American Drama: Eugene O’Neil, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller.

“Any account of American drama must begin by noting the casual disregard with which it has been treated by the critical establishment. There is no single history of its development, no truly comprehensive analysis of its achievement. In the standard histories of American literature it is accorded at best a marginal position.”

Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) was an American playwright, and Nobel laureate in Literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into American drama techniques of realism. His plays were among the first to include speeches in American vernacular and involve characters on the fringes of society, where they struggle to maintain their hopes and aspirations, but ultimately slide into disillusionment and despair. Nearly all of his other plays involve some degree of tragedy and personal pessimism.

“Long Day's Journey Into Night” is a drama in four acts written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play is widely considered to be his masterwork. O'Neill posthumously received the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the work. The action covers a fateful, heart-rending day from around 8:30 am to midnight, in August 1912 at the seaside Connecticut home of the Tyrones - the semi-autobiographical representations of O'Neill himself, his older brother, and their parents at their home. One theme of the play is addiction and the resulting dysfunction of the family. All three males are alcoholics and Mary is addicted to morphine. In the play the characters conceal, blame, resent, regret, accuse and deny in an escalating cycle of conflict with occasional desperate and half-sincere attempts at affection, encouragement and consolation.

"Tennessee" Williams (1911–1983) was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs. Williams adapted much of his best known work for the cinema.

“A Streetcar Named Desire” is a play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The reference to the streetcar called Desire—providing the aura of New Orleans geography—is symbolic. Blanche not only has to travel on a streetcar route named "Desire" to reach Stella's home on "Elysian Fields" but her desire acts as an irrepressible force throughout the play—she can only hang on as her desires lead her.

Arthur Miller (1915–2005) was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as “All My Sons”,” Death of a Salesman”, “The Crucible”. Miller was often in the public eye, as he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and was married to Marilyn Monroe.

“Death of a Salesman” is a play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Miller's play represents a democratization of the ancient form of tragedy; the play's protagonist is himself obsessed with the question of greatness, and his downfall arises directly from his continued misconception of himself—at age 63—as someone capable of greatness, as well as the unshakable conviction that greatness stems directly from personal charisma or popularity. The play's structure resembles a stream of consciousness account.

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