List of Plays

Tao House: The Birthplace of O'Neill's Greatest Works

At Tao House, Eugene O'Neill brought to life the plays that had been gestating in his mind for years, transforming deeply personal and painful memories into profound theatrical works. This creative process, however, came at a cost. Carlotta Monterey O'Neill, his wife, often recalled how Eugene would emerge from his study looking red-eyed and gaunt after long hours of working on Long Day's Journey Into Night. His comment about The Iceman Cometh—“There are moments… that suddenly strip the secret soul of a man naked…”—reflects his own internal struggle for forgiveness, understanding, and absolution through his art.

The five plays O'Neill wrote at Tao House are widely regarded as his finest achievements. They are filled with deep compassion and acts of redemption, revealing the playwright's raw humanity and emotional depth. Yet, when O'Neill left Tao House, he never wrote again. His final plays did not focus on grand spiritual quests but rather on the human condition—where survival depended on clinging to one another in moments of darkness.

Each play written at Tao House stands as a masterpiece in its own right. In Hughie, a lost soul in a seedy New York hotel lobby seeks connection with an inarticulate night clerk, desperately trying to escape his loneliness. A Moon for the Misbegotten explores O'Neill's own emotional scars, addressing his mother's death and his brother Jamie's torment over his perceived failure to her. Both plays offer their characters brief moments of salvation—whether in the arms of a giant Irish peasant woman beneath a moonlit sky, as in A Moon for the Misbegotten, or in the fleeting connection between strangers, as in Hughie.

---

O'Neill’s Plays Written at Tao House

• A Touch of the Poet (1942)
• More Stately Mansions (unfinished, 1939)
• The Iceman Cometh (1939)
• Hughie (1941)
• Long Day's Journey Into Night (1941)
• A Moon for the Misbegotten (1943)

Note: "More Stately Mansions" was never completed by O'Neill. It was discovered and produced after his death in 1953.

---

The Complete List of Eugene O'Neill’s Plays

Eugene O'Neill's career spanned three decades, during which he wrote nearly 60 plays that explored a wide range of themes and styles. Early works like Bound East for Cardiff (1914) and The Long Voyage Home (1917) laid the groundwork for his exploration of complex human emotions and societal issues.

With major works such as Beyond the Horizon (1918), which earned his first Pulitzer Prize, and The Emperor Jones(1920), O'Neill blended realism and expressionism. Masterpieces like Strange Interlude (1927), Mourning Becomes Electra (1931), and Long Day's Journey Into Night (1941) cemented his reputation as a pioneering playwright who probed the depths of the human psyche.

O'Neill also excelled in one-act plays, including Before Breakfast (1916) and The Rope (1918), and his unfinished works, like More Stately Mansions (1939), showcase his relentless pursuit of new themes and forms. His body of work continues to influence and inspire the world of theater, securing his place as one of America's greatest playwrights.

Early Plays

O'Neill's early works, such as Bound East for Cardiff (1914) and The Long Voyage Home (1917), laid the groundwork for his deeper exploration of human emotions and societal issues.

• Bound East for Cardiff (1914)
• In the Zone (1917)
• The Long Voyage Home (1917)
• Ile (1917)
• The Moon of the Caribbees (1918)

Major Works

With plays like Beyond the Horizon (1918), which earned him his first Pulitzer Prize, and The Emperor Jones (1920), O'Neill displayed his masterful ability to blend realism and expressionism. His masterpieces, including Strange Interlude(1927), Mourning Becomes Electra (1931), and Long Day's Journey Into Night (1941), solidified his legacy as a pioneering playwright.

• Beyond the Horizon (1918)
• The Emperor Jones (1920)
• Anna Christie (1920)
• The Hairy Ape (1921)
• All God's Chillun Got Wings (1923)
• Desire Under the Elms (1924)
• Marco Millions (1924)
• The Great God Brown (1925)
• Lazarus Laughed (1926)
• Strange Interlude (1927)
• Dynamo (1929)
• Mourning Becomes Electra (1931)
• Ah, Wilderness! (1933)
• Days Without End (1934)
• The Iceman Cometh (1940)
• Hughie (1941)
• Long Day's Journey Into Night (1941)
• A Touch of the Poet (1942)
• A Moon for the Misbegotten (1943)

One-Act Plays

O'Neill also demonstrated his talent for concise, impactful narratives in his one-act plays.

• Recklessness (1913)
• Warnings (1913)
• Fog (1914)
• Abortion (1914)
• The Movie Man (1914)
• Servitude (1914)
• The Web (1914)
• Thirst (1914)
• The Sniper (1915)
• Before Breakfast (1916)
• The Rope (1918)
• Where the Cross Is Made (1918)
• In the Zone (1919)

Later and Unfinished Works

O'Neill's later works, including his unfinished plays, reflect his relentless drive to explore new forms and themes, even as his health declined.

• More Stately Mansions (unfinished, 1939)
• The Calms of Capricorn (unfinished, 1941)
• The Last Conquest (unfinished, 1941)
• The Second Mrs. Tanqueray (unfinished, 1941)

Additional Plays

O'Neill’s body of work also includes notable lesser-known plays, which further contribute to his legacy as one of the most prolific and influential American playwrights.

• Now I Ask You (1916)
• Gold (1920)
• Chris Christophersen (1920)
• The Straw (1921)
• The Fountain (1923)
• Welded (1924)
• The Ancient Mariner (1925)
• The First Man (1922)
• S.S. Glencairn (1920)
• Exorcism (1920)

---

Eugene O'Neill's extensive repertoire continues to inspire and challenge the world of theater, cementing his status as one of America's greatest playwrights. His ability to navigate the depths of human emotion and conflict in both his early and later works leaves an indelible mark on dramatic literature.