Mourning Becomes Electra Lesson Plan

How has Lavinia changed in “The Haunted”? How does O’Neill describe her changes, and why are these changes important?

Earlier in the play, O’Neill described Lavinia as resembling her mother but too thin, garbed all in black, her hair tightly pulled back, and a dour expression on her face. She knew Peter loved her but did not plan to marry because she wanted to remain close to her father. She punished her mother with the “just” act of killing Brant and, after Christine’s resulting suicide, takes Orin on a long trip to the East.

At the beginning of “The Haunted,” however, everything has changed. O’Neill devotes a great deal of text to Lavinia’s physical and personality...