ABSTRACT
Eugene Gladstone O’Neill was born in New York City on October 16, 1888 in a hotel, Barrett House, on the corner of Broadway and 43rd Street. He was the third and last child of James and Ella O’Neill, his father being one of the leading American actors of that time. In February 1885, the O’Neills having bought a home in New London, Connecticut the previous year, Ella entrusted her two sons to the care of her mother so that she could join her husband briefly on the road. O’Neill had many terrifying nightmares during his younger years, which his father tried to relieve with a few drops of whisky in a glass of water, and separation issues were to be difficult for him all his life. Somatization of affect may have contributed to O’Neill having had frequent upper respiratory infections as well as tuberculosis.
