2015ROLL NO.: 3014101029

USE OF MYTHS IN ‘THE WASTE LAND’

• Thomas Stearns Eliot born on 26 September 1888 and died on 4 January 1965.

• He was an essayist, publisher, playwright, literary and social critic, and "one of the twentieth century's major poets".

• Eliot's poem loosely follows the legend of the Holy Grail and the Fisher King combined with vignettes of contemporary British society.

• He used literary and cultural allusions.

T. S. ELIOT

WHAT IS MYTH?

A traditional story, especially one concerning the early

history of a people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically

involving supernatural beings or events.

Holy Grail Sibyl Tiresias Phlebas

The fisher king

Vegetation

Phelomila

Tristan and

Isolde

MYTHS IN THE WASTE LAND

• Sibyl, a woman with prophetic power who ages but never dies looks at the future and proclaims that she only wants to die

“I want to die”• She typifies, the time woven

soul’s desire to escape from the ‘ wheel’ of thing. (nirvana, moksha, salvation)

• The sibyl’s predicament mirror what Eliot see as his own : he lives in a culture that has decayed and withered but will not expire and be is forced to live with reminders of its former glory.

SIBYL

• These vegetation myth based on nature, particularly on the cycle of season.

Poem start with “ April is the cruelest month, breeding” Winter – Death• April - Re-Birth • Rain - Life

VEGETATION

LifeDeath

Re-birth

• Two lovers.• Tristan, nephew of king

Mark Cornwall and he is a symbol of honest, virtue, brave and strong.

• The king of Ireland sent a champion named Morholt, to demand tribute from Cornwall.

• Isolde healed Tristan and he return and in front of king Mark he praise so king resolve to marry her.

TRISTAN AND ISOLDE

• The medieval waste land of the fisher king, a myth which is closely related with the grail legend. In this waste land soldier of king fisher ravished the nun of the chapels perilous said to contain the holy grail and because of that king became important and his land suffered from famine.

• The impotency of the fisher king was reflected sympathetically in the land of which he was the head and ruler. It has become dry and barren the haunt and home of want and famine one day the knight of the pure soul came and solve riddle.

• The sick king symbolises the sick humanity

THE FISHER KING

• Two sister.• Tereus is a husband of

Procne, and he seduce Philomela and cut out her tongue to silence her.

• Philomela embroider story into cloth and which she sent to her sister.

• Itylus, son serve fresh to her husband.

• Tereus try to killed them but God change in to bird.

PHILOMELA AND PROCNE

• Tiresias is a son of shepherd, seven year blind transfer in to women by Hera.

• Tiresias is represented as a bi-sexual in the wasteland as he was blind but he has the gift of prophecy and immorality.

• Tiresias a figure from classical mythology who was both male and female features and is blind but can SEE in to the future.

TIRESIAS

• The character phlebas the Phoenician,  sailor who dies by drowning.

• Symbolizes the chance of renewal in the waste land.

• Phlebas is an example of a lack of spirituality, self ego and what becomes of those who waste themselves.

PHLEBAS

• The holy Grail (cup of dish)legend is associated with the king Arthur and his knight of the round table.

• The holy was used by Christ for his last supper in that cup the blood of the savior was gathered when he was crucified.

• Grail was originally connected with the fertility myth as it witnessed by its sexual symbol but letter on it suffered a sea- change through its association with Christ.

• The waste land mainly throws light on the disillusionment and spiritual dryness of the post – war generation.

THE HOLY GRAIL