Eugene O’Neill’s play Long Day’s Journey into Night ties itself back to Aristotle through the philosopher’s understanding of tragedy. O’Neill was interested in the Greeks, and Aristotle’s works greatly influenced the playwright. In particular, Long Day’s Journey into Night is connected to Aristotle’s concept of unity of action, an essential element of tragedy. Unity of action demands that a story must have a single, comprehensive subject with all events presented in a logical sequence with a beginning, middle, and end. While some argue that O’Neill’s creation does not adhere to the classic form of tragedy, the play follows the philosopher’s requirements of being complete and inducing pity and fear. Nonetheless, the dramatical piece obeys Aristotle’s unity of time and unity of place. The former suggests tragedy that should be performed in a limited period of time, and the latter proposes that narration should be put in a single place. Accordingly, O’Neill’s story unravels within one day in the Tyrones’ house. Therefore, Long Day’s Journey into Night is linked to Aristotle by representing certain aspects of the philosopher’s idea of tragedy based on unities of action, time, and place.
Furthermore, Long Day’s Journey into Night ties itself back to Shakespeare. On the one hand, the play’s characters frequently mention the renowned playwright’s creations. On the other hand, the quotations have meaningful implications for O’Neill’s plot. For instance, Jamie twice cites Othello’s main antagonist, Iago, and appears to embrace the role of adversary himself. Moreover, many people claim that Jamie mentions “The Moor” line to illustrate Tyrone’s snoring. However, others suggest that the quote is also meant to associate Tyrone with Othello’s envious hero and support Mary’s later accusation of her husband being a jealous person. Consequently, Long Day’s Journey into Night is connected to Shakespeare’s works through the characters’ interests and personalities.