Monday, 7 July 2008:

Film / video presentation: (option 3: scene(s) from Desire Under the Elms): Erin Byrd

Erin Byrd                                                                                                       7-7-08

Video Presentation—Desire Under the Elms

Synopsis:

Widower Ephraim Cabot abandons his New England farm to his three sons, who hate him but share his greed. Eben, the youngest and brightest sibling, feels the farm is his birthright, as it originally belonged to his mother. He buys out his half-brothers' shares of the farm with money stolen from his father, and Peter and Simeon head off to California to seek their fortune. Later, Ephraim returns with a new wife, the beautiful and headstrong Abbie, who enters into an adulterous affair with Eben. Soon after, Abbie bears Eben's child, but lets Ephraim believe that the child is his, in the hopes of securing her future with the farm. The proud Ephraim is oblivious as his neighbors openly mock him as a cuckold. Madly in love with Eben and fearful it would become an obstacle to their relationship, Abbie kills the infant. An enraged and distraught Eben turns Abbie over to the sheriff, but not before admitting to himself the depths of his love for her and thus confessing his own role in the infanticide.

"Desire Under the Elms." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 21 Oct 2007, 15:08 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 11 Jul 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Desire_Under_the_Elms&oldid=166060622>.

What to look for in videos clips:

1.     Comedy: Eben has just bought his brothers’ shares of the farm for fare so they can get to California to look for gold.  Then Ephraim arrives with his newest (3^rd) wife, and they’re waiting to tell him good-bye.

2.     Anna introduces herself to Eben and immediately shows signs of attraction.  Then when she says this is her farm, Eben tells her it’s his.  We also find out the real reason for Anna marrying Eben’s father.

Discussion questions:

1.     Why is there comedy in the scene where the two step-brothers are leaving?  What effect does this have?

2.     How closely related is this play/film to the two previous plays we read (Hippolytus and Phaedra)?  Compare/contrast them.