Mourning Becomes Electra takes many of its plot elements from the Oresteia by Aeschylus, including the

mother of the family taking a lover while the father is at war, killing her husband, and in turn being killed
(directly or indirectly) by her children. Despite these plot elements, O'Neill's play is.. MOURNING
BECOMES ELECTRA is, at heart, a struggle between mother and daughter, who fight each other for the
love of three men: husband/father, son/brother, and tall-dark-‘n’-handsome stranger. The story is a
retelling of the Oresteia by Aeschylus. The characters parallel characters from the ancient Greek plays.
For example, Agamemnon from the Oresteia becomes General Ezra Mannon. Clytemnestra becomes
Christine, Orestes becomes Orin, Electra becomes Lavinia, Aegisthus becomes Adam Brant, etc.