Free will, Dependency and Salvation in T. S. Eliot’s The Cocktail Party

Abstract

On the surface of T. S. Eliot’s The Cocktail Party, it seems to be a classical drama only significant to the spectators of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, from where the plot comes. But the closer analysis of the plot and its theme reveals the play to be a significant one for the modern wastelanders of the twentieth century living after the two devastating world wars. Some of the characters in the play resemble modern wastelanders and some Christ-figures and play important role in the play. They speak a language of twentieth century balancing their poetic dialogue but not twelfth century languages. And finally, the play is set implicitly in twentieth century environment despite its explicit religious setting. So, this play has significance in among the spectators of twentieth century.