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selene_evenstar 's review for:
Murder in the Cathedral
by T.S. Eliot
An impactful play describing the events of the murder of Thomas Becket. I am uncertain about reviewing poetry, as I rarely read the genre and thus am more uninformed on what should be considered a masterpiece.
Still, I believe Eliot is capable of pulling at emotional heartstrings when needed, he keeps the plot concise and fast-paced, he knows when to slow down and when to speed up, he is able to clearly articulate the internal struggle of the Bishop - especially in the dialogues with the tempters. The act of the murder itself is almost insignificant, it is the fervent dialogues before it that bring the impact, and the chorus of women does a brilliant job of setting an ominous scene, almost like witches carrying ill tidings on the wind. The attempted justifications of the murderers in the end did little to make me sympathize with them - indeed, they were following order, as much as this is clear to everyone - but they could have gone about it in a less brutal and accusatory manner. Still, it added some perceived depth to the villain characters, something that can rarely be done in a 90-page play.
Still, I believe Eliot is capable of pulling at emotional heartstrings when needed, he keeps the plot concise and fast-paced, he knows when to slow down and when to speed up, he is able to clearly articulate the internal struggle of the Bishop - especially in the dialogues with the tempters. The act of the murder itself is almost insignificant, it is the fervent dialogues before it that bring the impact, and the chorus of women does a brilliant job of setting an ominous scene, almost like witches carrying ill tidings on the wind. The attempted justifications of the murderers in the end did little to make me sympathize with them - indeed, they were following order, as much as this is clear to everyone - but they could have gone about it in a less brutal and accusatory manner. Still, it added some perceived depth to the villain characters, something that can rarely be done in a 90-page play.