Mourning Becomes Electra

As the Civil War draws to a close, Seth, the old family servant, awaits Ezra's return and guides neighbors through the Mannon house. The women recall a scandal from twenty years earlier that fractured the family’s unity: Ezra's brother David was forced to marry the French nurse who served their father, Abe. Abe banished the couple and razed the family home, building a new one out of pure hate.

The family memory centers on David Mannon's forced marriage to the nurse and Abe's vengeful destruction of the old home. The tale explains the lasting bitterness that shadows Ezra and the entire clan. The past continues to shape present loyalties and resentments.

In New York City, Lavinia follows her mother to Adam Brant's residence and witnesses them kissing. The moment resurrects Lavinia's own memory of a passionate kiss she shared with Brant. The encounter intensifies the web of love and betrayal surrounding the Mannon family.

Peter Niles asks Lavinia for her hand, but she refuses, citing her obligation to her father and family. The rejection underscores Lavinia's commitment to duty over romance. The scene foreshadows the conflicts that will drive the unfolds of the family saga.

Seth informs Lavinia that Adam Brant is actually David Mannon's son, a revelation that unsettles loyalties and calls into question beloved assumptions. He urges Lavinia to confront Brant and learn the truth about the family line. The discovery heightens the stakes of the looming confrontation.

Adam recounts how their grandfather coveted the girl and avenged himself on David. He admits his own deep-seated hatred for Ezra, rooted in Ezra's failure to help his mother when she was starving. Adam's confession explains much of the bitter feud that defines the family.

Lavinia challenges Christine, who reveals hatred for Ezra since their wedding night and confesses she loves Adam. Lavinia pressures Christine to give Adam up, threatening to expose the truth. Christine paints a bleak future if they run away, emphasizing the age difference and the consequences for their lives.

Ezra returns, scarred by war, and begs Christine to help bridge the rift between them. Christine admits her love for Adam, and Lavinia interrupts their kiss. Ezra suffers a heart attack, Christine administers medicine, and he dies in Lavinia's arms after insisting that it wasn’t medicine.

Orin arrives home with a wounded head and a tense dialogue with his mother about their fraught relationship. Christine's web of manipulation begins to unravel as Orin questions what he sees and hears. The revelation intensifies the family’s sense of moral collapse.

On Adam Brant's ship, Orin and Lavinia witness Christine and Adam plotting to flee together. Orin shoots Adam in the back, and they stage a robbery to cover their crime. Christine then commits suicide with Ezra's pistol, leaving Orin devastated and guilt-stricken.

Several weeks or months later, Orin and Lavinia return from the islands. Orin, consumed by guilt, gives Hazel a document to open in case he dies or if Lavinia tries to marry Peter. He retrieves the document, but the weight of his crimes drives him to a fatal decision.

Peter returns and expresses desire, while Lavinia, in a moment of frenzy, calls him Adam. She tries to fashion a future with Peter, then makes a false confession about an affair with a native islander. Seth closes the shutters on all windows as Lavinia retreats into the house to be punished by the Mannon dead.