Beyond the Horizon | Essays and Criticism

  • Staging Techniques

    Poquette has a bachelor’s degree in English and specializes in writing about literature. In the following essay, Poquette discusses O’Neill’s use of staging techniques to underscore and amplify the tragic mood of his play.

  • A Psychological View

    In the following essay excerpt, the author analyzes the Mayo family psychologically, focusing on the narcissistic dreams of Robert and Andy.

  • Unsettling Ambiguity

    In the following essay, the author explores how the last scene of Beyond the Horizon contrasts with the predictability of the rest of the drama, chiefly through Robert's "theatrically heightened speeches."

  • Amercia's First Tragedy

    In the following essay, the author compares Beyond the Horizon to plays by Sophocles and Euripides in arguing that it is "the first play by an American that can justly be called a tragedy.''