Murder in the Cathedral

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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 stand against authority, was written at the time of rising Fascism in Central Europe, and can be taken as an outcry to individuals in affected countries to stand firm against the Nazi regime's perversion and subversion of the ideals of the Christian Church.^{[citation needed]}

Some material that the producer requested Eliot to remove or replace during the writing was transformed into the poem "Burnt Norton."

Contents 1 Plot 2 Performances 2.1 First performance 2.2 Other performances 3 Further reading 4 Notes

Plot

The action takes place 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 come into 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 George Hoellering and released in the UK in 1952. ^{[1] [2]} 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.^{[3] [4]}

Further reading

E. Martin Browne, The Making of T.S. Eliot's Plays.

Notes

1. ^ The New York Times Movie Reviews Murder in the Cathedral; Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
2. ^ IMDB: Murder in the Cathedral (1952); Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
3. ^ IMDB: Becket (1964); Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
4. ^ The New York Times Movie Review: Becket - 1964-UK-Biography [feature/Historical Epic]; Retrieved on October 7, 2006.