Murder in the Cathedral BY T. S. Eliot

MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL

 

 

 

 

 

BY

T. S. ELIOT

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONTENT ANALYSIS FOR EASY UNDERSTANDING OF THE TEXT

 

PLOT

 

This play by T. S. Eliot is about the clash between the State and the church. The state is represented by king Henry of England and the church is represented by Thomas Becket, Chancellor and later, Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry finds in Thomas a man of virtue and great intellects, and thereby brings him into the service of state to occupy the two important positions of Chancellor and Archbishop. Henry aims at using Thomas intellect to unite the kingdom that was torn after the reign of late Queen Matilda and the insurrection of Stephen, the usurper.

 

The play begins with the crisis generated by Thomas position of Lord Chancellor and Archbishop. The position of Chancellor was then merged with that of an Archbishop, so as to bring the church into the service of the state. Thomas does not support a situation where the church is subordinate to the state.  He therefore resigned his position as Chancellor to serve in the highest office of the church which to him is supreme to the throne of England.

 

This new attitude pitches him against the state and all those who serve the interest of the state to the detriment of the church. Some bishops who want England to maintain independence from the Church of Rome and the Papal over lordship

joins the state against Thomas.  Thomas who has equated the supremacy of the church with its own pride, ego, ambition and uncompromising self will, maintain his Olympia height and dares the state in his utterance and activities. He therefore excommunicates the clergy in the service of the king. To pay him back, Henry evokes his kingship power to exits Thomas from England for seven years.  He stayed outside England on the mercies of France and the Papal Rome. And with their help, a truce is arranged and Thomas is granted a passage to England. This coming brought joy for the masses of England, but the king is not deceived. They made elaborate plan to entrap and kill him. Some bishops planned to kill him but the counsel of John, the Dean of Salisbury stopped them.

 

The offensive is relaunched in the guise of temptation. Four tempters are used to plead, cajole, and blackmail Thomas to support the king, when this unholy attempt failed; assassins are sent to eliminate him. The tempters turned knights accused him of rebellion, or inciting foreign powers, of sanctioning loyal priests and of allowing his over ambition, envy, pride, and arrogance to becloud his sense of judgment. He denied all these charges but he was killed after he had rejected the option of going on exile.

CHARACTERIZATION

 

The Chorus: A band of the poor women of Canterbury. They represent apprehension of the situation in England, the suffering and oppression, the political intrigues between the king and Archbishop.

 

The Priests: They are named as servants of God and watchers of the temple. They are not happy with the feud between the state and the church. Some of them supported the king while some of them joined the Archbishop.

 

The Tempters: They are instruments of blackmail and mental torture. They tempt the Archbishop to make utterances and actions that would nail him before the king. They do not like the truce between the king and the Archbishop. They accuse Thomas of pride and hardheadedness, when all these failed, they murdered him.

 

Thomas Becket: The Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the tragic hero of the play.  Due to his intellectual ability, he was made the Chancellor but due to his innate mind he fought with the king. He was then exiled, tempted by the tempters and subsequently assassinated them.

 

King Henry: He is the king of England, in order to unite his people, he made Thomas the Chancellor. He wanted Thomas to be subjected to the state and his refusal led to a big clash between them. He exiled him, and he only him made to return due to the intervention of Papal Rome and France. He allowed his personal interest to be a state issue.

 

THEMES

 

(i)                The role of destiny in the affairs of men

(ii)              The theme of pride and ego-worship exhibited by Thomas and Henry

(iii)            The unconscious desire of Thomas for martyrdom

(iv)            Thomas’ vaulting ambition

(v)              Theme of fidelity to a cause or belief as seen in Thomas.