The play "Desire Under the Elms" was written in 1924 and stands as one of O'Neill's masterpieces, drawing from ancient Greek tragedy as well as from the realistic theatre of Ibsen.

The Myth is composed of elements from the tragedies Oedipus Rex, Hippolytus, and Medea; the Ethos aligns with the prevailing patriarchal ideologies, as well as Ibsen's love triangles; the Aspect and the Lexis reflect O'Neill's contemporary American reality.

The structure and plot of the play follow the linear narrative of modern drama. The author experiments, investigates, and engages with issues of sexuality, complexes, conflicting desires, and dysfunctional family relationships, which have their roots in ancient Greek myths.

The tragedy in the play is ignited by the sin of the illicit, almost incestuous, relationship between the stepmother and her husband's son, culminating in the infanticide of the newborn child, which is the fruit of the forbidden love. Like another Medea, Abby murders her own son with terrifying will and force, overcoming the hesitations and tenderness of maternal instinct, in order to win back her beloved.