What Is The Role Of Fate In “Mourning Becomes Electra”

What Is The Role Of Fate In “Mourning Becomes Electra”? When the play opens, we see that Ezra Mannon’s wife named Christine is in unfair and illegal relations with captain Adam. Lavinia is in trouble and goes to New York and her mother also goes behind to search her; falsely telling her that she is going there in order to look after her sick father. Her doubt is confirmed that Lavinia and captain Peter are in love with one another.

On the other hand, Peter’s sister Hazel is in love with Lavinia’s brother. When Lavinia observes the wrong-doings of the mother, she becomes against love and refuses to marry with Peter. Seth, who is the gardener of Mannon, informs Lavinia about her mother’s activities. He further tells her that Adam resembles with Lavinia’s father, brother and grandfather. Actually, Adam’s history is this that Lavinia’s grandfather had a brother named as David who once made a nurse pregnant and then ultimately he had to marry with her. On his this misdeed, he had to be expelled from the house. It was Adam who was born as a result of the illegal pregnancy.

In order to wipe off doubt on herself, Christine provokes Adam to fall in love with Lavinia. But Lavinia rejects her by saying a child of whore. In the reaction of his insult of rejection, Adam tells Lavinia that when her grandfather expelled his parents from the house, his father committed suicide and his mother led a very tight and tough life of poverty and as a result she also died. Further, Adam tells her that he has determined to take revenge against Ezra for the past cruelties on his family.

Now, Lavinia asks her mother about this but her mother refutes all this by saying that she had once seen them embracing to one another in New York. Christine agrees to Lavinia at last and tells her that now she hates Ezra. As Orin joins the Army, Lavinia starts falling in love with Adam. Lavinia also tells Adam’s decision of taking revenge against Ezra to Christine but she does not care for it.

As Lavinia threatens of disclosing the secret but Christine gets her recalled that she herself has been in love with Adam and now, she wants to take her place of her: After their mutual discussion, Christine decides that she will never meet Adam. Now, Adam and Christine decide to kill Ezra. Adam makes a plan that he will supply: poison to Christine and she will replace the pills of heart trouble with the pills of poison.

Ezra arrives back and tells the stories of war. He tells further that Orin is injured now and is remembering his mother in sickness. He starts making love with Christine but she does not take interest and shows cold behaviour. There raise some doubts and objections between both and they also start exchanging hot words with one another. Christine confesses that she wants Adami. It shocks Ezra very much and he starts feeling pain in his heart upon which he seeks the medicine of heart trouble from Christine. Christine gives poisonous medicine to him and he dies after taking it.

Lavinia starts doubting that her mother has made her father died with the support of her beloved. Orin arrives back and feels great sorrow on the death of his father. Christine tells Orin that Lavinia blames of killing Ezra on her and wants to get her arrested by the police. Now, Orin gets Christine believed by saying that he will not let Lavinia do so. Further, he also declares that if Adam’s scandal is true then he will not forgive Adam. After listening all this, Christine becomes frightened. Lavinia tells Orin how Christine has killed her father by the help of her lover Adam.

Adam and Christine meet with one another on the ship at East Boston. Lavinia watches both kissing one another on the spot. In the meanwhile, Orin also watches their illegal relations and he kills Adam. Christine also shoots herself with the pistol of Ezra. Just after one year, Mannon’s house seems to-be a house of ghosts and both brother and sister leave for New York.

One day, Orin is writing something in his father’s room Lavinia arrives there and Orin starts hiding his writing from her sister. Lavinia insists Orin by saying that he is sinless, and he should never think himself as a murderer and. also forget his past deeds. She further insists him that he should remain happy by marrying with Hazel. Hazel and Peter arrive on the scene and Hazel wants Orin to take her house with the willingness of her mother because she thinks that Lavinia has arrested Orin here. Peter also supports this by saying that unless both brother Orin and sister Lavinia are not separated from one another how can he marry Lavinia.

The written documents of Orin are given to Hazel and she is also instructed that Peter should read this bundle of documents before one day of the marriage of Lavinia and Peter. Lavinia also tells him that Lavinia has told, whole the story to her and Orin is not the reason of cause of suicide of his mother.

Now, Orin implores or requests Hazel to take him somewhere else but Lavinia protests against it. Lavinia watches Hazel hiding something and Orin tells that he (Orin) has written these papers or documents in previous days. Lavinia asks Hazel to give these documents to him but she refuses to give these papers. Lavinia requests Orin by saying that she will obey his every order or command if he hands the documents over to her. Orin agrees on it but Hazel departs them in disappointment. Orin also takes an oath from Lavinia that she will never meet Peter again and will also leave him forever.

Orin’s conscience always pricks him about his past guilt while Lavinia always insists on him by saying that whatever had been done with his mother was absolutely accidental. Both start quarrelling and exchanging hot words with one another and Lavinia tells Orin that she hates him.

Further, she says that she should die now. Peter also arrives there. Orin goes for studying books in the room. Lavinia insists Peter for marrying hastily. There comes out a voice of firing from the room and it is known that Orin has committed suicide. Lavinia starts repenting and hides the pistol. Lavinia decorates every room of the house with flowers on Orin’s funeral. Hazel also comes there and quarrels with Lavinia and says that she will not let her marriage be happened with Peter happily. She also points out by saying that Orin has committed suicide on the behalf of Lavinia. Hazel leaves and Peter arrives on the scene and decides of marrying soon.

Lavinia agrees to hold marriage function on the eve of funeral but Peter does not concede or agree. He also starts doubting the fearlessness of Lavinia by thinking that Orin has certainly written something of secrets and mysteries in the documents. Lavinia assures him that there has not been written: anything of such kind. She also starts kissing and loving Peter by circling her arms around him and says:

“What me, take me, Adam.”,

Then she also feels that she has uttered a false name. By thinking that he is not fit for love, she says to Peter that she will not marry him.

Now Peter’s belief becomes more strong and firm that in Hazel’s, and in his mother’s opinion, she has already done so with many men. He thinks that both Hazel and her mother are right in their views about Lavinia. By thinking so, Peter leaves the place and Lavinia remains shouting and saying that all this is absolutely wrong.These all things also present as symbolical meanings in novel. In the end, Lavinia determines that she will not commit suicide like her mother and brother but continuing living with the men in the same house and punish herself on the long run.