Beyond the Horizon is a three-act play written by Eugene O'Neill. The play is set in rural New England and follows the story of two brothers, Robert and Andrew Mayo, and their family's struggles with love, duty, and ambition. Robert dreams of leaving the farm to become a sailor, while Andrew is content to stay and work the land. However, their plans and relationships are complicated when Ruth, a childhood friend and love interest, returns to the farm after years away.
Beyond the Horizon is a play by American playwright Eugene O'Neill, first produced in 1920. It was O'Neill’s first full-length play and earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, marking the beginning of his acclaimed career in American theater. The play is known for its exploration of dreams, ambition, love, and the crushing effects of fate and missed opportunities.
The story revolves around two brothers, Robert and Andrew Mayo, who live on their family’s farm. Robert is a poetic dreamer, yearning to travel beyond the horizon and experience the wider world, while Andrew is content with life as a farmer and has a natural talent for working the land. However, when Ruth, the woman they both love, chooses to marry Robert, their lives take unexpected turns. Robert stays behind to manage the farm, sacrificing his dreams, while Andrew goes to sea, abandoning his plans for a stable life on the land.
Over the course of the play, the brothers’ choices lead to unfulfilled ambitions, shattered relationships, and deteriorating health. The characters' decisions and circumstances illustrate O'Neill's signature themes of fate, disillusionment, and the struggle between hope and harsh reality.
Published on by eBooks