invece reagisce quando gli viene ricordato quanto potrebbe essere diversa la situazione se fosse stato più generoso. Questo dimostra che sa che molte colpe ricadono su di lui.
Lui ha permesso che la moglie, Mary, fosse trattata da un dottore scadente e si sia abituata alla morfina. Inoltre, forse sta ripetendo lo stesso errore con il figlio Edmund. La situazione familiare è tragica e degradante perché tutti si rendono conto dei loro errori, ma l'orgoglio e l'inerzia sono più forti della volontà di cambiare. James potrebbe aiutare sua moglie a uscire dalla depressione e chiamare un dottore migliore per Edmund, ma non lo fa. Mary, invece, sembra accettare la sua situazione e non vuole assumersi alcuna responsabilità. Anche i figli, Jamie e Edmund, sono coinvolti nel circolo vizioso. Jamie è cinico e ubriacone, e sembra avere una sorta di odio per il fratello minore, Edmund. Edmund, invece, è più sensibile e sembra essere più colpito dalla situazione familiare.
La vita dei giovani è compromessa. Jamie potrebbe essere un'ancora di salvataggio per Edmund, ma invece lo minaccia e cerca di farlo fallire. Questo dimostra che anche i figli sono responsabili della situazione familiare. Tuttavia, nonostante tutto, c'è ancora speranza. Forse un giorno loro capiranno che devono cambiare e si saranno salvati da se stessi. Ma finché non lo fanno, il circolo vizioso continuerà. È triste e deprimente, ma è anche una rappresentazione realistica della vita umana.

Catching up on my comments from last time, I am awarding this five stars. Years after first reading the play, I finally found an appreciation for it. In the late 1960's, when I started reading plays, O'Neill was regarded as my country's greatest playwright. However, I was more interested in recent playwrights like Beckett, Pinter, Albee, Ionesco, and Stoppard. Compared to them, O'Neill seemed old-fashioned and out of touch. I last saw a 1987 televised adaptation with Jack Lemmon, but I didn't like it at all. So I had almost given up on this play until this recent read. When I reread it, it suddenly made sense. I understood it! I felt a connection with the material and what the author was trying to convey. I think this is one of the greatest joys of reading. So my five stars are for that experience. As for the play itself, it still seems a bit dated. But the issues of opiate addiction, alcohol abuse, and the dysfunctional family are still relevant today. O'Neill's portrayal of these characters as they descend into self-absorption and self-indulgence makes us think.

Earlier comment: This was a highlight of my reading week as I was finally able to appreciate this play after dismissing it in the past. My tired brain couldn't form coherent comments, so I will come back to this review when I'm refreshed.

Finally, after moving and dealing with a life that seemed to suck the desire to read right out of me, I have finished another book. It is truly an absolutely stunning work.

The process of moving was chaotic and exhausting. Boxes were everywhere, and my routine was completely disrupted. But now that things have settled down a bit, I was able to pick up this book and get lost in its pages.

The story was captivating from the very beginning. The characters were well-developed and the plot was full of twists and turns. I found myself staying up late at night, eager to find out what would happen next.

Overall, I am so glad that I took the time to read this book. It has reminded me of the joy that reading can bring, even in the midst of a crazy life.

Don't read this play if you or your family have a history of drug addiction and/or alcoholism and you don't want to be reminded of it.

This play delves into the disintegration of a family where the members are, in various ways, addicted to drugs or alcohol, tormented by the failure of their dreams, or dying from disease on top of other problems.

That said, this is a fascinating play with an explosive end. The first three acts, in comparison, are rather quiet as they depict the Tyrone family's individual miseries. I was completely caught off guard and astonished by the end of Act IV.

I liked the play well enough after the first three acts, but I think I was vaguely disappointed and bored by the family members' endless tiptoeing around the sources of their misery and their constant shifting back and forth between sniping at each other and trying to pretend nothing is wrong.

Everyone who reads about this play knows it is autobiographical, with the Tyrones representing Eugene O'Neill's family and the protagonist Edmund Tyrone representing Eugene O'Neill himself. Given that Eugene O'Neill is a famous playwright, one might think Edmund is the most interesting character. However, I would say no, not really. I find his older brother Jamie more complex and thus more interesting. I'm not entirely sure why yet - I want to study Jamie more closely - but I think it has to do with the difference in Jamie's condition from Edmund's and Mary's. Jamie is a heavy drinker and possibly an alcoholic, but not terminally ill like Edmund or a drug addict like Mary. And since Jamie is out of favor with his father (who considers him a ne'er-do-well) and is receiving less attention because he's not dying, he is more distant from his family and often acts as a cynical observer. At the end, he seems to be the most emotionally tormented member of the family, certainly more tormented than Edmund.

It really was a long journey to the end of this play.

The anticipation had been building up for weeks, and finally, the day had arrived.

As the curtains rose, the audience was immediately drawn into the captivating world of the story.

The actors gave their all, bringing the characters to life with their精湛的表演 skills.

The plot was filled with twists and turns, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats.

There were moments of laughter, moments of tears, and moments of pure excitement.

And as the final act approached, the tension in the theater was palpable.

When the curtains finally came down, the audience erupted into thunderous applause, showing their appreciation for the amazing performance.

It truly had been a memorable journey, one that would be cherished by all who had witnessed it.

Read it in a night, maybe two, while sipping whiskey beneath an antique lamp in my grandmother's house. This is pretty much the ideal way to turn these pages. It's a cozy and intimate setting that allows you to fully immerse yourself in the story.

Or, you could choose to watch this and have the drama come to life. There's always a platonic ideal of how a play could be performed, at least for me. When I read, I think about all the details. The way certain scenes could be set, the way a word or phrase could be said with specific meanings depending on the tone, and the way actors will look at each other. All of these elements contribute to bringing the story to life on stage.

This version has some truly great actors who really make the words come alive. Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, and Peter Gallagher - with such a talented cast, how can you go wrong? Their performances add depth and nuance to the characters and make the story even more engaging. So, whether you prefer to read or watch, this is definitely something worth experiencing.

This play is truly a huge downer. It has a certain quality that makes it both captivating and a bit overwhelming at times. The story seems to delve deep into the darker aspects of human nature and emotions, which can be quite intense.

Occasionally, it even feels overwrought, as if the emotions are being pushed to the extreme. But strangely enough, I find myself liking that about it. There's something about this unapologetic exploration of the negative that draws me in.

Maybe it's because it forces me to face the less pleasant parts of life that we often try to avoid. Or perhaps it's the way the play manages to create such a powerful and immersive experience, even when it's dealing with such heavy themes.

In any case, despite its flaws, this play has left a lasting impression on me, and I can't help but be intrigued by its unique blend of sadness and intensity.