The tension is cerated by different attitudes concerning ideology, philosophy, history – life in general.
The Royal Hunt of the Sun – the Spanish destruction of the Inca civilization.
Equus – psychoanalyst’s attempt to understand the mysterious faith of young delinquent. Amadeus – About the rivalry between the composers Mozart and Salieri. Shaffer brought the conflict of genius and mortality or genius and average. He concentrated upon Salieri to show the difference between the pure and pretended. This story was adapted to a screenplay and in 1984 Milos Forman’s film Amadeus won an Academy Award.

AMERICAN DRAMA

Eugene O’Neill (1888 – 1953)
Born in New Yourk. A worldwide known inovator of drama. He used unexpected technical devices. Started as a realistic dramatist but soon moved toward expresionism. Altogether he wrote 35 plays. His last piece was Long Day’s Journey Into Night – autobiographical play (alcoholism…). As the only American playwright ever to recive, O’Neill was awarded the 1936 Nobel Prize for Literature. The Emperor Jones – expesionism. He used rhythm, no dialogues. Interior monologue is presented as a dialogue in interaction with music (beat of drums).
Desire Under the Elms – suffering of people obsessed by passion, love (Freud).
Anna Christie – about a prostitute.
Mourning Becomes Electra – antiqe drama transformed to American environment.

Arthur Miller (1920)
Born in NY. Regarded as one of the major playwrights of the 20th century. Concerned with such themes as a man’s responsibility and guilt, self-knowledge and self-realiyation, the conflict between generations, anti-semitism. Influenced by Ibsen and Greek tragedy. His most impressive work is Death of a Salesman (1949) - Tells the story of a traveling slaesman, Willie Loman, who experiences frustration and faliure as he reflects upon his life. He based his life on false values and kills himself near the end of the play. Other palys: All My Sons, The Crucible, The Price, The Man Who Had All the Luck, ...

Tenessee Williams (1911 – 1983)
Lonley person, separated from society and other people. The theme of thi plays is the alienation of modern man.
A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) – His characters express a fear of reality and the destructive power of time. Williams, as a Southern, describes his society as a kind of “hell” of brutality and race hatred. Other plays: Orpheus Descending, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Frosted Glass Coffin, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, …

Edward Albee (1928)
Dominanat American dramatis of the 60’s, whose most successful plays focus on familiar relationships.