Sign-In
Cart
The Emperor Jones: The Straw
Paperback
ISBN13: 9781025632056
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 264
Weight: 0.82
Height: 0.55 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The Emperor Jones and The Straw represent two powerful facets of Eugene O'Neill's early dramatic genius, showcasing his transition from naturalism to experimental expressionism. In The Emperor Jones, O'Neill explores the psychological disintegration of Brutus Jones, an African American man and former Pullman porter who has established himself as the despotic monarch of a Caribbean island. As a rebellion forces him into the jungle, the play becomes a visceral journey where Jones confronts his own personal demons and the collective terrors of his heritage. This work remains a landmark in American theater for its innovative staging and complex portrayal of power and regression.
In contrast, The Straw is a poignant, realistic tragedy set within the confines of a tuberculosis sanatorium. The play follows the evolving relationship between Eileen Carmody and Stephen Murray, two patients grappling with their mortality. Through their connection, O'Neill examines themes of hope, the cruelty of fate, and the vital, sometimes deceptive power of human spirit in the face of despair. Together, these plays illustrate O'Neill's profound ability to capture the human condition in both its most grandiose and its most vulnerable moments.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
1 different editions
Also available
Also from
O'Neill, Eugene
Mourning Becomes Electra: A Trilogy: Homecoming, the Hunted and the Haunted
O'Neill, Eugene
Paperback
Short Plays Of Eugene O'Neill: The Dreamy Kid; Before Breakfast; Gold; Diff'rent; And The Straw
O'Neill, Eugene
Paperback
Short Plays Of Eugene O'Neill: The Dreamy Kid; Before Breakfast; Gold; Diff'rent; And The Straw
O'Neill, Eugene
Paperback
Short Plays Of Eugene O'Neill: The Dreamy Kid; Before Breakfast; Gold; Diff'rent; And The Straw
O'Neill, Eugene
Hardcover
Short Plays Of Eugene O'Neill: The Dreamy Kid; Before Breakfast; Gold; Diff'rent; And The Straw
O'Neill, Eugene
Hardcover
The Provincetown Plays, Third Series: The Two Sons, Lima Beans, Before Breakfast (1916)
O'Neill, Eugene
Boyce, Neith
Kreymborg, Alfred
Paperback
The Provincetown Plays, Third Series: The Two Sons, Lima Beans, Before Breakfast (1916)
Boyce, Neith
Kreymborg, Alfred
O'Neill, Eugene
Paperback
The Plays of Eugene O'Neill Including Anna Christie, Beyond the Horizon, Emperor Jones, The Hairy Ape and Days Without End
O'Neill, Eugene
Hardcover
The Plays of Eugene O'Neill Including Anna Christie, Beyond the Horizon, Emperor Jones, The Hairy Ape and Days Without End
O'Neill, Eugene
Paperback
The Provincetown Plays, Third Series: The Two Sons, Lima Beans, Before Breakfast (1916)
Kreymborg, Alfred
Boyce, Neith
O'Neill, Eugene
Hardcover
Also in
Plays
Four Comedies: The Taming of the Shrew, a Midsummer Night's Dream, the Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night
Shakespeare, William
Paperback
The Major Plays: Ivanov, the Sea Gull, Uncle Vanya, the Three Sisters, the Cherry Orchard
Chekhov, Anton
Paperback
Death of a Salesman: Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem
Miller, Arthur
Paperback
The Greek Tragedies: Seventeen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides
Sophocles
Euripides
Aeschylus
Paperback
The Laramie Project and the Laramie Project: Ten Years Later
Kaufman, Moises
Fondakowski, Leigh
Pierotti, Greg
Paperback
FRANKENSTEIN or The Modern Prometheus (The Revised 1831 Edition - Wisehouse Classics)
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft
Paperback
Four Major Plays: A Doll's House/Ghosts/Hedda Gabler/The Master Builder
McFarlane, James
Arup, Jens
Ibsen, Henrik
Paperback
A Doll's House and Other Plays: With Pillars of the Community, Ghosts and an Enemy of the People
Ibsen, Henrik
Paperback
KJV, Pew Bible, Large Print, Hardcover, Burgundy, Red Letter Edition (Large Print Edition)
Thomas Nelson
Hardcover
Our Town and the Cosmic One-Acts: The Long Christmas Dinner, the Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, and Pullman Car Hiawatha
Wilder, Thornton
Paperback
Five Plays: Ivanov, the Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and the Cherry Orchard
Chekhov, Anton
Hingley, Ronald
Paperback