Eugene O'Neill (1888–1953) is an American playwright, Nobel laureate in 1936. The conflict of the play, which takes place in the mid-19th century, is multifaceted and combines the love drama of the characters with their merciless struggle, generated by the possessive instinct. She turns Ephraim Cabot, his sons and their young stepmother Abby into their worst enemies, forcing them to forget their human essence so much that, submitting to naked calculation in everything, they cease to perceive themselves as people: they are just insensitive pawns in a complex game.< /p>