Love Declaration: From Ovid and Seneca to O'Neill

Abstract

[eng] This paper aims to explore the literary topos of the "declaration of love" by examining its origins in selected Roman texts and its reinvigoration in Eugene O'Neill's modern play, Anna Christie (1921). The classical “declaration of love” is argued to encompass various stages, including admiration of the beloved, praising the lover, encouraging the pursuit of love and enjoyment of youth through marriage (carpe diem), expressing emotions, and extending an invitation to partnership. By analyzing the recontextualization of this topos in O'Neill's four-act play, it is established that while Anna Christie's plot does not directly imitate any classical myth, the incorporation of the topos can be likened to the structure found in Ovid's Metamorphoses, specifically the myth of Vertumnus and Pomona, as well as the ambiguous expression of love by Phaedra in Seneca's tragedy. Consequently, the connection between these texts is based on the presence of a shared structure (classical topos) rather than direct influence or reception.