• The Iceman Cometh is a four-act play that is widely considered to be one of Eugene O'Neill's finest works.

• Fast Facts

  1. Writer: Eugene O'Neill
  2. Genre: Drama Tragedy
  3. Setting: 1912, A Shabby Bar
  4. Written: 1939
  5. Published: 1940
  6. Premiere Date: 1946
  7. Adaptations: Movie
  8. Awards: 1936 Nobel Prize winner

• Synopsis

  The Iceman Cometh is set in 1912 at Harry Hope's Greenwich Village saloon and rooming house in New York City. The saloon is the hangout for a group of alcoholic men and three ladies of the evening. The play's first act develops each of the character's personalities as they await the return of Theodore Hickey, or "Hickey" as he is known. As a salesman, Hickey's presence adds a colorful dimension to the group. He regales them with stories of his experiences while on the road and they often look forward to his return for entertainment purposes.

• Characters

  • Harry Hope
  • Ed Mosher
  • Pat McGloin
  • Willie Oban
  • Joe Mott
  • Piet Wetjoen
  • Cecil Lewis
  • James Cameron
  • Hugo Kalmar
  • Larry Slade
  • Rocky Pioggi
  • Don Parritt
  • Chuck Morello
  • Theodore Hickman

• Quotes

  • "I'd get blind to world now if it was the Iceman of Death himself treating! What made me say that, I wonder. Well, be God, it fits, for Death was the Iceman Hickey called to his home!"

  • "I know you become such a coward that you'll grab at any lousy excuse to get out of killing your pipe dreams. And yet, as I've told you over and over, it's exactly those damned tomorrow dreams which keep you from making peace with yourself. So you've got to kill them like I did."

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Eugene O'Neill | Long Day's Journey Into Night | Beyond The Horizon | The Fountain | Pulitzer Prize | Parkinson's | Anna Christi | Nobel Prize | Days Without End

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