Exactly how steamy is this story?
R
When it comes to things that make a caregiver want to cover their kid's eyes, Mourning Becomes Electra has it all. Not a single part of the trilogy ends without a major character dying. Some of them mercifully die off-stage, but the ones we actually get to see—Ezra slowly dying a violent death as a result of being poisoned or Orin putting a bullet or two into Brant, are pretty intense
That, of course, isn't the only reason why we're tacking an R-rating onto this little number. There's also a fair amount of sex. Whenever the snootier, upper class characters mention sex, they usually don't get pretty graphic, because it wasn't considered polite to talk about it. But that doesn't stop even the wealthier characters from making naughty comments about Christine Mannon.
Along with that, we've got a couple characters having a long and drawn out affair, we get a pretty straight-up conversation about sex that takes place between Ezra and Christine right before Ezra bites the big one. Even though much of the lust is repressed, sex and violence are everywhere in O'Neill's trilogy. Even though all the demented Oedipal stuff will go right over a child's head, if you're looking for something to read to the 4-year-old you're babysitting before bed, maybe stick to Curious George or Goodnight Moon.