The Temptations of Thomas Beck
The four temptations faced by Thomas Becket in T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral are meant to resemble the temptations of Christ in St. Matthew's Gospel. As He was fasting in the desert, Jesus was visited by the devil, who tempted him three times. First, Satan asked Jesus to feed himself by turning stones into bread. Second, he told Jesus to throw himself down from the temple, so that, when He was rescued by angels, He could be glorified by the people. Christ's last temptation was to worship the devil in return for great worldly power. Jesus rejected all three temptations, saying, "Be gone, Satan, for it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord, your God, and Him only shall you serve.'" At these words, the devil vanished, and angels came to minister to Jesus. The first temptation to Thomas Becket was to forgive King Henry his sins and make peace with him. "You were not used to be so hard upon sinners," the Tempter reminds Thomas. He also recalls Becket's long friendship with King Henry. "Remember the good times when you and Henry were friends." He even goes so far as to threaten the Archbishop if he does not allow the King to do what he wants. "Leave well alone, or your goose ma
Becket's fourth temptation is to allow King Henry to martyr him, because he would be more powerful in death than the King is in life. The words the fourth visitor uses suggest that perhaps this Tempter is Satan himself, who is trying to succeed in trapping Thomas after three mortal men have failed. "Well done, Thomas," he says, "your will is hard to bend. And with me beside you, you shall not lack a friend." He never tells Thomas to do anything, but keeps reminding him that this (that is, martyrdom) is what Thomas really wants. "But think, Thomas, think of glory after death. When a King is dead, there is another King. Kings are forgotten, Saints and Martyrs rule from the tomb." Becket realizes that if he accepts martyrdom for the reasons the devil has given, he would be making a terrible mistake. " Now is my way clear, now is the meaning plain: Temptation shall not come in this kind again. The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right deed for the wrong reason." This fourth temptation is the hardest to recognize and resist for two reasons. First, to die for his faith would be, for the Archbishop, a brave and noble thing. It is the teaching of the Church that one who is martyred would go straight to heaven. Second, if he allows the King to put him to death, Thomas would not have to act at all. The King would take part in his own undoing. y be cooked and eaten to the bone." Thomas resists this temptation to sacrifice his principles for the sake of King Henry, or his own safety,
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1029
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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