''The Great God Brown'' is a play by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...

, first staged in 1926. O'Neill began writing notes for the play in 1922 – "Play of masks – removable – the man who really is and the mask he wears before the world" – and wrote the play between January and March 1925. Noted for its use of masks Lewis, Allan (1965). ''American Plays & Playwrights of the Contemporary Theatre''. Crown Publishing Group, the play was included in Burns Mantle's ''The Best Plays of 1925-1926''.

Plot

Dion Anthony and his friend William A. "Billy" Brown are sons of business partners. Both love Margaret, but she falls in love with Dion when he is presented behind a cruel and cynical mask, even though he is a sensitive artist. After the two men inherit the business, Dion retires to paint, but fails and eventually dies. Billy takes the mask and poses as Margaret's husband. By the time she finds out, the "real" Billy has faded away. Brown is accused of killing his "real" self, and only the unmasked prostitute Cybel is there to comfort him. Eventually Billy dies as well, and years later Margaret pledges her undying love to Dion's mask.

In other media

E. E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...

' 1927 play, '' Him'', features a parody of ''The Great God Brown''. Act two, scene four of Cummings' play showcases two masked characters, Will and Bill, who exchange identities.

References

External links

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''The Great God Brown''
via Project Gutenberg Australia 1926 plays Plays by Eugene O'Neill {{1920s-play-stub