Chorus analysis in "Murder in the Cathedral"

TS Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral tells the story of Thomas Beckett, a man who reigned as Archbishop of Canterbury during the 12th century in England until his death in 1170. To tell the story of Beckett, Eliot creates a series of equally interesting characters that each one play a crucial role in the thinking of the play. The most unique role found within the play is that of the Canterbury Women, or the Choir. Throughout the piece, the Choir offers seven choral odes. These choral odes, considered as a collective work, tell a story. They begin with a brief foreshadowing of events that will occur later in the play, but then quickly jump to the necessary plot; one that summarizes the events of the past and then immerses the audience in the common man’s view of events in the present.

The first choral ode begins with a strong omen. Canterbury women are drawn to the cathedral, but they don’t know why. At first, there is confusion. They ask themselves: “Does danger attract us? Is it the knowledge of safety that draws our feet toward the Cathedral?” However, when they arrive at the cathedral, they realize it. “There is no danger to us, and there is no security in the cathedral. Some omen of an act, which our eyes are bound to witness, has forced our feet towards the cathedral.” They recognize that it is not their own personal danger that brings them closer to the cathedral, but the harbinger of a gruesome act in which they will be forced to bear witness. It will be such a terrible act that safety will not even be found within the sacred corridors of the cathedral.

After the omen period, the mood of the first choral ode changes dramatically from the dark and mysterious omen of an act to a description of the concrete past. The remainder of the choral ode serves as a way to update the audience on the last seven years of Canterbury history. As they broadcast the events of the past, the women of Canterbury express a constant and looming fear for the safety of their archbishop. A perfect example of this common theme found within the first choral ode is in the following verse, in which the Chorus says:

“Seven years and the summer is over,

Seven years since the archbishop left us,

The one who was always so kind to his people.

But it wouldn’t be okay if I came back. ”

These lines are typical of the first choral ode, because not only do they explain to the audience that Archbishop Thomas Beckett has been gone for seven years, but they fear for his well-being and for the well-being of Canterbury if he had to. Return. As the choral ode draws to a close, the Canterbury Women give off an inevitable sense of waiting. They say:

“Come happy December, who will watch you, who will protect you?

Will the Son of Man be born again in the litter of contempt?

For us poor people, there is no action,

But just to wait and witness “

They welcome the month of December, but then wonder how it could be a happy time. Who could celebrate the Christmas and Advent season with the dire events yet to come? Could Jesus be reborn in such contempt? Canterbury women know there is little they can do at this time. They must wait and then witness the act they fear.

With the beginning of the second choral ode, the general mood shifts from confusion and waiting to fear. The Canterbury women have been informed that Beckett will return to Canterbury. Such an announcement arouses great anxiety among them. They fear that their way of life will be altered and in danger. They plead with a Thomas who has not yet reached:

“Come back. Quick. Silently. Let us die in silence.

You come with applause, you come with glee, but

You come bringing death to Canterbury:

A punishment for the house, a punishment for you, a punishment for the world. “

The women say that although they will unite on the outside, their deep guts will be dominated by fear, because they believe that his coming will come hand in hand with their own death. The idea of ​​fear is the general theme of the second choral ode, as it is constantly repeated throughout the verses. Later in the choral ode, the women say: “We are afraid in a fear that we cannot know, that we cannot face, that nobody understands.” This illustrates the depth and complexity of the fear they face, as they do not know how to fight it or fully understand it. All people know is that with Thomas, death comes to his home in Canterbury, so they beg him to “leave us, leave us, leave us sullen Dover and set sail for France.”

The fear of the second choral ode comes true in the third. The women of Canterbury know what decision Beckett has made. They say: “We have not been happy, my Lord, we have not been too happy. We are not ignorant women, we know what we should expect and not expect.” By saying this, the Canterbury Women mean that they understand the consequences that Thomas has chosen by remaining in Canterbury. They know that he will perish if he stays. Then the women begin to despair. They shout: “God always gave us some reason, some hope; but now a new terror has soiled us, of which no one can warn”, and “God leaves us, God leaves us, more pain, more pain than birth or birth “. death. “The women of Canterbury, who always had faith in the idea that God was protecting their archbishop, believe that Thomas has moved away from the protection of the Lord by deciding to remain in Canterbury, because even God could not protect him from the wrath of the Lord. it was still to come.

The fourth choral ode that opens the second act goes in a completely different direction than the intense despair of the third choral ode. Instead, this choral ode is more tolerant, because the chorus knows that Beckett’s death is near. Nature is used throughout this choral ode to herald his death. At one point, the women of Canterbury say: “The hungry crow sits in the field, watching; and in the forest, the owl rehearses the sacred note of death.” The hungry raven they speak of symbolizes the Four Knights, who arrive in Canterbury shortly after the choral ode is uttered. The owl symbolizes the outcome of their visit to Canterbury: a death, a death they fear will come to Thomas. Although they have accepted the situation, the Canterbury Women feel powerless, because all they can do between then and Thomas’ death is wait. Since they cannot do anything, they say: “We wait and the time is short, but the wait is long.”

As the fifth choral ode begins, the helplessness of the fourth choral ode continues, but this time it is combined with an air of guilt. Canterbury women are caught in a middle ground. They cry:

“Now it is too late to act, too early for contrition.

Nothing is possible except fainting in shame

Of those who consent to the ultimate humiliation.

I have consented, Archbishop, I have consented. “

The women realize that the wheel is turning and the eternal action leading to Beckett’s downfall is in motion. They are desperate, because it is too late to try to help their archbishop, but too early to seek forgiveness for allowing Beckett to be killed. The murder of their archbishop is a matter for which they are taking personal responsibility and they see it as a humiliation for all. Their final cry of “I have consented, Mr. Archbishop” truly isolates and illustrates the immense guilt they have brought upon themselves. The Canterbury Women believe that by standing aside and allowing the Knights to threaten Thomas, they have consented to his murder. The only thing left for them is helplessness, guilt and, as always, waiting.

The sixth choral ode encounters a shift from helplessness to intense anguish. Archbishop Thomas Beckett has just been assassinated, and the women of Canterbury feel as if they, along with all of Canterbury, have been stained with the blood of their archbishop. The chorus yells:

“Clear the air! Clear the sky! Clear the wind!

Stone from stone, remove the skin from the arm,

Pull the muscle out of the bone and wash it off.

Wash the stone, wash the bone, wash the brain,

Wash the soul, wash them, wash them! “

As shown, the Canterbury Women become obsessed with trying to cleanse themselves of Beckett’s blood. Such words confirm that the Canterbury Women not only see the Four Knights as the murderer of Thomas Beckett, but also themselves. They feel great regret, proclaiming:

“We didn’t want anything to happen

We understood the private catastrophe,

Personal loss, general misery,

Living and partially living “

These lines show that although they believe they were part of the murder, they were inadvertently involved. They did not intend for their archbishop to have ill will, but because of their inaction, their life and in part their life, they allowed Beckett to face a tragedy, a tragedy of which they were fully aware, alone. The Canterbury women abandoned their Lord and do not know how to deal with their despair.

The final choral ode begins not with despair, but with grateful praise to an almighty God. The entire choral ode reads as a long prayer of praise, thanks, and then contrition to a merciful God. At times, the women of Canterbury even compare their deceased archbishop to Jesus Christ. At first, they say: “We praise you, O God, for your glory displayed in all creatures.” The Canterbury women then go on to show their gratitude to God by praying respectfully: “We thank you for your mercies. Of blood, for your redemption by blood. For the blood of your martyrs and saints.” With these words, the women of Canterbury thank God for redeeming their souls with the blood of Thomas, their archbishop. Through these lines, Eliot compares the murder of Thomas Beckett to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, saying that they both died to save the souls of those around them. Finally, the Canterbury Woman seeks contrition, pleading, “Forgive us, oh Lord, we recognize ourselves as a type of the common man, of the men and women who close the door and sit by the fire.” On one level, they apologize for standing on the sidelines and doing nothing to prevent Beckett’s death, because they are just ordinary men. However, if they are read more deeply, they return to the image of Beckett as Christ. Common people ask for forgiveness, because like Peter, they “sat by the fire” and denied their Lord. Just as Peter allowed Christ to die, the Canterbury Women allowed Thomas Beckett to die.

The seven choral odes in The Assassination of TS Eliot in the Cathedral tell the story of the common man’s vision of the events that occurred during that fateful December 1170 in Canterbury. Through foreshadowing and interesting use of language, TS Eliot creates the Chorus to be one of the most fascinating characters found in the entire play, if not the most fascinating. His unique perspective on the murder of Thomas Beckett really makes Murder in the Cathedral one of the best works of the 20th century.

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