Analysis Of Thomas Becket In Murder In The Cathedral

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As people mature, they figure out that what they once did for fame or popularity isn’t as meaningful as the things they did that they true believed in. Thomas Becket in T.S Eliot’s classic, Murder In The Cathedral, is a perfect example of that. Becket’s moral compass advances as he realizes his former intentions for coming back to England are deluged in pride and glory. Even though Becket starts out as a vainglorious priest with only sainthood on his mind, he recognizes his wrongdoings, matures morally, and dies for the right reasons. Becket’s actions are correct, but they lack the right intentions. When Becket returns to England, he is confronted by four tempters. Three of them are sent by the king, offering things such as materialistic goods, …show more content…

When Becket hears that the knights are coming back to kill him, Becket tells the other priests, “Death will only come when I am worthy / And if I am worthy, there is no danger” (69). When Becket says this, he means that if he is to be killed and die a martyr, it is in God’s will and fated to happen, so there should be nothing to fear because he will be with God soon. It also shows that Becket is going to die a believer and that he has put full trust in God and God’s plan. When the knights reach the cathedral, Becket tells the other priests to, “Unbar the doors! throw open the doors!” (73). Because the knights want to enter the cathedral with the intent to kill Becket, it becomes fully apparent that it is a part of God’s will for Becket to be a martyr. Knowing that this is part of God’s plan for him, Becket doesn’t try to hide and save his own life, he looks his soon-to-be-murderers in the eye and faces them head-on. Right before Becket gets stabbed to death, he makes one final request: “...none of my people, in God’s name, / Whether layman or clerk, shall you touch” (76). Becket’s final request shows that he truly believes in the cause he is giving his life for. He asks for prosperity in the Church and an end to the struggle for power between the Church and state. Becket ultimately dies a Christian and a deserving

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