murder in the cathdrol
9/29/13
Murder in the Cathedral Background | GradeSaver
Murder in the Cathedral Background by T.S. Eliot
Buy PDF
About Murder in the C athedral
About Murder in the Cathedral
In 1935, T.S. Eliot, famed poet of modernist despair and convert to the Anglican Church, was commissioned to write a play for Kent 's annual Canterbury Festival. There were few explicit restrictions on subject matter.
That Eliot chose to dramatize the death of Thomas Becket in his play Murder in the Cathedral was therefore both totally appropriate and yet somewhat unexpected. Considering that Eliot was such an innovative writer, his decision to tread the familiar ground of Canterbury 's most famous event posed an interesting question about what he would bring to the story.
What Eliot created in the play was a mixture of theology and tragedy. The play is set solely around Canterbury in the days after Thomas returned from seven years of exile in France. Though based around historical record, the play eschews psychology and political interpretations in favor of a more serene and spiritual consideration of the sacrifice of martyrdom. Written to be performed in the actual
Cathedral, the entire experience is sculpted to mirror the experience of a Mass, even giving the actor playing Thomas a sermon during the Interlude that he would have preached alone at the pulpit.
The play was a great success at the festival, and soon enough opened in London, after which it toured England. Since that time, Murder in the Cathedral has remained Eliot 's arguably best know and most produced play. It has spawned several film versions and theatrical interpretations, and remains an important part of the Becket myth in the
Western world.
Like
57 people like this. Sign Up to see w hat your friends like.
Murder in the Cathedral Essays and Related Content
Murder in the Cathedral: Major Themes
Murder in the Cathedral: Questions
Murder in the Cathedral: Purchase the
Murder in the Cathedral Background | GradeSaver
Murder in the Cathedral Background by T.S. Eliot
Buy PDF
About Murder in the C athedral
About Murder in the Cathedral
In 1935, T.S. Eliot, famed poet of modernist despair and convert to the Anglican Church, was commissioned to write a play for Kent 's annual Canterbury Festival. There were few explicit restrictions on subject matter.
That Eliot chose to dramatize the death of Thomas Becket in his play Murder in the Cathedral was therefore both totally appropriate and yet somewhat unexpected. Considering that Eliot was such an innovative writer, his decision to tread the familiar ground of Canterbury 's most famous event posed an interesting question about what he would bring to the story.
What Eliot created in the play was a mixture of theology and tragedy. The play is set solely around Canterbury in the days after Thomas returned from seven years of exile in France. Though based around historical record, the play eschews psychology and political interpretations in favor of a more serene and spiritual consideration of the sacrifice of martyrdom. Written to be performed in the actual
Cathedral, the entire experience is sculpted to mirror the experience of a Mass, even giving the actor playing Thomas a sermon during the Interlude that he would have preached alone at the pulpit.
The play was a great success at the festival, and soon enough opened in London, after which it toured England. Since that time, Murder in the Cathedral has remained Eliot 's arguably best know and most produced play. It has spawned several film versions and theatrical interpretations, and remains an important part of the Becket myth in the
Western world.
Like
57 people like this. Sign Up to see w hat your friends like.
Murder in the Cathedral Essays and Related Content
Murder in the Cathedral: Major Themes
Murder in the Cathedral: Questions
Murder in the Cathedral: Purchase the
Links: on Murder in the Cathedral Suggested Essay Questions Test Yourself! - Quiz 1 Test Yourself! - Quiz 2 Test Yourself! - Quiz 3 Test Yourself! - Quiz 4 Author of ClassicNote and Sources file:///C:/Users/hbrathod/Desktop/m.a. 507/Murder in the Cathedral Background GradeSaver.htm 2/2