Shakespeare's Wasteland

T.S. Eliot's most famous work, The Waste Land is one of the most famous works of modernism. Yet, Eliot draws from an author who defines classic literature. Within the Waste Land, no author's works are referenced more than those of William Shakespeare. Eliot either quotes or makes reference to Shakespeare's The Tempest, Antony and Cleopatra, and Hamlet in the poem's brief yet powerful sixteen pages.

The Tempest was believed to have been written in 1610 or 1611, when Shakespeare was writing The Winter's Tale. The play was first published in the first folio in 1623 along with thirty five additional works. The play itself revolves around Prospero, a magician of sorts, who has had his throne taken away. Prospero plays with the lives of people through the play. He leads three subplots. One involves love, another involves treachery, and the last beholds betrayal. The Tempest was not one of Shakespeare's more famous works until the mid eighteen hundreds, when it saw a brief revival. At the time Eliot wrote The Waste Land the play had more or less faded into the background in exchange for some of Shakespeare's more popular plays.

The date of Shakespeare's writing of Antony and Cleopatra is fuzzier than some of his other plays. It is believed that the play was written between 1603 and 1607. It, too, was published in the First Folio of 1623. The plot of Antony and Cleopatra is more of a history than The Tempest. This play focus on Marc Antony and Cleopatra, as one may deduce. This play is the first where Shakespeare shows a complex female character. He wrote her to break the stereotypes of the day, the first time he did so. This play was quite popular when T.S. Eliot was writing and would have been something he wouldn't have had to search far to find.

The final play mentioned by Eliot in his poem was the most famous of the three, Hamlet. Luckily enough, we have just completed this play in my Shakespeare class so it's history is easy to remember. Hamlet is a story of contradictory actions, familiar betrayal, and insanity. The play believed to have been written in 1602 and has widely been acknowledged as one of Shakespeare's most famous works. It was still famous when Shakespeare died and when Eliot was writing The Waste Land.

Each of these works played a subtle part in Eliot's most famous work. The first mentioned, The Tempest, has what can be called the most direct quoted line. In chapter one, the line "Those are pearls that were in his eyes," line 47, is taken directly from the text. It is a referrence from Ariel's song. Ariel was the tempest. The next Shakespearian reference is the Antony and Cleopatra one. It comes in chapter two, line one, "like a burnished throne." It is another direct quote, except this one is a partial text. It is not the complete line but rather a mention in passing, referring to Cleopatra herself. The final Shakespearian play discussed that holds mention in The Waste Land is the one of Hamlet, coming again in chapter two, line 172. The repeating of "Good night, ladies" comes from Ophelia, Hamlet's once lover, before her death. It is used in this case as well to represent death but one of a much more vulgar sort.

It is clear that Shakespeare played a role in Eliot's The Waste Land. It isn't until we look into the texts referenced by the poet do we see just how drastic of a difference the works made. Eliot used the plays as subtle clues into the true meaning of his cryptic play. Like a puzzle, they all fit together once we see the bigger picture.


Works Cited
http://poetry.suite101.com/article.cfm/the-waste-land-and-anthony-and-cleopatra
http://poetry.suite101.com/article.cfm/the-waste-land-and-hamlet
http://poetry.suite101.com/article.cfm/the-waste-land-and-the-tempest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tempest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_and_Cleopatra