Dramatic Structure in Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night

Dramatic structure, as outlined by Gustav Freytag, serves as a framework to organize the storyline, presenting the sequence and intensity of events in a narrative. This structure consists of five key stages: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. Analyzing these stages in the play helps to uncover how the story is built and how the plot develops to engage the audience. This study aims to explores the dramatic structure in Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night using Freytag’s Pyramid model. Using a qualitative approach with a descriptive analysis method, the study aims to identify the five stages of dramatic structure used in the play. This study identified five stages of dramatic structure: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. The results showed that exposition introduces characters and Mary’s vulnerability through their talk about her weight and breakfast. Rising Action dialogue between Mary and Tyrone builds tension and psychological conflict. Climax is when conflict peaks with truth about Edmund’s illness revealed, family tension intensifies. Falling Action is where the characters’ emotional reactions and dysfunctional coping following the climax. Denouement is in the last which is unresolved conflicts, despair, and breakdown in family communication. This study shows how the play's dramatic structure reveals character dynamics and deepens its tragic impact. This structure helps readers grasp the sequence and emotional intensity, marking the play as a key example of modern tragedy