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Critical Analysis Of The Cocktail Party

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The Cocktail Party The Cocktail party (1949) is a drama of an estranged couple, Edward Chamberlayne and Lavinia Chamberlayne, due to their infidelity, incompatibility and mutual deceit. The husband has an extra-marital relationship with a society girl named Celia Copplestone. The wife has a similar relationship with an upcoming writer Peter Quilpe. Lavinia's young lover defects and begins to love Celia. Lavinia becomes upset and consults a psychiatrist who advises her to disappear on a day for which the couple is to host a Cocktail Party. The play begins at this point. The psychiatrist. Sir Henry HarcourtReilly along with two of his accomplices Alexander MaColgie Gibbs and Mrs Julia rehabilitate their lives. The couples are made to realise …show more content…

Modern Greeks do not practice their ancient religion; yet they, especially women, believe that Alcestis is a goddess who can bring tranquillity and happiness in their married life. Thus Alcestis myth has continued to attract artists. Eliot too is fascinated by it. The Cocktail Party is a successful drama because it consciously helps the modern man to protect our most ancient values and institutions namely house and marriage. And it also tells about age old value of welfare of society by spiritually well developed elders, and their knowledge of meaning of life and how it must be lived happily according to our potentiality. It will be timely to begin with the cotemporary conditions that are harmful to persons, family and house. Industrialisation, liberalisation and globalisation have made men to migrate to cities in search of jobs. City men never kept to a single job or place; they move quite often in pursuit of better job. Commuting, travelling and relocating have become their second nature. Such persons never make acquaintance with their neighbours. Persons moved frequently 177 and neighbours remained strangers to them. Thus these persons severe their relationship with the society. This phenomenon is called alienation. With rapid industrialisation, countries are plagued by chronic and degenerative diseases which may be called as diseases of civilisation' ."^ They are principle killer diseases like heart diseases,

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