The Waste Land – TS Eliot – A Game of Chess

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If you are unfamiliar with The Waste Land you may like to hear it read by Eliot himself.

The first stanza of A Game of Chess compares to the Greek tale of Philomel, an Athenian Princess, raped by her companion Tereus who cut out her tongue so that she would never tell. Sources write of Philomel transforming into a nightingale. Ornithological textbooks often describe the nightingale song as ‘jug jug’ which Eliot then inserts into the poem as ‘’jug, jug ‘‘to dirty ears.’ I think what the poet is trying to say is that all the common people can make of the nightingale song is ‘jug, jug’ – a call for water or spiritual enlightenment.

Eliot was inspired to use the Philomena myth by Ezra Pound who also used it in his Cantos. It is a powerful metaphor open to numerous interpretations.

The neurotic dialogue of the next stanza, ‘My nerves are bad tonight…speak to me. Why do you never speak? ‘May reflect Eliot’s own nervous disorder for which he was given a period of convalescent leave. The speaker is desperate for conversation, for a response and knowledge and yet all she receives is a couple of apathetic ‘nothing’s. She is eager for something to do and yet the only things available are mundane events like ‘hot water at ten’ and ‘a closed car at four.’

The chess that they are going to play could be a metaphor for life as a meaningless game. Two people just going through the motions. We can really feel the influence of Dante’s Limbo.

Next we come to Lil and her friend talking in a pub of her husband Albert’s return from the War. No coincidence I think that Lil is short for Lilith the first wife of Adam who, according to Jewish folklore would not comply with his desires.

Lil has rotten teeth which she refuses to replace in the hope that her husband will leave her alone and thus she can avoid more abortions. The friend cannot understand why she got married if she does not want children. That is a valid point and yet the theme running through this text is that of infertility and the loss of desire to procreate.

Amongst this barren Wasteland there are echoes of bygone classic literature. The scene I have just discussed finishes with Hamlet’s, ‘…goodnight, sweet ladies, goodnight.’ In contrast to the ‘HURRY UP PLEASE IT’S TIME.’ of the bar tender and the various ‘goodnight’s of the cockney drinkers. Here is a melding of past and present, culture and uncultured according to Eliot.

 References:

The Waste Land – TS Eliot

L’Inferno – Dante

Further reading:

The Waste Land – TS Eliot – An Introductory Overview and First Insight

http://bookstove.com/book-talk/the-waste-land-t-s-eliot-an-introductory-overview-and-first-insight/

The Waste Land – TS Eliot - The Burial of the Dead

http://bookstove.com/book-talk/the-waste-land-ts-eliot-burial-of-the-dead/

The Waste Land – TS Eliot – A Game of Chess

http://socyberty.com/history/ts-eliot-the-waste-land-a-game-of-chess/

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www.magicquillcreativewritingcollection.com