Oedipus, Orpheus and Electra in the characters of the film adaptations of Tennessee Williams

Abstract

Classical mythology has an important presence in the literary basis of the American playwright Tennessee Williams. This feature appears in the topics covered in his works, but especially in the construction of their characters because of the strong psychological load that contain. In this sense, certain aspects of Oedipus, Orpheus and Electra, as well as the complex arising out of them, are reflected in the protagonists of some of his most important theatrical texts. This mythological parallelism is emphasized in the film adaptations of them to reach a mainstream audience and appears in some characters that are part of cinema history. Also, the analysis of the characters as a person and as a role based on the approaches of Casetti and Di Chico make possible its proximity with the spectators and, consequently, gives today the classic myths that evoke.