’Neill’s tragedy uses Greek themes, it is more of a modern tragedy with a Greek base.While both Phedre and Desire Under the Elms are derived from Greek tragedies, they take very different approaches to creating a modern-day Greek tragedy. While one sets the play in Greek times and adheres to the formal requirements, the other goes for the effect that Aristotle says tragedy should induce. There is no doubt that they should both be considered tragedies, if for no other reason than that they both fulfill requirements that have been set for tragedies. While they may fulfill different requirements, the essential effect of catharsis is achieved, to one degree or another, in both. By using different methods to achieve this catharsis, they would seem to be different types of tragedies; one Greek, one modern. The fact still remains that the plays do evoke emotions either of pity, sympathy, empathy, or perturbation, and because of this, deserve to be called tragedies....
