HBritLit - Murder in the Cathedral (Part I)

Where and when is the scene for Part One of Murder in the Cathedral set?

Archbishop's Hall; December 2nd, 1170

According to the information in the opening monologue, how many years have passed since the Archbishop has left Cantebury?

7

What does the Chorus claim is their purpose in the action of the play?

to "wait and witness"

What ruler of England does the Second Priest refer to as "the stubborn King?"

Henry II

What does the Third Priest see in "the art of temporal government?"

violence, duplicity, and frequent malversation

What important message does the Messenger convey to the Priests?

the Archbishop is in England, and is close outside the city

What are the priests eager to know once the Messenger has delivered his initial message?

if the Archbishop and King have made up yet/found peace

What metaphor does the Third Priest use to compare the relationship between the King and the Archbishop?

"the hammer and the anvil"

After the first scene featuring the three Priests, the Chorus speaks again. What do they wish the Archbishop to do?

return to France

According to the Chorus, what does the Archbishop bring into Canterbury?

death

How does the chorus define its time in Canterbury since the Archbishop left seven years previous?

gone on living quietly

What does the Second Priest compare the women of Canterbury to?

"croaking frogs in the tree tops"

What is the first idea that Becket relates to his audience and what does he insist that the Chorus "know and do not know?"

suffering ("to act is suffering, suffering is to act")

Who are the first two characters who speak of "the wheel" on separate occasions?

Becket and the Third Priest

What is the first action that the Second Priest wants to take to welcome the Archbishop back to Canterbury?

have fires laid out in all his rooms

Who does Becket say may have intercepted his letters and planned his demise?

rebellious bishops

Who does Becket say saved him from the wrath of his enemies?

God's grace; Broc, Warenne, and the Sheriff of Kent

What does the First Tempter tell Becket he remembers?

"all the good time past"

What, according to the First Tempter, "should be more than biting Time can sever?"

friendship

"The wheel" is spoken of time and time again. In one instance Becket says that "Only the fool, fixed in his folly, may think he can turn the wheel on which he turns." What is the idea of a wheel supposed to symbolize?

fate

What does the First Tempter predict for Becket if he does not "leave well alone?"

his demise ("his goose will be cooked and eaten to the bone")

What position did Becket resign when he was made Archbishop?

chancellor

What is it that the Second Tempter offers Becket?

his old position back

How does the Fourth Tempter claim Beckett can have ultimate glory and power over the King of England?

become a martyr

Why is the fourth visitor the most successful Tempter?

he appealed to Becket's political and religious views

According to the Four Tempters, what is man's life?

a cheat and disappointment

What does Becket believe to be the last temptation and what he fears most?

to do the right thing for the wrong reason