The Cocktail Party – T.S.Eliot Essay, Research Paper

Eliot is considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. His works have been admired greatly. In his play “The Cocktail Party”, Eliot’s focus of attention is on what he calls ‘the malady of the 20th century people’.He explores the various aspects of people’s lives concentrating on their frivolity & pettiness in particular.He also explores 2 kinds of love that are not necessarily better than the other but are equally important to society ; that of romantic love & supernatural love.

The romantic love ie the relationship between edward & lavinia is explored in great deatil & the first scene of act 1 introduces them to the audience.

Throughout the play, Eliot very subtly, tells us about how callous and petty the people of high society England were at that time.All of his plays were genearlly watched by the upper class rather than the middle class as they could realte to them better.

Through celia, eliot explores a kind of love that is very rare. It is one of total & complete selflessness and unconditional love for every human being. He portrays Celia as a martyr who is almost always misunderstood and is seeking some sort of direction in life which Reilly and the other guardians help her in finding. The guardians also play a very important role in the play besides Celia, Edward & Lavinia. They are the ones who symbolise a church within a church and go about helping their friends in their soul-searching.

Eliot has always been known as an author/poet of hope & not despair though most of his works revolve around the shallowness & emptiness of human lives. He always gives us some hope towards the end and that is what m akes him one of the greatest critics of all time.