Murder in the Cathedral: Difference between revisions
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The play, dealing with an individual's opposition to authority, |
The play, dealing with an individual's opposition to authority, |
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was written at the time of rising [[Fascism]] in [[Central Europe]], and can be taken as a protest to individuals in affected countries to oppose the |
was written at the time of rising [[Fascism]] in [[Central Europe]], and can be taken as a protest to individuals in affected countries to oppose the English attempt to leave the Catholic Church. |
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Some material that the producer requested Eliot to remove or replace during the writing was transformed into the poem "[[Burnt Norton]]." <ref>Eliot, T.S., ''New York Times Book Review'', November 29, 1953<br>Cited and quoted in: ''T.S. Eliot: Four Quartets'', |
Some material that the producer requested Eliot to remove or replace during the writing was transformed into the poem "[[Burnt Norton]]." <ref>Eliot, T.S., ''New York Times Book Review'', November 29, 1953<br>Cited and quoted in: ''T.S. Eliot: Four Quartets'', |
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Revision as of 02:01, 15 November 2007
Murder in the Cathedral is a poetic drama by T. S. Eliot that portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. Eliot drew heavily on the writing of Edward Grim, a clerk who was an eyewitness to the event.
The play, dealing with an individual's opposition to authority, was written at the time of rising Fascism in Central Europe, and can be taken as a protest to individuals in affected countries to oppose the English attempt to leave the Catholic Church.
Some material that the producer requested Eliot to remove or replace during the writing was transformed into the poem "Burnt Norton." [1]
Plot
The action occurs between December 2nd and December 29th 1170, chronicling the days leading up to the martyrdom of Thomas Becket following his absence of seven years in France, whose internal struggle is the main thrust of the play.
Having had conflict with secular authority, Archbishop Becket is visited by a succession of tempters, three of whom parallel the Temptations of Christ.
The first tempter offers the prospect of physical safety.
- Take a friend's advice. Leave well alone,
- Or your goose may be cooked and eaten to the bone.
The second offers power, riches and fame in serving the King.
- To set down the great, protect the poor,
- Beneath the throne of God can man do more?
The third tempter suggests a coalition with the barons and a chance to resist the King.
- For us, Church favour would be an advantage,
- Blessing of Pope powerful protection
- In the fight for liberty. You, my Lord,
- In being with us, would fight a good stroke
Finally, a tempter who may be the devil himself, urges him to seek the glory of martyrdom.
- You hold the keys of heaven and hell.
- Power to bind and loose : bind, Thomas, bind,
- King and bishop under your heel.
- King, emperor, bishop, baron, king:
Beckett responds to all of the tempters and specifically addresses the immoral suggestions of the fourth tempter at the end of the first act:
- Now is my way clear, now is the meaning plain:
- Temptation shall not come in this kind again.
- The last temptation is the greatest treason:
- To do the right deed for the wrong reason.
Finally, he achieves peace of mind by electing not to look for sainthood, but to accept death as inevitable.
Performances
First performance
George Bell, the Bishop of Chichester, was instrumental in getting Eliot to work as writer with producer E. Martin Browne in producing the pagent play The Rock (1934.) Bishop Bell then asked Eliot to write another play for the Canterbury Festival in 1935. Eliot agreed to do so if Browne once again produced (he did.) The first performance was given on June 15, 1935 in the Chapter House of Canterbury Cathedral. Robert Speaight played the part of Becket. The production then moved to London and ran there for several months.
Other performances
The play was later made into a black & white film. It was directed by the Austrian director George Hoellering with music by the Hungarian composer Laszlo Lajtha and won the Grand Prix at the Venice Film Festival in 1951. It was released in the UK in 1952. [2] [3] In the film the fourth tempter is not seen. His voice was that of Eliot himself.
The 1964 colour film Becket dealt with the same story, but was based on a play written by the French dramatist Jean Anouilh.[4] [5]
Reception and criticism
Eliot's own criticism
In 1951, in the first Theodore Spencer Memorial Lecture at Harvard University Eliot criticized his own plays in the second half of the lecture, explicitly the plays Murder in the Cathedral, The Family Reunion, and The Cocktail Party. The lecture was published as Poetry and Drama and later included in Eliot's 1957 collection On Poetry and Poets.
Parodies
The play was lampooned by the Canadian/U.S. TV comedy show SCTV. In a typically surreal SCTV sketch, the play is presented by NASA with space-suited astronauts as the actors, and the proceedings narrated by Walter Cronkite as if it were a NASA moon mission.
Further reading
E. Martin Browne, The Making of T.S. Eliot's Plays.
Notes
- ^ Eliot, T.S., New York Times Book Review, November 29, 1953
Cited and quoted in: T.S. Eliot: Four Quartets, A casebook edited by Bernard Bergonzi, Macmillan, London, 1969, page 23 - ^ The New York Times Movie Reviews Murder in the Cathedral; Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
- ^ IMDB: Murder in the Cathedral (1952); Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
- ^ IMDB: Becket (1964); Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
- ^ The New York Times Movie Review: Becket - 1964-UK-Biography [feature/Historical Epic]; Retrieved on October 7, 2006.