Chapter 4

Murder in the Cathedral: A

Rasa Perspective
 Chapter 4

Murder in the Cathedral: A Rasa Perspective

Introduction

Murder in the Cathedral is work which is multidimensional in nature – a visit to

history, a nightmare of murder, a whirlpool of emotions, a path of truth, a rejuvenation of
Bible, a divergent thinking mode, an exemplification of practicing what one preaches; a
whole new experience of learning what history has to teach. In the words of Helen Gardner,
as quoted by Subhas Sarkar:

…..their experience communicates itself to us, and gives us the feeling we

have been not readers but sharers in a mystery. We live through a
peripeteia, we experience a great discovery. We pass with them through
horror, out of boredom, into glory. (100)

The greatest achievement of the play is that the readers are able to connect to the
each and every event in the play precisely and directly. The readers empathetically coalesce
with the happenings of the play, though the actual event occurred years back. The play is
based on the historical event of the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury, but Eliot has
his own style poured it. As Martin Brown quotes John Pudney in the New Statesman,

Mr. Eliot is to be thanked for having broken away from the naturalistic
tradition of historical drama… It is a production which breaks through the
façade of pageant to provide another dimension. The difficulty of writing
poetry in a contemporary idiom to interpret specific actions has foiled many
writers who have not the long wind or the integrity. This play….
demonstrates that the medium is a vital one. (64-65)

Though the thread of the plot is pulled from history, Eliot experiments with the use
of poetry and verse which tends to fulfill its purpose. The addition of verse form adds to
the magnitude, emphasis and effects of the play. Instead of becoming another boring piece
of history, it pulls the readers as close as to experience and set along with the Archbishop

117
on his journey. Murder in the Cathedral differs from the other verse dramas that Eliot had
written. It interwove the strings of society, religion, history and modern age. As rightly
said by Father Abraham,

The mystical longing to be free from time and the perception of eternity in
moments of vision which run thematically through Four Quartets also
characterizes the experience of Archbishop Becket in the historic drama,
Murder in the Cathedral (1935). It is the most successful, if the least
experimental, of Eliot’s six verse-dramas largely because of the ritual
formality of it’s structure and the set piece neo-classical confrontations
between Becket, his tempters and his murderers. (237)

The genesis of drama took place with the mere necessity of entertaining along with
instructing the readers. It was created by humans for other fellow humans, thus
incorporating all what is experienced by human beings. Literature is truly said to be the
reflection of the society, that is basically created by human beings and their experiences,
emotions and feelings at a certain point of time The Rasa Theory propounded by Bharat
Muni is basically a study of human emotions and the acumen, the environment and objects
responsible for the generation of particular emotion in particular situation. An intersection
of the ancient theory with the modern literary work would give an opportunity to look at
the work in a new dimension, a rather fresh perspective towards the work adding glitter to
its charm. The play taken is a historical tragedy and the theory applied deals with the
emotions attached to the event which is not an imaginative one but something that has
actually happened in the past. The play provides a platform to the modern readers to travel
to the past situations and to connect the modern events at the same time. A look at Murder
in the Cathedral through the glasses of the Rasa Theory would provide a multicolored
panorama of the historical tragedy.

118
Major Rasas in Murder in the Cathedral

1) Bhayanaka Rasa

Farewell happy fields

Where joy forever dwells: Hail Horrors,
Hail! - John Milton

The modern world is full of inconsistency, unsteadiness and no assurance of shield

or a savior or aegis. Man, today, stands at the crossroads of jealousy, anger, horror, betrayal,
pain and failure, waiting for a Godot to come. The same feeling is rightly reflected in James
Thompson’s poetry collection The Seasons,

Welcome Kindred glooms!

Congenial horrors hail!

Bhayanaka is a feeling of realizing horror; making fake attempts to face terror and
ultimately shattering into the multitudes of the feelings of fear. The title Murder in the
Cathedral riptides the readers into an ambience of terror, horror and fear, spawning
Bhayanaka Rasa. The feeling of fear and terror is stirred by the keyword murder. The word
murder brings with it a herds of horrifying images and spontaneously the feeling of terror
arises.

The curtain of the play rises with the Chorus of women of Canterbury, speaking as
if a prophecy,

Are we drawn by danger? …

…What danger can be
For us, the poor, the poor, women of
Canterbury? (Eliot, 23/ 2-4)

119
 The chorus of women here serve unconsciously and in disguise as the purpose of
the Aharya Abinaya – the decorum of the play. Without blowing tremendous choirs of
music or throwing flashes of light, Eliot successfully arouses the feelings of terror,
commencement of the play. The chorus also plays the part of the Sutradhar in the play by
acknowledging and forewarning the readers about the background of the main plot and the
forth-coming events. Seven years have passed, since the Archbishop had left Canterbury
and he is impatiently waited to return to his prestigious spiritual duties. The chorus gives
parlance to the innermost repercussions of the common man of Canterbury who is neither
happy with the rule of the king nor content by the rule of the barons. Years have piled on
with the same feelings of discontent and disturbance, which as a matter of fact prepares the
background for the feeling of horror. The stage for the escalading the feeling of horror is
catered by the speech of the third priest,

THIRD PRIEST: I see nothing quite conclusive in the art of

temporal government,

But violence, duplicity and frequent malversation.

King rules or barons rule:

The strong man strongly and the weak man caprice.

They have but one law, to seize the power and keep it,

And the steadfast can manipulate the greed and the lust of others,

The feeble is devoured by his own. (Eliot, 25/ 59-65)

The modern way of manifestation of Bhayanak rasa is the injecting of the germ of
powerful and severe thought provoking words from the onset and maintaining the same till
the end. The socio-political anarchy conferred in the beginning of Murder in the Cathedral
is the suggestion of the prevailing on Bhayanak rasa in the play. The pandemonium
prevalent in the inside and the outside of the psyche of the chorus of Canterbury initiates
the sentiment of horror:

120
 Now I fear disturbance of the quiet-
Seasons:
Winter shall come bringing death from the sea,
Ruinous spring shall beat at our doors,
Root and shoot shall eat our eyes and our ears,
Disastrous summer burn up the beds of our streams
And the poor shall wait for another decaying October. (Eliot, 21/30-
35)

Bhayanaka rasa is accompanied by various Vibhavas like weird and frightening

sounds, horrifying surroundings and threatening images. The passage above perfectly
fulfils all the three expectations for generating the sentiment of horror and in doing so
clutches the readers of the play into the grips of involvement and identification. Aristotle’s
concept of Catharsis through the emotions of pity and fear start concretizing themselves
with these lines.

The chorus of the play – the source of the Anubhavas of the sentiment of horror has
significance on two planes, the worldly plane, on which the poverty of these women
prevents them from living much above subsistence level, and the spiritual plane, on which,
having been seven years leaderless, they have lost courage and their best hope is to succeed
in ‘avoiding notice’, while they carry on village routine, and keep the feasts and the masses
of the church, much as they brew beer and cider, and undertake other necessary chores.
The chorus weighs the vacuum of the life very heavy and fills the atmosphere with the
feeling of gnawing. Their living and partly living has witnessed seven dreadful years of
quietness, avoidance, scandals, oppression, poverty, injustice, failure, dryness, taxes,
gossips, fires and death:

Here is no continuing city, here is no abiding stay.

Ill the wind, ill the time, uncertain the profit,
Certain the danger. (Eliot, 21/ 43-44)

121
 The words ‘certain the danger’ lays emphasis on the feelings of horror. The words
seem to make a prophecy from the very beginning of the play that the play encompasses
the certainty in the aspect of some lurking danger.

Evil the wind, and bitter the sea,

and grey the sky, grey, grey, grey. (Eliot, 29/ 146)

And beneath the grey sky, there are short living lives of thousands, darkening day
by day and enlightening night by night. This enlightenment pierces through the deepest of
one’s heart and spouts out forcefully the blood which is black and thick liquid form of fear.
Fear – born from inconsistency, insecurity and inflicting inadequacy of intangible incubus.
Though the messenger comes with a message of the return of the Archbishop which would
be a matter of rejoice but the messenger clearly indicates that it might not turn out as it
seems.

MESSENGER: Peace, but not the kiss of peace.

A patched up affair, if you ask my opinion.

And if you ask me, I think the Lord Archbishop

Is not the man to cherish any illusions,

Or yet to diminish the least of his pretentions.

If you ask my opinion, I think that this peace

Is nothing like an end, or like a beginning.

It is common knowledge that when the Archbishop

Parted from the King, he said to the King,

My Lord, he said, I leave you as a man

Whom in this life I shall not see again.

122
 I have this, I assure you, on the highest authority;

There are several opinions as to what he meant,

But no one considers it a happy prognostic. (Eliot, 27/ 98-110)

Here the vibhavas are the context in which the Archbishop left and the way he is
returning. The sancaribhavas enacting here are sanka – a doubt whether the matter has been
resolved entirely or is it as the messenger says ‘a patched up affair’. Moreover, the
messenger is well aware of the King’s arrogant nature and he refers to the abrupt way the
King and the Archbishop parted their ways. So, the coming of the Archbishop is sort of
doubtful.

At this moment, even the priests feel an uncertain atmosphere is fear lingering in
the atmosphere. This fear is felt clearly in the words:

FIRST PRIEST: I fear for the Archbishop, I fear for the Church,

I know that the pride bred of sudden prosperity

Was but confirmed by a bitter adversity.

I saw him as Chancellor, flattered by the King,

Liked or feared by courtiers in their overbearing fashion,

Despised and despising, always isolated,

Never one among them, always insecure;

His pride always feeding upon his own virtues,

Pride drawing sustenance from impartiality,

Pride drawing sustenance from generosity,

Loathing power given by temporal devolution,

Wishing subjection to God alone.

123
 Had the King been greater, or had he been weaker

Things had perhaps been different for Thomas. (Eliot, 28/ 110-124)

The priests have seen the different phases of the life of the Archbishop. They were
there when he was the Chancellor, a favourite of the King and then his turning towards
spirituality and the chaotic situation between the King and the Archbishop. Here, the
sacaribhavas of capalata, garva and amarsa come together to generate fear. The King does
not forgive easily the fiction that took place between himself and Thomas and the
persistence behaviour of the Archbishop has further fueled the anger of the King.

The feeling of terror seems to pertain deep in the play from this point onwards and
the anubhavas supporting the same occur every now and then. Eliot, it seems, is very much
into the feeling of horror. The grievance of his heart, in place of complaining for the issues
that trouble his conscience, only renders the repercussions unnoticingly and indirectly; yet
quite subtly and significantly. He just like a painter makes some strokes of images that he
has in mind, and these strokes here and there take the form of various Vyabhicarins,
compounding on each other and finally manifesting the sentiment of horror. The next
confrontation of the feeling of this sentiment informs the readers that the suggestions,
pregnant with visionary remarks, are not only the factors to move the plot of the play ahead,
but also to move, rather shake the faculty of sensitivity of the readers in an impressive
manner.

In the lines 176 – 185, Eliot writes:

CHORUS: We have seen births, deaths and marriages,

We have had various scandels,

We have been afflicted with taxes,

We have had laughter and gossip,

Several girls have disappeared

Unaccountably, and some not able to.

124
 We have all had our private terrors,

Our particular shadows, our secret fears.

But now a great fear is upon us, a fear not of one but many,

A fear like birth and death, when we see birth and death alone.
(Eliot, 30/ 176-185)

The chorus act as the prophesier predicting the future of the Archbishop. They have
seen a lot in the absence of the Archbishop, births, deaths and marriages, but they fear that
the returning of the Archbishop is not good. The sancaribhava relevant here are cinta,
dainya and visadsa are responsible for the generation of fear. The people of Canterbury
have suffered in the absence of the Archbishop and they are accustomed to the behaviour
and nature of the King.

Modernity is the era wherein elaboration of sentiments is a mere myth as when set
side by side of the ancient eras. The vantage point of the modern age is short-living and
short-dying. Eliot responds to the psychological Bhava-Vibhavas consciously and
represents the socio-cultural limitations of a man’s strict and fastened circumferences, what
else can be the sharpened expression of Bhayanak Rasa than,

We are afraid in a fear which we cannot

Know, which we cannot face which none
Understands,
And our hearts are torn from us, our
Brains unskinned like the layers of an
Onion, ourselves lost, lost
In a final fear which none understands… (Eliot, 30/ 185-186)

The proportion sound; the form subtle; the manifestation, in disguise and the effect
philosophical; that is how Bhayanak Rasa restlessly drips and causes a burning sensation
in the hearts of those who know and feel this fire from the within.

125
 The fear of the chorus is proved true in the words of the tempter:

Fare forward to the end.

All other ways are closed for you.

Except the way already choosen. (Eliot, 45/ 502-504)

The tempter clearly indicates that the Archbishop has not left any way, as the
Archbishop is not ready to negotiate in any terms and agree to any of the offers made to
him. The tempter speaks of the future of the Archbishop to be his own choice, as a chance
was given by the King to defend himself. Here, there is a strong reflection of the
sancaribhavas of avega, apasmara and ugrata. The ferocious words of the tempter act as
the alambana vibhava and his angry appearance tend to be the uddipana vibhava.

Eliot is a poet of mysticism. The images created by him to darken the sentiment of
Bhayanaka becomes more grave and mystic after the entry of the four tempters. The play
is moving towards the climax with the help of the atmospheric compactness and sharpened
images targeted at the anguish of the readers. In the lines 624 -626, he accumulates horror:

Is it the owl that calls, or a signal

Between the trees?
Is the window-bar made fast, is the door
Under lock and bolt?
Is it the rain that taps at the window is it
Wind that pokes at the door? (Eliot, 50-51/ 624-626)

From this point onwards, the four tempters and the three priests contribute to the
instigation of horror and act as the anubhavas. The above lines contribute in picturing and
experiencing terror. The chorus emphasize on the fore coming wrath as they have had all
sorts of experiences. They have been terrorized in the absence of Thomas Becket and thus
carry first-hand experience of the troubles that would fall upon Becket. The chorus thus
speak:

126
 We have not been happy, my Lord, we have not been too happy.

We are not ignorant women, we know what we must expect and not
expect.

We know of oppression and torture,

We know of extortion and violence,

Destitution, disease,

The old without fire in winter,

The child without milk in the summer,

Our labour taken away from us,

Our sins made heavier upon us.

We have seen the young man mutilated,

The torn girl trembling by the mill-stream.

And meanwhile we have gome on living,

Living and partly living,

Picking together the pieces,

Gathering faggots at nightfall,

Building a partial shelter,

For sleeping, and eating and drinking and laughter. (Eliot, 51-52/
637-652)

The chorus have seen dreadful days and the sacaribhava of smriti sends shivers
down their skin. The recollections of the days gone by gives them goose-bumps today too.
Here, even the sancaribhava of vitarka strongly adds to the generation of fear in the mind

127
of chorus as well as the readers. The chorus speak thus due to the bitter experiences that
they carry. The chorus further furnishes and accentuates terror through the following lines:

The forms take shape in the dark air:

Puss-purr of leopard, football of padding bear,
Palm-pat of nodding ape, square hyaena waiting
For laughter, laughter, laughter.
The Lords of Hell are here. (Eliot, 52/ 657-661)

Here, owls, leopards, apes, bears hyena all play the role of the anubhavas of
Bhayanaka rasa. For centuries, these creatures have been always associated with horrifying
impressions. It reminds us of Vijay Tendulkar’s Gidhade (The Vultures). In reference to
this, M. H Abrahams notes,

Most commonly in recent usage, imagery signifies figurative

language, especially the vehicles of metaphors and similes. Another
is a type known as animal imagery which functions allegorically.
(87)

The animal imagery presented here is identified allegorically by Eliot himself when
he calls them ‘The Lords of Hell’. The reference of laughter, here in no way represents the
Hasya rasa. In fact, it suggest the laughter of terror or bhayanaka rasa; a roaring laughter,
making fun of the weaker one with an egoistic feeling of superiority. Another reference to
such animal imagery is seen in the words:

CHORUS: Longer and darker the day, shorter and colder the
night.

Still and stifling the air: but a wind is stored up in the East.

The starved crow sits in the field, attentive; and in the wood

The owl rehearses the hollow note of death.

What signs of bitter spring?

128
 The wind stored up in the East. (Eliot, 61/ 6-10)

Owls and crows are considered to be the messengers of death and represent ill
omens. The use of phrases like ‘colder the night’, ‘hollow note of death’ and ‘signs of bitter
spring’ indicate the dangers and threats to the life of the Archbishop. Eliot makes it visible
to the readers that there would most probably be an event of death in the course of the play.
Here the sancaribhava of visada, cinta and sanka prominently grasp the readers notice.

Another reference of roaring laughter on the weakness on an individual appears in

the second part of the play, where the chorus reports to the readers about the vicious
intentions on the part of the four knights and in doing so suggests the forthcoming blow of
terror:

Laughter in the noises of beasts that make

Strange noises: Jackal, jackass, jackdaw;
The scurrying noise of mouse and jerboa;
The laugh of the loon, the lunatic bird.
I have seen,
Grey necks twisting, rat tails twining, in
The thick light of dawn. (Eliot, 73/ 211-212)

Eliot reports the surreptitious terrors of the human mind in a strident manner. He
talks of the ill omens that augur the dangers ahead. Fear paralysis the mind of the person
and then leaves the person in no state to think in a positive manner. The play Murder in the
Cathedral has a gloomy, bleak and crepuscular aura, but it is Thomas Becket who holds
the flambeau of hope till the play concludes. Becket is free from all these emotions of fear
and gloom. His philosophy is: And if I am worthy, there is no danger. (Eliot, 76/261)

He adds furthermore,
Peace! Be quiet! Remember where you are,
And what is happening;
No life here is sought for but mine,
And I am not in danger: only near to

129
 Death. (Eliot, 76/ 267-269)

Becket displays not only courage and fearlessness, but also explains his decision
and points to the views of priorities of ends and means, death and life, good and evil.

Becket is not a representation of a modern man, but an ideal for them. He has lived
his whole life for morals and principles; has not surrendered his will and wish ever to the
worldly emotions. His is a state from where he overviews the anarchy of man’s life and
tries to find solutions for order and oblation. He is neither possessed by day-to-day
inflictions nor harassed by pretty emotionalisms of the chorus or the priests or the tempters
or the knights. He is not touched by Bhayanak rasa though he admits that he is well aware
about the vulnerability of his life. The real bearers of the sentiment are the knights who
take it to the climax in the scene of the murder. Here the bhayanak rasa is overlapped by
Raudra rasa and some of the expressions it also gets mixed with the Bibhatsa rasa. Their
act of burning with fury presents a combination of Krodha and Bhaya as a result to the
former one; and their expressions in the language of a murderer impart the feeling of
Jugupsa – disgust. To quote an example,

Numb the hand and dry the eyelid

Still the horror, but more horror
Than when tearing in the belly.
Still the horror, more the horror
Than when twisting in the fingers,
Than when splitting in the skull.
More than football in the passage,
More than shadow in the doorway,
More than fury in the hall. (Eliot, 77/ 279-287)

These lines uttered by the chorus at the climax of the play, bequeath the mingled
feelings of Bhayanak, Raudra and Bibhatsa. Glani (diguist), Sanka (Hesitation), Asuya
(Jealousy), Dainya (Depression), Avega (Agitation), Jadata (Stupor), Garva (Conceit),
Apasmara (Catalepsy), Amarsha (Wrath), Ugrata (Acrimony), Unmada (Derangement),
Trasa (Fright) and Marana (Mortality) are all Vyabhicharins which pile on to create the

130
sentiment of Bhayanaka in the play. The chorus and the knights to the greatest extent and
the priests and the tempters indirectly play the part of the Vibhavas and Anubhavas both.
As a result the readers or the readers undergo the vigorously impressionistic sthayin of
bhaya throughout the play. And above all ‘the holy terror’ that freezes the blood of the
spectator twice, when Becket ends his sermon on Christmas Morning on a frightful note
uttering:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,

And of the Holy Ghost. Amen. (Eliot, 57/ 85-86)

Thomas instead of using the word ‘Holy Spirit’ uses the word ‘Holy Ghost’ deliberately
changing the meaning, changing the connotation upside down and piercing the feeling of
terror the most sensitively. Thomas Becket has firmly decided to submit to will of God and
so the sancaribhava of mati comes into action here. The future has become quite clear after
the visit of the tempters and the refusal of Becket to accept any on the temptations. No
one other than Eliot would have had this expression sharp and subtle so much so that the
significance of it becomes extremely impressionistic.

2) Raudra Rasa

Ira furor brevis est.

Anger is a brief madness. - Horace

A visionary like Horace only can give such a brief as well as brilliant definition of
‘anger’ – a passionate state of mind burning with fury, anguish and wrath and whomsoever
dares to confront it, is soon found in the form of ashes.

The feeling of possessiveness in human nature is so much inexorable

that any dissatisfaction coming in its way causes an infernal feeling
of anger. It begins with the feelings of uneasiness and bubbling
thoughts instigating the faculty of speech to give themselves a fair
play. And in the New Testament, it is James who describes the

131
 aftermath as: the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil.
(Cohen, 56)

The sentiment of raudra rasa found in Murder in the Cathedral is not loud, roaring
and empowering as it displays from the name. Here, raudra rasa is the emotion of the
modern man who has no heart to dare to shout and roar with a loud projection of volume
to their anger. Today’s man is suppressed crushed under the roaring pressures of his
circumstantial surroundings. The chorus in the play offers the exact representation of
modern man – timid, suppressed, worried, crying and craving for betterment. No one is
courageous enough to arise and speak out for himself. The reason behind man’s impotency
to speak up his trials and tribulations is fear of opening mouth and getting the tongue
slaughtered. The first instance of anger is poured through the words of the second priest:

What a way to talk at this juncture!

You are foolish, immodest and babbling women.

Do you not know that the good Archbishop

Is likely to arrive at any moment? (Eliot, 31/ 196-200)

The priest scolds the women of the chorus for creating an atmosphere full of
negativity and anxiety before the arrival of the Archbishop. The priests are in no mood of
welcoming their beloved Archbishop is such dreadful atmosphere. Here the sancaribhavas
that work to the rise of temper in the priests is srama, cinta and vitarka. Though the priest
are fully aware of the waiting chaos, but they still want to linger on some hope that would
come with the arrival of Thomas Becket.

With the arrival of Thomas Becket, he is visited by tempters who try to negotiate
by alluring Thomas with different temptations, from materialistic gains, to power as the
Chancellor and fame as a martyr. Becket, it seems to be perplexed at one moment, but
swiftly confirms his denial. This adds fuel to the temper of the tempters. Their words emit
sparks of anger:

132
 TEMPTER: If you go fast, others may go faster.

Your Lordship is too proud!

The safest beast is not the one that roars most loud. (Eliot, 35/ 298-
300)

The tempter accuses Thomas of pride and ignorance. Sancaribhavas like garva, and
ugrata act here. The words of the tempter act as the alambana vibhava. The tempter is angry
as Becket neither fear the death nor the power of the King.

When Becket is not allured by worldly pleasure and other such temptations, the
tempters try to break his moral through their rough and terrorizing words.

TEMPTER: Yes! Or bravery will be broken,

Cabined in Canterbury, realmless ruler,

Self-bound servant of the a powerless Pope,

The old stag, circled with hounds. (Eliot, 39/ 361-364)

The tempters reveal that the bravest fear the terror of death and it mere thought of
death would break the strongest oaths. The tempters boast on the foundation of the power
of the King. They try to frighten Becket on the grounds that one cannot survive if one
stands against the king. Here a false alarm is made on the basis of arrogance (garva) and
intoxication of pride (mada).

The sentiment of terror – Bhayanak has subdued and restrained man’s outlet of the
sentiment of anger – Raudra. ‘He is slashed who dares to speak’ is the factor which makes
Raudra to appear in the second part of the play only when the knights enter to kill the
Archbishop. When offered some entertainment - the dinner to be roast pork before the
business by the priests, one of the knights commences with the first expression of Raudra
in the play:

Business before dinner. We will roast your

Pork

133
 First, and dine upon it after. (Eliot, 65/ 78-79)

This is the language of killers, the murderers, not roaring or trembling but killing
one’s nerves quite cold-bloodedly. The knights are, in the true sense, in no mood for
bargaining. Their demeanor is highlighted in the words:

THREE KNIGHTS: This is the man who was the tradesman’s son,
the back-

stairs brat who was born in Cheapside;

This is the creature that crawled upon the King; swollen

with blood and swollen with pride.

Creeping out of London dirt,

Crawling up like a louse on your shirt,

The man who cheated, swindled, lied; broke his oath and

betrayed his King. (Eliot, 66-67/ 99-103)

They are truly knights – they are in mood of attacking the Archbishop – be it with
words or swords. The knights attack Becket with words to weaken his morals, before
physically attacking him. As an answer to Becket’s argument of being loyal and faithful to
the orders of the king, first knight utters:

Saving your order! Let your order save

You –
As I do not think it is like to do
Saving your ambition is what you mean,
Saving your pride, envy and spleen. (Eliot, 67/ 109-112)

The knights are full of the feelings of indignation and vengeance. The vibhavas of
their wrath is the Archbishop’s disloyalty to the king according to them and the anubhavas
are their dialogues spouting out fury and enrageous flow of hatred. They disapprove of
such unfaithful behavior of Becket towards the king, who was the one that lead the light in
Becket’s upliftment. The four knights seek revenge in order to justify the unfaithfulness of

134
Becket towards King Henry II. Their anger burns and boils and is targeted to an act of
killing which is the most inhuman behavior of a human being. With their weapons
uncovered, the Knights complain to Becket about his ways of inspiring people of
Canterbury to lead their lives by following him; and ruthlessly comment upon his
shortsightedness and curse him one after the other:

FIRST KNIGHT: By the King’s command,

Shall we say it now?
SECOND KNIGHT: Without delay,
Before the old fox is off and away. (Eliot, 68/ 125-126)

Here, the knights use the word ‘fox’ symbolically for the Archbishop and endow
him with the qualities of cunningness and sly. Becket listens to the knights patiently and is
fully prepared for the forthcoming dangers which include his death in a casual manner. He
is, not for a single taken aback by the thought of his death approaching him. On the
contrary, Becket displays the Vir rasa in an answer to the knight’s display of raudra rasa.
Interesting arguments follow one after the other, each one excelling the preceding one with
more and more of raudra rasa and vir rasa simultaneously. The first Knight abuses Becket
as an insolent madman:

The King’s justice, the King’s majesty’

You insult with gross indignity;

Insolent madman, whom nothing deters

From attaining his servants and ministers. (Eliot, 72/ 184-187)

This is followed by the dreadful and obstinate blames and claims powerful enough
to kill the Archbishop merely with words, not even using the swords:

FIRST KNIGHT

Priest, you have spoken in peril of your life.

SECONND KNIGHT

135
 Priest, you have spoken in the danger of the knife.

THIRD KNIGHT

Priest, you have spoken treachery and treason.

THE THREE KNIGHTS

Priest, traitor, confirmed in malfeasance. (Eliot, 72/ 194-197)

And soon after the Archbishop leaves the stage:

FOURTH KNIGHT

Priest! monk! and servant! Take, hold, destain,

Restrain this man, in the King’s name.

FIRST KNIGHT

Or answer with your bodies.

SECOND KNIGHT

Enough of words

THE FOUR KNIGHTS

We come for the King’s justice, we come with swords. (Eliot, 73/
201-205)

The knights leave the stage, leaving the readers in a feeling of getting trampled
under the heaviness of Bhayanak –terror and the turbulence of Raudra – wrath. Every word
uttered with utmost hatred and the rage hovers in the minds of the readers and the
reverberations are heard within. Eliot has depicted Raudra with extremely overspread
strength and empowering captious remarks. The readers is left in a traumatic feeling of
tenacious tension. No Christian present in the readers can avoid getting reminded of ST.
John’s words:

136
 The devil is come down unto you, having

Great wrath, because he knoweth that he

Hath but a short time. (Cohen, 57)

And before the readers lose the impact of the blowing Raudra rasa, all the four
Knights reappear on the stage with their swords unsheathed; investigating for Becket – the
traitor:

Where is Becket, the traitor to the King?

Where is Becket, the meddling priest?

Come down Daniel to the Lion’s Den,

Come down Daniel for the mark of the beast.

Daniel for the mark of the beast.

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you marked with the mark of the beast?

Come down Daniel to the Lion’s den,

Come down Daniel and join the feast.

Where is Becket the cheapside brat?

Where is Becket the faithless priest?

Come down Daniel to the Lion’s den,

Come down Daniel and join the feast. (Eliot, 80/ 353-364)

The knights are burning with fury, each word they speak is wrapped in flames and
emerge as fire from the mouth of a dragon. They not only strike the Archbishop, but with
every word they leave the readers awestruck. The knights exhibit the power of words in
just one word:

137
 KNIGHTS: Traitor! traitor! traitor! (Eliot, 81/ 386)

The knights use the same word thrice to leave an engraved impression in the minds
of the readers. The knights have tried to justify their heinous thought and act of murdering
the Archbishop way before the execution of the act.

The climax of the play presents the crescendo of the sentiments like Bhayanak and
Raudra overlapping each other. The knights drag the swords and the Archbishop is killed;
the priests are taken aback with shock; the chorus is strangled with fear and awe and the
readers in spellbound; speechless under the omnipotence and omnipresence of Raudra
Rasa.

3) Vir Rasa

How sleep the brave, who sink to rest,

By all their country’s wishes blest! - William Collins

Vir Rasa, the name itself suggest zeal, enthusiasm and gallantry. The mind is filled
with ideas like courage, patriotism, generosity, bravery and martyrdom. Vir rasa can be
interpreted as a positive and perfect mental state with a passion for truth, righteousness,
generosity and gallantry.

Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral is unquestionably a Dharamvir, who

lives for the principles of righteousness and dies for a noble cause. He does not leave the
path of righteousness and sticks to his beliefs though he knows what would be the end
result for the same. Vir Rasa is characterized by strong and firm will, confidence, tenacity,
consistency and courage to face any extent of hardships on the path of principles and
righteousness. The first reference of Becket’s courage and strong will for the rituals of
righteousness strikes the readers, when he talks to the priests about Broc, Warenne and
Sheriff of Kent. He calls them “those who had sworn to have my head from me……” (Eliot,
73/ 242)

And at the same time Becket is least bothered about the same incident. In the very
next passage he satirizes the entire situation saying:
138
 For a little time the hungry hawk

Will soar and hover, circling lower,

Waiting excuse, pretence, opportunity.

End will be simple, sudden, God-given. (Eliot, 33/ 247-250)

These lines clarify that the feelings of courage and fearlessness deeply rooted in the
heart of the Archbishop is not derived from any bravery or physical power of his
personality, but is result of his faith in God and trust in truth. Becket further clarifies that
none can know what the future beholds. Only time can reveal what is beyond the turn. His
words clearly tell of the same.

We do not know very much of the future

Except that from generation to generation

The same things happen again and again.

Men learn little from others’ experience.

But in life of one man, never

The same time returns. Sever

The cord, shed the scale. Only

The fool, fixed in his folly, may think

He can turn the wheel on which he turns. (Eliot, 34-35/ 282-290)

Becket speaks of life and time as a revolving wheel. One can’t be sure of anything
until one gains experience. Becket’s words reflect the sancaribhavas like moha –
delusions that man has control over time and life events. It also talks of the uncertainty of
the events in life.

The sentiment of valour – vir rasa exhibited by the tempters is exactly contrasting
to that of Thomas Becket. There is a feeling of superiority and security that makes them
boastful and dominating. The tempters are unaware of the temporal state of superiority and
therefore try to tempt Becket by offering him materialistic and temporal powers. But

139
Becket is a strong willed person ready to pursue the principles and righteousness at all
costs. He suffers for the sole reason that he cannot allow himself to compromise with his
perseverance from the path of truth. The speeches delivered by the tempters are full of
enthusiasm and vigor and powerful enough to fill the hearts of the readers with sheer relish
of Vira Rasa.

Observe this:

Man oppressed by sin, since Adam fell

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:
Uncertain, Mastery of armies,
War, plague and revolution,
New conspiracies, broken pacts:
To be the master or servant within an hour,
This is the course of temporal power.
The old king shall know it, when at last
Breath,
No sons, no empire, he bites broken teeth.
You hold the skin: wind, Thomas, wind
The thread of eternal life and death.
You hold this power, hold it. (Eliot, 46/ 508-522)

The chorus also adds to the uprising feeling of zeal and power when they say:

There is no rest in the house there is no

rest in the street I hear restless
movement of feet… (Eliot, 49/ 600-601)

As if warriors are setting out of their houses to rush to the battle field, everything
at this moment starts blooming, blossoming and upcoming as the feelings of heroism and
passionate persuasion of desires overpowers the scene.

140
 Becket’s display of vir rasa is the best to quote as it leads him to the height of
martyrdom. Not only that he is firm and lest bothered even after the threats of the Knights,
but he is right and therefore courageous enough to answer them back impressively. He
replies them when gets charged:

If you makes charges;

Then in public I will refute them. (Eliot, 69/ 129-130)

Thomas shows his willingness to sacrifice himself for the people who trust him. He
is ready to suffer for his extended family – the people of Canterbury. Seven years the people
have suffered in the absence of Becket and there is no way that he can return those precious
years to them. Becket says:

If that is the King’s command, I will be bold

To say: seven years were my people without

My presence; seven years of misery and pain.

Seven years a mendicant on foreign charity

I lingered abroad: seven years is no brevity.

I shall not get those seven years back again.

Never again, you must make no doubt,

Shall the sea run between the shepherd and his fold. (Eliot, 71/
176-183)

Becket translucently states that he would not leave the people of Canterbury like
orphans again. He has made up his mind and is ready to suffer come what may. The display
of valour here is due to the love that Becket bears for the people. The sancaribhava visible
here is moha and dhrti that binds Becket with the people of Canterburry.

Becket is bold, noble, courageous, gallant and intrepid in his treatment of the
knights. He answers them back firmly and boldly. He stands in front of them like a
mountain and answers them like the sparks of the lightening in the vast and plain sky.

It is not I who insult the King,

141
 And there is higher than I or the King.
It is not Becket from Cheap side,
It is not against, Becket, that you
Strive.
It is not Becket who pronounces doom,
But, the law of Christ’s Church, the
Judgement of Rome. (Eliot, 72/ 188-193)
Becket in sturdy words dusts off the allegations that the knights place on him. He
strongly voices the respect that he holds for the King together with his duty towards
the people and the Church. The most impressive sparks of his speech are as
mentioned below:
I submit my cause to the judgement of
Rome.
But, if you kill me, I shall rise from my
Tomb
To submit my cause God’s throne. (Eliot, 72/198-200)

The Archbishop shows bravery; the knights do not fall behind. They are
eager to fulfill their duty towards the nation and the king. They are set to execute
the order and their words set a clarion imprint on the minds of the readers:

FOURTH KNIGHT: Priest! monk! and servant! take, hold, detain,

Restrain this man, in the King’s name.

FIRST KNIGHT: Or answer with your bodies.

SECOND KNIGHT: Enough of words.

THE FOUR KNIGHTS: We come for the King’s justice, we come

with swords. (Eliot, 73/ 201-205)

The knights are roaring and raging with fury and their angry is busted in the
form of words. The sacnaribhava of mada, avega, autsukya and ugrata radiates from
the words of the knights. The vibhava here is the refusal of the temptations by
Becket along with the allegation of Becket being a traitor.

142
 The rough and terrorizing words of the knights don’t make an inch of
difference in the decision of Becket. The more ferocious the words of the knights,
the more firm the determination of Becket becomes. He has taken a step forward
and he very well knows that there is no turning back. He states:

All my life they have been coming, these feet. All my life

I have waited. Death will come only when I am worthy,

And if I am worthy, there is no danger.

I have therefore only to make perfect my will. (Eliot, 76/ 259-262)

Dhrti (contentment), mati (resolve) and vibodha( awakening) are the

sancaribhavas that spring into action here. Becket is perfectly prepared for whatever
life has to offer him. He has accepted the truth of life – that one who is born has to
die one day. This truth of life has enlightened Becket and thus is has attained content
and so does not regret to make a sacrifice for the betterment of the commoners of
Canterbury.

Sensing danger on the life of their beloved Archbishop, the three priests
request Thomas to confine in safety, but Thomas refuse to enact as a coward and
hide himself. When the priests bar the door of the Cathedral to prevent the entry of
the Knights, Thomas forbids them in doing so:

Unbar the doors! throw open the doors!

I will not have the house of prayer, the church of Christ,

The sanctuary, turned into fortress.

The Church shall protect her own, in her own way, not

As oak and stone; stone and oak decay,

Give no stay, but the Church shall endure.

The church shall open, even to our enemies. Open the door! (Eliot,
78-79/ 316-322)

143
 The intrepidity of Becket leaves a mark on the minds of the readers. He surpasses
any limits of human judgement to recognize a martyr when he says:

I give my life
To the Law of God above the Law of Man
Unbar the door! Unbar the door! (Eliot, 79/ 343-345)

Sancharibhavas like Dainya (Depression), Chinta (Anxiety), Dhrti (Content),

Chapalta (Inconstancy), Harsa (Joy), Avega (Agitation), Autsukya(Eagerness),
Ugrata(Ferocity) and Mati (Determination) are aroused to delineate the sentiment of
heroism i.e. vir rasa.

Asserting his faith in his ideals, Becket goes on to add:

We are not here to triumph by fighting,

By stratagem, or by resistance.

Not to fight with beast as men. We have

Fought the beast

And have conquer

Now, by suffering. This is the easier

Victory. (Eliot, 79/ 346-349)

Emphasizing the virtue of fearlessness in the face of death, Becket explains:

It is the just man who

Like a bold lion, should be without fear.

I am here.

No traitor to the King. I am a priest,

A Christian saved by the blood of Christ,

Ready to suffer with my blood.

144
 This is the sign of the Church always,

The sign of blood. Blood for blood.

His blood given to buy my life,

My blood given to pay for his death,

My death for His death. (Eliot, 80-81/ 365-375)

Becket displays true courage in the face of death and is determined to follow what
he preaches. The words of Becket reflects the fight of the modern man to risk and sacrifice
one’s life in fighting for one’s principles, in struggling for truth, thus propounding for the
people a lesson that the values achieved by a man are always very high priced and tough-
targeted but never impossible to achieve. His determination revives the inner strength and
power of determination of the modern man. The sancaribhavas in action are smrti, avega
and dhrti. Becket is satisfied at this point and has unconditionally and completely submitted
to the will of God.

Becket is not only not afraid of death, he was seriously concerned about the peace
and liberty of his church and the flock of sheep or men he was leaving behind him:

For my Lord I am now ready to die,

That this Church may have peace and
Liberty. (Eliot, 81/ 380-381)

Thus in his decision left to his own wisdom whether to face death for his ideals and
cause in pride or in submission the Archbishop of Canterbury – Thomas Becket a true
dharamvir and a real martyr lays down his life willingly in the cause of truth and holiness
of which the church is a symbol. Becket accepts the fact that death may come at any time,
to face it with bravery, but without any temptation of the glory of the martyr was in the
true sense the service to God and submission to Him in the true essence. Becket knowing
what the future holds, embraces the fact of his planned death and emerges as a dharamvir
– who beholds the torch of the Christian values till he comes face to face with death.

145
 4) Karuna Rasa
The soul would have no rainbow
Had the eyes no tears. - John Cheney

The lines above reflect and talk of the momentousness of Karuna Rasa in human
life. Has there been no pains, no troubles and fixes for a man to fight with, there would
have been no joy of triumph, gain and pleasure. We try to avoid pains in life though we are
well aware of the unavoidability of the same, as we have not risen to the level of saintly
souls who happy-facedly welcome all pains and make the best use of them in acquiring
higher and loftier planes. Even the greatest epic Ramayan begins with the sentiment of
Karuna, as the grief-struck heart of Valmiki was the true reason behind the composition of
this immortal work. Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral, who knows the value of
the sentiments of pathos – karuna and therefore welcomes happily, if that act of him can
provide some pleasure to his successors.

In the play Murder in the Cathedral the sense of loss, feeling of Karuna pervades
from the beginning till the end the chorus informs the readers about the somberness and
darkness of their lives from the beginning:

Since golden October declined into

Somber November
And the apples were gathered and stored,
And the land became brown sharp points of
Death in a waste of water and mud,
The New Year waits, breathes, waits,
Whispers in the darkness. (Eliot, 23/ 9-11)

The grievance and melancholy is reflected clearly in the words of the first priest:

Seven years since and the summer is over.

Seven years since the Archbishop left us. (Eliot, 25/ 51-52)

146
 The priest reflects upon the hard times that they have faced since the Archbishop
was forced to desert them. The words of the chorus and the first priest reflect the
sancaribhava of srama, dainya and capalata. They have not only lost a beloved one , but
also a spiritual pillar to support them.

There is a sharp pointed question that follows soon with all the ingredients of
Karuna Rasa:

Shall these things not end

Until the poor at the gate
Have forgotten their friend, their father
In God, have forgotten
That they had a friend? (Eliot, 25/ 66-69)

The play commences with the sharp questions manifesting melancholy and
dissatisfaction amongst the people of Canterbury. The people have suffered a lot in the
absence of their beloved Archbishop and what comes next is a mystery stored in the
warehouse of the future. The chorus enhances the Karuna rasa with the advancement of
the play. It gives the readers a fair contingent to realize and bridge their own pains, trials
and tribulations with each and every word uttered by the chorus:

We have not been happy, my Lord, we have

Not been too happy.
We are not the ignorant women, we know that we must expect and
not expect.
We know of oppression and torture,
We know of extortion and violence,
Destitution, disease,
The old without fire in winter,
The child without milk in summer,
Our labor taken away from us.
Our sins made heavier upon us. (Eliot, 51/ 636-644)

The chorus furthermore aggravate the feeling of karuna by their words:

147
 God is leaving us, God is learning us,
more pang, more pain than birth or death. (Eliot, 52/ 655)

Karuna Rasa is emphasized in the Christmas morning sermon of Thomas Becket,

when he declares the possibility of his death. The words cast an atmosphere of terrible pain,
dark pathos and grief instigating tears in the eyes of the readers. It is always a matter of
great sorrow to witness the fall of something that had been for years an icon of truth and
righteousness. The feeling that an Indian reader perceives and correlates is the fall of
Bhisma Pitamah in the great epic Mahabharat.

The Archbishop concludes his speech saying:

Dear children, I do not think I shall ever
Preach to you again; and because it is
Possible that in a short time you may have
Yet another martyr, and that one perhaps
Not the last. (Eliot, 57/ 80-83)

Very soon the chorus gives a hint of the bolt from the blue to strike them soon,
intensifying the heaviness of pathos:

Does the bird sing in the south?

Only the Sea-bird cries, driven in land by
The storm
What sign of the spring of last year? (Eliot, 61/ 1-3)

The chorus play a major role in the intensification of the Karuna rasa. One after
another, their words pierce the hearts of the reader deeper and deeper. The words though
true, are hard to be accepted by the readers. They further say:

O far far far far in the past; and I wander in a land of barren

boughs: if t break them, they bleed; I wander in a

land of dry stones: if I touch them they bleed.

How can I ever return, to the soft quiet seasons?

148
 Night stay with us, stop sun, hold season, let the day not

come, let the soring not come.

Can I look again at the day and its common things, and see

them all smeared with blood, through a curtain of falling blood?

(Eliot, 82/ 400-409)

The chorus recollects their memories and experiences from the past to connect to
the current events and the future events. The prominent sancaribhava that is visible at this
point is smrti, vitarka and trasa.

From this moment till the death of Thomas Becket, there comes an interesting
rivalry between the Vir rasa and Raudra Rasa. It is the aftermath of the murder scene which
again pervades suddenly with double amount of grief. The death of Becket enlivens the
words of Francis Thompson:

Nothing begins and nothing ends,

That is not paid with moan,
For we are born in other’s pain
And perish in our own. (Cohen, 395)

The historical situation also quotes Becket’s words thus:

Not if I were to be torn asunder, limb by

Limb, would I relinquish this journey. Let
It suffice that the Lord’s flock has
Mourned the absence of their shepherd
Seven years. (Eliot, 144)

Becket sacrificed his life, every inch of his existence for what he believed in, he not
for a fraction of a second regrets his decision even when death stares at him in his face. He
gave his life for a noble cause, and thus savored the death of a martyr. To sum up his divine
act in the words of William Wordsworth:

149
 Who doomed to go in company with pain,
And fear, and bloodshed, miserable train!
Thus his necessity to glorious gain. (Sachidanandan, 144)

Becket, as far as Karuna Rasa is concerned proves to be the Anubhava throughout

the play with a minor contribution from the chorus. Going through the Vyabhicharins like
Glani (disgust), Srama (exhaustion), Dainya (depression), Chinta (anxiety), Visada
(despondency), Trasa (fright) and at the end, Marana (mortality) and in combination with
rasas like Bhayanak, Vir as well as Raudra, Karuna rasa surpasses all the worldly emotions
and acquires the state of one perennial feeling of suffering that is the most familiar emotion
of every human being. Karuna Rasa is a feeling that touches the core of a person’s heart
and makes a person become congeneric to the characters of the play. To signify this
sentiment in the words of Becket:

They know and do not know, that action is

Suffering and suffering is action…
That the pattern may subsist, for the
Pattern is the action
And the suffering, that the wheel may turn
And still
Be forever still. (Eliot, 32/209-210 &215-217)

The point at which the readers can see the intensified form of karuna rasa is
reflected in the words of the three priest after heinous murder of Thomas Becket. The
priests lament the death of their beloved Archbishop in the words:

O father, father, gone from us, lost to us,

How shall we find you, from what far place

Do you look down on us? You now in Heaven,

Who shall now guide us, protect us, direct us?

After what journey through what further dread

150
 Shall we recover your presence? When inherit

Your strength? The Church lies bereft,

Alone, desecrated, desolated, and the heathen shall I build

on the ruins,

Their world without God. I see it. I see it. (Eliot, 88/ 581 – 589)

The lament of the priests is similar to that of an orphaned child, he who has lost
someone in whom he can confide in. The priests are devastated with the loss of the
Archbishop and see the world around them in ruins. The sancaribhavas that revolve
throughout their words are marana, trasa, vitarka and capalata. The priests are terrorized
and insecure after the remorseful event. Every word spoken by the priests leave the readers
in a state of grieving. The readers feel a gap with the death of the Archbishop and also
regret the helpless situation of the priests, knights, chorus and finally themselves too.

Minor Rasas

1) Hasya Rasa
What’s the use of worrying?
It never was worthwhile,
So, pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag
And smile, smile, smile. - George Powell

The first reading of the play Murder in the Cathedral exhibits the feeling that the
play is encompassed with the sentiments like pensiveness, grief, danger and tension. There
seems to be not a single relief point, not a single sentence seems to engender the feeling of
laughter at the first glance.

The second reading of the play provides an insight to read between the lines, which
turns out to be an answer to the persuit of Hasya Rasa. The following lines uttered by
Thomas Becket causes slight curve of smile on the face of the readers:

151
 The fool, fixed in his folly, may think
He can turn the wheel on which he turns. (Eliot, 35/ 289-290)

Hasya, according to the psychologists is of two types: Sthula Hasya (a hearty

laughter engendered by feeling of superiority) and Suksma Hasya (a subtle suggestion of
an intellectual kind that provides a smile of one’s face). There is a lot of Suksma Hasya in
the efforts of the tempters to deviate the Archbishop from his unconquerable will.
Thomas’s answer to the first temptation posed by the first tempter arouses this kind of
Hasya. Thomas replies to the luring offers by saying: “You come twenty years too late”.
(Eliot, 35/ 307)

Once the readers are familiarized with Becket’s firmness and quality of stern
morals, all the tempters seem to be mere fools. The words of the second tempter really
makes the readers laugh:

Let us but set these not too pleasant memories

In balance against each other ….. (Eliot, 36/325-327)

He furthermore makes a fool of himself when he tries to teach the Archbishop:

King commands the chancellor, richly rules.

This is a sentence not taught in the schools. (Eliot, 37/345-346)

The real germ of laughter is revealed here. After the exit of the second tempter, the
third tempter arrives adding more to laugh about:

THIRD TEMPTER
I am an unexpected visitor
THOMAS
I expected you. (Eliot, 40/ 395-396)

The suggestion of Hasya Rasa in the speech of the four knights is very subtle. They
not only justify their particular standpoint bit towards the end of their explanation prove
that the Archbishop is a foolish and unreasonable person who invited his own downfall.
The third knight Richard Brito remarks:

152
 And when he had deliberately exasperated
Us beyond human endurance, he could still
Have easily escaped; he could have kept
Himself from us long enough to allow our
Righteous anger to cool. That was just
What he did not wish to happen; he
Insisted, while we were still inflamed
With wrath, that the doors should be
Opened. Need I say more? I think, with
These facts before you, you will
Unhesitatingly render a verdict of suicide
While of Unsound mind. (Eliot, 87/ 567-575)

Well, this sounds surprising and causes a feeling of ironic Hasya at the ability of the
knight of misinterpreting and misrepresenting the entire event. Becket never had in mind
such things when he sacrificed his life. He was ready to sacrifice his life for the well-being
of others.

2) Adbhuta Rasa
Wonders are many, and none
Is more wonderful than man. - Sophocles

Adbhuta Rasa is a sentiment full of wonders, surprises, miracles and supernatural

powers. Man is transferred into a world of dreams and experiences blissful delight. The
modern manifestation of Adbhuta Rasa is restricted to the supernatural machinery which
fascinate the faculty of wonder and surprises of a modern man. The news of the return of
the Archbishop has lighted a lamp of hope in the minds of the priests and the people of
Canterbury. This thin air of hope for a miracle is reflected in the words of the third priest:

For good or ill, let the wheel turn.

The wheel has been still, these seven years, and no good.

For ill or good, let the wheel turn.

153
 For who knows the end of good or evil?

Until the grinders cease

And the door shall be shut in the street,

And all the daughters of music shall be brought low. (Eliot, 29/ 138-
144)

The priests hope that Becket would bring a change in the air and the news of his
arrival has lit the first candle of hope. The priest speaks thus owing to the activated
sancaribhavas like srama, harsa, dainya and cinta. The priests have had bitter experiences
in the absence of the Archbishop and thus the news of his return rejuvenates hope for
miracles to happen.

Murder in the Cathedral has very thin suggestions of Adbhuta Rasa scattered here
and there in the course of the play. The knights though a messengers of terror and fury,
also speak of the wonders of God. There is a thin suggestion of wonders created by God in
the speech of the fourth knight:

Think of the miracles, by God’s grace,

And think of your enemies, in another
Place. (Eliot, 47/ 539-540)

Another reference of Adbhuta rasa appears when Thomas Becket slips away
nostalgically to his wonderland. He remembers his past glories which prove to be a
sentiment of Adbhuta for him now. He thinks:

Thirty years ago, I searched all the ways

That lead to pleasure, advancement and
Praise.
Delight in sense, in learning and in
Though,
Music and philosophy, curiosity,
The purple bullfinch in the liliac tree,

154
 The tilt-yard skill, the strategy of
Chess,
Love in the garden, singing to the
Instrument,
Were all things equally desirable. (Eliot, 52-53/ 671-678 )

Sancaribhavas in this case are smrti, vibodha and mati. The delusions in the mind
of the Archbishop were resolved and he can now clearly see his path. He recollects the
miracles that he has experienced and thus his God grows robust.

After Becket has been mercilessly murdered and the readers are filled with fear and
remorse, the chorus revitalize and revive the faith of the readers in Lord Almighty. The
words of the chorus fill the readers with light of God’s power, glory and mercy:

We praise Thee, O Good, for Thy glory displayed in all the

creatures of the earth,

In the snow, in the rain, in the wind, in the storm; in all of

Thy creatures, both hunters and the hunted.

For all things exist only as seen by Thee, onlyas known by

Thee, all things exist

Only in Thy light, and Thy glory is declared even in that

which denies Thee: the darkness declares the glory of

light.

Those who deny Thee could not deny, if Thou didst not

exist; and their denial is never complete, for if it were

so, they would not exist. (Eliot, 90/ 617-620)

155
 The faith of the readers is restored and there is a slight display of the sancaribhava
nirveda here. The other sancaribhavas present at the moment are marana, moha, smrti and
dhrti. The words of the chorus lessen the guilt that they and the readers carry of the murder
of the Archbishop and they also submit to the will of God.

Adbhuta Rasa seems to have vanquished from the modern world where man is living
with worries, miseries and sufferings. There is no place for wonders, miracles and surprises
in such a world. Miracles are only possible if man believes in his dreams, trusts the
principles and follows the path of righteousness that wonders can happen.

3) Bibhatsa Rasa
Let sporus tremble – what? That thing of
Silk?
Sporus that mere while curd of ass’s milk?
Satire or sense, alas! Can Sporus feel?
Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?
P. yet let me flap this bug with gilded
Wing
This painted child of dirt, that stinks
And stings. - Alexander Pope

Bibhatsa Rasa is generated when there arouses a feeling of strong dislike or disgust,
censurable or nauseating. Jugupsa is the sthayinbhava responsible for the generation of
this rasa. Modern works have elaborated usage of this rasa to express disappointment and
disgust reflecting modern man’s anger and frustration. Murder in the Cathedral is a
combination of a modern as well as a classic work echoing idiosyncratic examples of
Bibhatsa Rasa. Thomas Becket says:

For a little time the hungry hawk

Will only soar and hover, circling lower,

Waiting excuse, pretence, opportunity.

End will be simple, sudden, God-given.

156
 Meanwhile the substance of our first act

Will shadows, and the strife with shadows.

Heavier the interval than the consummation.

All things prepare the event. Watch. (Eliot, 33/

248-252)

Birds like the hawk represent death and the aftermath of death. These birds are said
to consume human flesh and thus the mentioning of the hawk with the adjective hungry
points to the death occurrence in the play. The sancaribhavas active here are jadata and
visada. The archbishop is not only himself prepared for such an occurrence but makes sure
that the readers are also given a clear hint. The tempters also are in no mood to stretch the
matter further. They tried their best to allure Becket, but once they are sure that nothing
tempts Becket, they try to scare him with words that feel disgusting. The tempters thus
speak:

The sanctuary broken and its stores

Swept into the laps of parasites and whores. (Eliot, 47/ 551-552)

Insects and parasites breed in dirt and arouse nausea and disgust. The tempters try
to convince the Archbishop on the account that once a place breaks down it can only breed
germs, insects and parasites. Nothing productive can happen at such a dismantled place.
The chorus further escalate the disgust, by saying:

What is sickly smell, the vapour? the dark green light from a cloud
on a withered tree? The earth is heaving to parturition of issue of
hell. What is the sticky dew that forms on the back of my hand?
(Eliot, 50/ 603--606)

The readers can literally smell and feel the disgust creeping up their nose. The
sancaribhava here are sanka and visada. The chorus fear their worst nightmares to come to
life. They are worried and doubt the environment to remain positive and clean.

Some other expressions that occur in Part 1 are:

We have had various scandals….

157
 We have had laughter and gossip

And

Sweet and cloying through the dark air

Falls the stifling scent of despair;

The forms take shape in the dark air:

Puss-purr of leopard, footfall of padding bear,

Palm-pat of nodding ape, square hyaena waiting

For laughter, laughter, laughter. The Lords of Hell are here.

O Thomas Archbishop, save us, save us, save yourself that we may
be saved;

Destroy yourself and we are destroyed. (Eliot, 52/ 656-664)

The laughter mentioned here is a cruel one. Animals like leopard, bear and hyena
are known for their silent and cruel attackes. They creep up and attack their prey silently.
The feeling of disgust mixed with terror creep up the veins of the readers slowly as the
chorus proceed and towards the end the feeling of terror overshadows the feeling of disgust.

But it is Part 2 where the germination of Bibhatsa Rasa ardently pierces the minds
of the readers and leaves a lasting effect of disgust. The chorus is mainly used for the
manifestation of Bibhatsa Rasa. The reason perhaps, is that the chorus represents common
people. The priests or Archbishops do not have to confront their secret fears and
frustrations so much so that they need to express their feelings with sheer disgust and in ill
language. Life has made itself a living hell for a common man who, one fine morning,
may find his existence sheer rot and just unimportant; resulting into an expression full of
dirty images and disgusting attitude. It is the common man who is sandwiched between the
King and the Archbishop. The chorus under the same mental make-up retorts:

I have eaten

Smooth creatures still living, with the

158
 Strong salt taste of living things under

Sea: I have tasted

The living lobster, the crab, the oyster,

The whelk and the prawn; they live and

Spawn in my bowels, and my bowels dissolve

In the light of dawn. (Eliot, 73/ 213-214)

Not only tasting the lobster or the crab or the oyster but the feeling of disgust is
further extended in the following lines:

I have felt

The horn of the beetle, the scale of the

Viper, the mobile hard insensitive skin of

The elephant, the evasive flank of the

Fish. I have smelt

Corruption in the dish, incense in the

Latrine… (Eliot, 74/ 219-220)

This is followed by lines intensifying the feelings of disgust further:

What’s woven on the loom of fate….

Is woven like a pattern of living worms

In the guts of the women of Canterbury. (Eliot, 74/ 228 & 231-232)

These lines reveals the eradication of patience and endurance in the life of the people
of Canterbury. The sancaribhavas here dainya, capalata and visada. The women of
Canterbury can anticipate the dangers hovering over their beloved Archbishop but are

159
helpless. The chorus plays a major role in step by step exposure of the disgust to the readers.
With every line the feeling of disgust intensifies and reaches its crescendo with the words:

Numb the hand and dry the eyelid,

Still the horror, but more horror

Than when tearing the belly.

Still the horror, but more horror

Than when twisting the fingers,

Than when splitting the skull.

More than football in the passage,

More than shadow in the doorway,

More than fury in the hall.

The agents of hell disappear, the human, they shrink and dissolve

Into dust on the wind, forgotten, unmemorable; only is here

The white flat face of Death, God’s silent servant,

And behind the face of Death the Judgement. (Eliot, 77/ 279-291)

The words not only depict the events of disgust, but also make the readers feel as if the
events are happening in their presence and the readers become one with the characters of
the play. Disgust arises due to the nefarious methods adopted by the tempters, who are
willing to get their ways by any method possible. The archbishop is aware of the
circumstances and is not willing to submit to anyone else except for the will of God. This
strenuous decision has shaken the tempters to the core and thus has forced them to take
actions otherwise. The chorus has been able to give a germane vignette of Death. Piecemeal
description of death not only takes the readers to a step by step journey towards death but
also make the readers experience the dangers of approaching death. Modern man confronts

160
burdens, challenges and herculean tasks to survive in his daily life. The outburst of disgust
is due to such life experiences that man faces and stands helpless in front of the
circumstances.

4) Sringara Rasa

L’amor che move il sole el’altre stele. –

Love that moves the sun and the other stars. - Dante

Dante in his Divina Comedia, in the part known as ‘Paradiso’ defines the supreme
feeling of love. Srngara Rasa is recognized as the primary and vital sentiment of the human
life. Man has only three substantial activities to perform during his stay on the earth: Life,
Love and Death. It is suggested that the sentiment of love is the one that sustains a human
life. Bharat in Natyasastra has given elaborate descriptions of the sentiment of amour.
Bhojadev has recognized the sentiment of Srngara as ‘Rasa-Swami’ – the lord of all Rasas.

Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral is not a pleasing attempt to look for Srngara Rasa.
The primary reasons being the religious background and the Canterbury church as the
setting of the play, which do not allow any love sick liberties to loiter. There is a slight
mentioning of it here and there, once or twice. The priests display their love and respect
for the Archbishop, when they hear of his return in the words:

FIRST PRIEST: What, is the exile ended, is our Lord Archbishop

Reunited with the King? (Eliot, 26/76-77)

SECOND PRIEST: Are the old disputes at an end, is the wall of

pride cast down

That divided them? Is it peace or war? (Eliot, 26/ 80-81)

The priests are overwhelmed on news of the arrival of the Archbishop. Their words
manifest sancaribhavas like moha, harsa, and smriti. The return of a pious guide fills the
hearts of the priests with love and respect. Moreover, the words of the second priest

161
emerges out of cinta – worry for the beloved Archbishop. The priest is worried as he is
aware of the situations and the environment that pervaded Canterbury in the absence and
on the news of the arrival of the Archbishop.

The chorus mentions its happiness and love for the Archbishop through the
following lines:

Fluting in the meadows, viols in the hall,

Laughter and apple-blossom floating on the
Water,
Singing at the nightfall, whispering in
Chambers. (Eliot, 34/ 268-270)

‘Viols in the hall’, ‘whispering in the chambers’ and in the next line comes ‘wit and
wine and wisdom’ are images of Srngara but in disguise.

Another place where the sentiment of love is displayed is in the tempters speech:

Ice along ditches

Mirror the sunlight. Love in the orchard
Send the sap shooting. (Eliot, 34/ 279-281)

The tempters, though they seem to be ferocious in nature, but as they are humans
they take up the opportunity to cherish and accolade the natural beauty. The appreciation
here is an indication of the sancaribhavas like harsa subdued by avega and ugrata.

The chorus are sad on the murder of the Archbishop, but they are grateful to God
for the blessings that He has bestowed upon them. Their astounding love for God is
reflected in the words:

Though it is forever denied. Therefore, O God, we thank

Thee

Who hast given such blessing to Canterbury. (Eliot, 91/ 636-637)

162
 The chorus gives voice to the common man and his thoughts, reactions and views
throughout the play. Though the death of Thomas Becket is a blow to the people of
Canterbury, his life has inspired them and rejuvenated their faith in God. The sancaribhavas
of dhrti and smrti echo in these words.

Srngara rasa as incorporated by Eliot in Murder in the Cathedral is not the one between
men and a women, nor is it the physical allurement. Eliot takes love to a superior level –
he depicts of love for mankind and love for God. Srngara rasa adopted by Eliot in the play
is not directly mirrored, but is an insight into the mind of the modern man. It presents
emotions like the barter system of give and take of or melodramatic stock of love stridden
lullabies, which in the true sense and essence is not what srngara rasa means. Such
representation of srngara rasa is visible in Eliot’s works reflect srngara rasa in such a
manner as the true expressions of love have disappeared from the life of the modern man.

5) Santa Rasa
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace. - Alfred Tennyson

A feeling of disinterest or Nirveda is what one can call the generation of Santa
Rasa. There are no pains, no pleasures; no mirth, no miseries; not a single comfort, nor a
complain; no ups and downs and ins and outs; life is plain and disinterested; life is all
peaceful. Only a visionary or a victim for centuries can really experience the loftiest plane
of thoughts mentioned here. Achievement of peace for life is not everyman’s fortune; it is
bestowed upon saintly souls who are far from these things, they are the blessed souls who
are able to cohere with the Goddess of Calmness and contentment. Here, we are reminded
of the lines from William Wordsworth’s poem Composed upon West Minister Bridge,
September 3 1802:

This city now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;

163
 Eliot also apperceives the sentiment of Santa from the deepest of his conscience.
Almost all if his works end with a note of Santa. He has witnessed modern man’s sufferings
and discontent as a part of it, and therefore the craving for eternal peace is one of the most
straight forward expressions in his plays. The very beginning of Murder in the Cathedral
raises the question:

What peace can be found

To grow between the hammer and the anvil? (Eliot, 26/ 78-79)

Though the question is troublesome in nature, instead of a soothing one to be known

as an expression of Santa Rasa, it is very important as it leads the readers to the final
essence of Santa Rasa in the end of the play.

There is a sharp question put up by the first priest at the entry of the Messenger:

But again, is it war or peace? (Eliot, 27/ 97)

And the messenger replies:
Peace, but not the kiss of peace
A patched up affair…. (Eliot, 27/ 98-99)

And then he adds:

I think that this peace

Is nothing like an end, or like a
Beginning. (Eliot, 27/ 102-103)

Man throughout his life strives for achieving this type of peace, which has neither
has a beginning nor an end; one which leads to eternal form of peace. Man works hard to
achieve such peace but he fails to realize that such eternal peace can be attained by
becoming one with peace. Thomas becket on his arrival speaks first of peace. He speaks
thus:

Peace. And let them be, in their exaltation.

They speak better than they know, and beyond your understanding.

164
 They know and do not know, what it is to act or suffer.

They know and do not know, that action is suffering

And suffering is action. Neither does the agent suffer

Nor the patient act. But both are fixed

In eternal action, an eternal patience. (Eliot, 32/ 206-212)

Becket knows that the women of Canterbury can anticipate the forthcoming events
and thus he tells the priests as well as the readers that though speech and worry of the
Women of Canterbury seem to be mere words, they reflect much more. Sancaribhava of
dhrti and vibodhata act here. The Archbishop has slight idea of the upcoming events and
he is very well prepared for the same. His conscience has accepted the ultimate truth of
life. When the tempters approach Becket, he confidently rejects the temptations offered to
him. He is slightly swayed away to the temptation of the fourth tempter as what is offered
was along lost desire of Becket’s soul. He was unable to decide at first but then makes up
his mind to stick to his chosen path. He ultimately realizes that martyrdom with the desire
of fame is not martyrdom in the true sense. He, thus, speaks of his realization:

Now my way is 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.

The natural vigour in the venial sin. (Eliot, 52/ 665-670)

The sancaribhava of nirveda is vigourously reflects in his words. The he has proved that
no temptation of the world can move him away from his path, the path of unconditional
and outright submission to the will God. His decision and increasing faith in God sparks in
the words:

I shall no longer act or suffer, to the sword’s end.

165
 Now my good Angel, whom God appoints

To be my guardian, hover over the swords’ points. (Eliot, 53/ 705-

707)

His firm determination not only strengthens the spirit of the priests and the chorus,
but also the spirits of the readers are also uplifted. The readers can console themselves on
the point that the Archbishop’s sacrifice will not be in vain. The sermon speech that Becket
delivers on the Christmas Morning, also bestows serenity and peace of mind to the readers.
His sermon reflects the true meaning and essence of peace:

Reflect now, how our Lord himself

Spoke of Peace. He said to His disciples,
‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give
Unto you…. (Eliot, 56/ 28-30)

And then he clarifies:

Not as the world gives, give I unto you.

So then, He gave to his disciples peace,
But not peace as the world gives. (Eliot, 56/ 39-41)

The misunderstanding that everyman makes between the peace of the God and the
peace of the mortal world, is the source of discontentment. To sum up in the words of the
four tempters:

Man’s life is a cheat and a

Disappointment;
All things are unreal,
Unreal or disappointing:
The Catherine wheel, the pantomime cat,
The prizes given at the children’s party,
The prizes awarded for the English Essay,
The scholar’s degree, the statesman’s

166
 Decoration.
All things become less real, man passes
From unreality to unreality.
This man is obstinate, blind, intent
On self-destruction,
Passing from deception to deception,
From grandeur to grandeur to final,
Illusion,
Lost in the wonder of his own greatness,
The enemy of society, enemy of himself. (Eliot, 50/ 603-618)

It is high time, Eliot seems to suggest through all these words that, the otherwise of
these words is real ‘peace’. The sacrifice that one makes for the benefit of many without
the desire of fame is the true essence of peace. The Archbishop is not moved when the
chorus and the priests announce the arrival of the knights. Becket maintains his calm and
peace of mind. His serenity is not disturbed even by the thought that he may have to face
death any moment. He tries to calm down the women of Canterbury by saying:

Peace, and be at peace with your thoughts and visions.

These things had to come to you and you accept them,

This is your share of the eternal burden,

The perpetual glory. This is one moment,

But know that another

Shall pierce you with a sudden painful joy. (Eliot, 75/ 245-250)

Becket explains that peace cannot be faked, it comes from within and for complete
peace, certain circumstances and situations need to be accepted as they come. Thomas
break the cinta, moha and vitarka and leads the chorus towards nirveda.

When the knights and Thomas come face to face the knights threaten him with
words and swords which have no effect on Thomas. In contradiction to terror, serenity in

167
Thomas increases multifold. He capitulates to the will of God and declares it openly in the
words:

For my Lord I am now ready to die,

That his Church may have peace and liberty.

Do with me as you will, to your hurt and shame;

But none of my people, in God’s name,

Whether layman or clerk, shall you touch.

This I forbid. (Eliot, 81/ 380-385)

The sancaribhava of nirveda is felt at its paramount in these words of Thomas

Becket. Thomas proves that neither words nor swords can deviate a mind that is
consecrated to the Lord Almighty. But man is so indulged in materialistic concerns, that
he never comes across the perennial path that leads to peace. What men can do at the most
is beautifully and poignantly presented by Eliot in the end of the play:

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Blessed Thomas, pray for us. (Eliot, 92/ 647-650)

Peace can be attained through prayers and blessings of the saints. It is reflected that
the modern man needs to talk about his pains, sufferings and discontentment to attain a
state of peace physically, mentally and soulfully. The vyabhicarins like Trasa (Fright),
Avega (Agitation), Glani (Disgust), Dainya (Depression), Chinta (Anxiety), Moha
(Silliness), Visada (Despondency), Vitarka (Dubiouness) and ultimately a state of Mati
(Determination), all together end the human pursuit of santa rasa. In the modern works,
santa rasa is not derived from its intrinsic sthayibhava – Nirveda, rather it is derived
through the realization of absence of tranquility in the lives of the modern man. It is a trait
of modern man to relish and desire for the things that are absent from his life.

168
Presence of Overlapping Rasas

Murder in the Cathedral is a complex combination of events of history and modern society.
As rightly pointed out by Moody,

Murder in the Cathedral might be thought to represent a different

simplification again, when Eliot summarizes it as follows, “A man comes
home, forseeing that he will be killed, and he is killed”. (On Poetry and
Poets [London: Faber & Faber; New York: Farrar, Strauss and Cudahy,
1957], pp. 80). At a stroke the poet-Ibsenite drama of “ideas” is compressed
into something more dangerous; a single action, inside which power is
coiled as it might be in an electrical circuit. (159)

Though it seems to be a simple story of an Archbishop, who revolted against the

ways of the King, but it is more complex as it involves commoners, knights with powers
and the murder occurs at a pious place i.e. inside the cathedral. There are instances where
the readers can feel the presence of more than one rasa at the same time. The play begins
with anxieties that the women of Canterbury experience with the news of the return of the
Archbishop They say:

He who was always kind to his people.

But it would not be well if he should return. (Eliot, 24/ 20-21)

Here the readers can feel srngara and bhayanak rasas simultaneously. The women are
happy to hear about the return of their beloved Archbishop and they also fear the
consequences that might fall upon their beloved Archbishop.

Such simultaneous rasas are experience in the speech of the knights, who they challenged
Becket to confront them. They speak thus:

Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?

Are you marked with the mark of the beast?
Come down Daniel to the lions’ den,
Come down Daniel and join in the feast.
Where is Becket the Cheapside brat?

169
 Where is Becket the faithless priest?
Come down Daniel to the lions’ den,
Come down Daniel and join in the feast. (Eliot, 80/ 357-364)

The first two lines generate Bibhatsa Rasa and the rest of them Bhayanaka Rasa,
while Raudra Rasa and Vir Rasa are found in the entire passage. This combination keeps
the readers conjoined with play.

There is a complex combination of karuna and shant rasa. It astonishes the readers
that how can one feel sad and content at the same time. Eliot successfully produces such
situations that both the contrasting feeling are experience by the characters and the readers
almost simultaneously. To quote an example:

We did not wish anything to happen,

We understood the private catastrophe,
The personal loss, the general misery,
Living and partly living. (Eliot, 82/ 404-407)

The women of Canterbury had never wished for a catastrophe to happen to their
beloved Archbishop, yet they stood there as mere spectators unable to stop the sorrowful
event from taking place. They had guessed of the event from the very beginning, but they
also admit that it was because of Becket that they turned towards rejuvenating their faith
in God. The play ends on the note of this complex combination of Karuna and Shant rasa
leave the readers in a state starting from shoka and attaining nirveda. To quote the lines:

Clear the air! Clean the sky!

Wash the wind! Take stone from stone and wash them
A rain of blood has blinded my eyes
Where is England?
Where is Kent?
Where is Canterbury? (Eliot, 82/ 397 & 399)

170
 With these lines the play comes to an end and, so does the journey of the readers.
Moving through the ups and downs, from materialistic desires to spirituality and firm
determination, the readers are re-energized and their faith in humanity is rejuvenated.
These combinations, instead of becoming hurdles and hindrances, aid to emphasize that
fact that, though things end badly in some cases, it is truth and faith in God that stands
undefeated.

Conclusion

Murder in the Cathedral is considered to be the drama that laid the foundation to
the revival of poetic drama. Subhas Sarkar points out that,

Murder in the Cathedral, Eliot’s first successful attempt at poetic drama,

admirably illustrates the playwright’s effective use of myth and ritual as
‘Objective Correlative’ in the play which conforms to his technique of the
Formalist-Realist synthesis. (87)

He further appreciates the way Eliot treats the subject that he has selected for the
play by saying,

A queer amalgam of Greek and Christian ideas as manifest in the ritual of

Becket’s martyrdom – his acceptance of death, and almost the attic
representation of the Choric utterances and the broad outline of the plot
offer a structure of emotions which appeal both to the religious people as
well as the secular audience of the commercial theatre. This undoubtedly
accounts for the remarkable stage success of the play. (88)

Murder in the Cathedral revolves around people from the various strata of the
society – commoners like the women of Canterbury, religious persona like the Archbishop
and the three priests, power possessors like the king and the knights. Emotions flood in the
play right from the beginning to the end through the mouths of the women of Canterbury
who connect the events and characters of the play with the readers in a common bond.

Murder in the Cathedral is a complete feast – it has all the nine rasas, either in
minor or major forms. It is a carbon copy of life because life is a moving event not a

171
stagnant one, which has the flavors of happiness, sadness, comedy, anger, disgust, love all
baked into a perfect blend resulting into a delicious treat.

172
Works Cited:

Abraham, Father. A Review of English Literature. ABD Publishers, Jaipur. 2007.

Print.

Browne, E. Martin. The Making of T.S Eliot's Plays. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1969. Print.

Coghill, Nicholl. Introduction. Murder in the Cathedral, by T. S Eliot, 1963, Oxford

University Press, New York, pp. 9-20. Print.

Cohen, Cynthia E. A Poetics of Reconcillation: The Aesthetic Mediation of Conflict.

Durham: University of New Hampshire, 1997. Web. < https://
www.brandeis.edu/ethics/peacebuildingarts/pdfs/poetics.pdf>

Eliot, T.S. Murder in the Cathedral. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1963. Print.

Sarkar, Subhas. T. S Eliot The Dramatist. Calcutta: The Minerva Associates, 1972.
Print.

173