The only words I can use to describe Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms are: shocking and disturbing. The play is very well written and the characters are so well developed that, as a reader, I felt like I really knew them. I understood Peter and Simeon's bond and their desire to make a life for themselves; I felt Eben's desire to own something and avenge his mother's death, pay Ephraim back for all he had done; I admires Ephraim's hardness and determination to succeed; and sympathized with Abbie's gold digging ways - her desire to come up should not be ignored (lol). These characters are so fascinating alone, but then O'Neill throws in some jealousy, desire, adultery, trickery, murder, and a few Freudian issues and before you know it, you're so into the play you don't want to put it down ever. I'm afraid this story will haunt me and I probably shouldn't have read it so late into the night, but I just couldn't help myself. I will be watching the 1958 film version with the lovely Sophia Loren later...I want to see how the director captured the drama in this play. I truly see Desire Under the Elms fast becoming one of my favorite literary works. It's so amazing.