Murder in the Cathedral

By T. S. Eliot

Subjects: Christian martyrs, Reading Level-Grade 12, British and irish drama (dramatic works by one author), Reading Level-Grade 9, Plays, Medieval Civilization, Fiction, mystery & detective, general, Drama texts: from c 1900 -, Bilingualism, Aliens, Murder, Drama, Reading Level-Grade 11, American literature, Educational tests and measurements, History, Reading Level-Grade 10, Murder victims, Canterbury Cathedral, Christian saints

Description: A dramatization in free verse and with features derived from ancient and medieval theatre of the killing of Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury under King Henry II. Eliot used the device of a chorus, an ancient Greek invention, to express certain concerns and observations, and the killers take their turn to justify their action. When I read this play as a grammar school student in England, I was struck by the way the violence echoed the rise of fascism in Europe when the play was being written. My English master was somewhat mocking in class regarding my views, but later as a college student I read Eliot's own words confirming my experience.