The Dramatic Achievement of T. S. Eliot

THE DRAMATIC ACHIEVEMENT OF T. S. ELIOT IF WE ANALYZE those elements which his five completed plays have in common, then we shall have a sense of T. S. Eliot's development as a dramatist as well as a fair estimation of his achievement. The most significant element which these dramas have in common is the similar nature of the climax of each. The turning point of all five plays consists in the gaining of lmowledge by the protagonist about the nature of his moral struggle, but in no case is this lmowledge attained dramatically, that is, through struggle and conflict. The realization by Thomas a Becket in Murder in the Cathedral (1935) that his central moral necessity is not to do the right deed. for the wrong reason comes nearest to escaping this fault. Becket, as a result of his four temptations, is driven to self-analysis and has an immediate insight into the nature of his dilemma. However, there are essentially no forces which will block this insight: he out-of-hand rejects the first three temptations and rejects the final one immediately upon realizing its implications. The central uncertainty in The Family Reunion (1939) is whether Harry, Lord Monchensey, did or did not murder his wife. The visit of the Eumenides would seem conclusive evidence that he had done so, but a surprising, alternative explanation for their presence is suggested. Release from his torment becomes possible only when the idea is suggested to him that he may have dreamed that he murdered his wife: his suffering may be the result of his having to be the consciousness of his unhappy family. Again, there is no opposition to his obtaining this knowledge: he has but to ask the right question of his Aunt Agatha, and all the stimuli of his homecoming encourage him to ask this question. Similarly, the main action of The Cocktail Party (1949) is the attempt of the adulterous Chamberlaynes to be reconciled and the effort of their lovers, particularly Celia Coplestone, to live well. The Chamberlaynes are reconciled and Celia does realize her destiny through the counsel of Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly, who has manipulated their responses until he is in a position to give them the requisite knowledge. In The Confidential Clerk (1954), the central problem of the main characters is to attain self-lmowledge and identity through "beginning to understand another person." This understanding is automatic once confidences are exchanged and Mrs. Guzzard's testimony has been heard. Finally, the plot of The Elder Statesman (1959) revolves around the necessity of Lord Claverton to recognize, accept, and confess past 387 388 MODERN DRAMA February moral guilt, especially his sins of bringing out Fred Culverwell's weakness , of not respecting Maisie Batterson's capacity for loving (selfcentered and foolish as it was), of wanting to perpetuate himself in Michael, of wanting Monica to give her life to adoring the man he pretended himself to be. To summarize: quasi-conflict in Eliot's plays is caused by the psychological confusion-which Eliot portrays as moral confusion-of the main characters. However, all events conspire to resolve this confusion , and, in all cases, the protagonists quickly accept enlightenment. Only in Murder in the Cathedral is the pretense of decision seriously involved. Another way of stating this conclusion would be to observe that all five plays are essentially static; once again, this fact is not so immediately obvious in Murder in the Cathedral as in the other four. Throughout the opening section of this drama, Becket's pride has been so emphasized by the Chorus, the Three Priests, the Herald, and the Four Tempters that we hardly realize that the conflict is essentially over before it has begun. When Becket understands that he is in danger of seeking martyrdom through pride rather than through humility, his will has been purified, but the play is but half done. Because of the heroic stature of Becket, however, interest is continued by the desire to see whether he will maintain his integrity when put to the test-but there is no real doubt. Moreover, the author does manage to raise some philosophical, if not dramatic, conflicts. Which is correct...