Murder In The Cathedral
(Eliot, T. S)
The Murder in the Cathedral? by T. S Eliot is usually sold as a 65 page 6??x 4?? book. A book analyzing this play would probably be about 12??x 15?? and a thousand pages long. Make no mistake, this play is very deep, and not one worth reading if you like a plot driven tale, where what you read is what you get and reading between the lines is unnecessary.
The play describes the true story of the Arch Bishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket, who lived in the 12th century. Becket rose to power because of his friend King Henry. Becket at first had been a Chancellor in Henry?s court and had then been given the title of Archbishop. Henry wanted him to have both the titles whereas Becket refused because he felt he could not serve two masters. Henry had radical views on the separation of the church and the state and Becket did not agree with these views. The result was a great rift between the two.
The real struggle here though, is not between Becket and Henry but between Becket and his conscience. Just as Christ had tempters, so does Becket. They offer him temporal power, material wealth and all they want in return is for Becket to compromise on his principles. Does Becket succumb? His most important battle is with his pride. This play raises some important questions such as: What matters more- the spirit or the letter of the law? Also, if you do something good, are you entitled to be proud of it?
The other main characters in this play are the Chorus- who are supposed to be ordinary people of Canterbury. Their feelings progress from a fear of the unknown to a joyful acceptance of God.
This play is steeped in Christian imagery, but it is important to accept that it stresses primarily on what are universal human values such as humility and devotion.
The entire play is in verse and it is truly amazing that Eliot managed to capture such complex themes and dialogue in such succinct yet poetic words. The man is truly a genius.
Arm yourself with lots of books from the library because there is no other way you will understand the full depth of this play (unless you are a Bible scholar and a Chaucer scholar at the same time)
A very satisfying read.
Resumos Relacionados
- En Attendant Godot - Waiting For Godot
- En Attendant Godot - Waiting For Godot
- Assassinato Na Catedral
- The Cantabury Tales
- Murder In The Cathedral: Theme And The Chorus
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