Beyond The Horizon

Widely regarded as America's greatest dramatist, Eugene O'Neill introduced innovative dramatic techniques, probed the inner psychological states of his characters and used language and symbolism to create plays of remarkable depth and power. Originally presented in 1920, Beyond the Horizon (O'Neill's first full-length drama) won him a Pulitzer Prize. In it, the Mayo brothers - having fallen in love with the same woman - head down diverging paths in life. Robert Mayo, who had dreamed of adventure ""beyond the horizon,"" remains behind to work the family farm and marry the lady in question. His brother Andrew goes to sea and eventually to South America. Unsuited to lead a nomadic existence, he returns - a broken and financially ruined man - to find his brother also a failure. In the end and nearing death, Robert realizes the release he sought from financial burdens and unhappiness lies just ""beyond the horizon."" This revolutionary work of tragic realism established the reputation of a playwright who, after Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw, became one of the most widely translated and produced dramatists of the 20th century, and one of the most vital forces in the American theater.