Before Breakfast by Eugene O\'Neill

¶ … Breakfast by Eugene O'Neill

Tragic drama, it is said, must aim at unsettling an audience's emotions in order to be effective. Before Breakfast, a play written by Eugene O'Neill in 1916, succeeds in achieving this aim through brutally dramatizing the tragic results of a marriage between two clearly flawed characters.

In fact, the setting of the one-act play itself signals that all is not well with the Rowland household. Several significant touches such as potted plants "dying of neglect," "clothing ... hung on pegs," and a haphazardly strung clothesline (p. 245) reveal that the Rowlands are not house proud by any stretch of the imagination. These touches also tell the audience that the Rowlands are likely to be slovenly and lazy by nature, and, therefore, unlikely to be the kind of people who wish to lead a meaningful life. This inference can particularly be drawn because the setting is very clearly that of a small, dreary apartment, thereby indicating that the Rowlands are not well-to-do, and unlikely to ever be so.

The initial impressions created by the setting are strengthened by Mrs. Rowland's entry. For, the shabbiness of her appearance, drowsy eyes, and pinched expression (p. 245) all serve to tell the audience that she is likely to be both a lazy and very unhappy person. Before Breakfast may be a play that is structured to tell a story through Mrs. Rowland's monologue, but it is apparent that O'Neill intended for the play to be seen from the audience's perspective alone. Indeed, this is evident by the manner in which Mrs. Rowland character is portrayed.

While Mrs. Rowland's appearance cues her unhappiness, the full extent of her character is revealed in her monologue, which is actually one long grumble about her marriage. Full of bitterness, she rails and rants about her spouse's lack of job and pleasure seeking ways: " ... going out to sew every day while you play the gentleman and loaf around bar rooms." (p. 248) However, in spite of her endless tirade about Alfred's irresponsibility, she fails to elicit any sympathy because it is apparent that she is, in fact, a very sly and calculating person. Indeed, Mrs. Rowland's calculating nature comes through very clearly when she is seen furtively knocking back a large peg of gin and examining her husband's pockets. Thus, when she later talks about Alfred being a millionaire's son, it is automatically inferred that she probably married him in the hope of instantly acquiring a wealthy lifestyle.