Eliot’s first drama was The Rock (1934), a pageant play. Then came Murder in the Cathedral (1935), followed by plays such as The Family Reunion (1939) and The Cocktail Party (1950). Eliot was also the editor of the publishing house Faber & Faber, and a major literary critic whose essays shaped two generations of scholars. By turning to the past in his poetry, drama, and criticism, Eliot defined the literary taste of the twentieth century. In Murder in the Cathedral, Eliot tells a story from the past in a style of the past to illuminate the brutality of his own 1930s world.
Henry II vs. Becket: A historical overview. Murder in the Cathedral is a play based on the real-life historical conflict between King Henry II of England and Archbishop Thomas Becket. Becket had risen from lowly origins to become King Henry’s close friend, loyal servant, advisor and ambassador. In 1154 Henry appointed Becket to the post of chancellor, arguably the most powerful secular post in England. King Henry (reigned 1154-89) was trying to consolidate England into a nation at the time, which involved his regaining control over its Catholic Church.
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