Becket Essay

Diptychs like the Becket Diptych would have been popular in private worship. Their small size allowed them to be easily transported. The evidence of a hinge on the left side of the panel tells us it could have been closed and then opened, making it even better for travel. The intricate carvings invited close examination of the figures and thus inspired contemplation. The expensive material meant that only someone of the elite could afford such an object. Diptychs like this would be used for personal

In the play, Becket, by Jean Anouilh, it is evident that Thomas Becket’s honor does not lie with King Henry nor with God, but rather within his heritage as a Saxon. In the beginning of the play, characters question Becket’s devotion to the King. What motives does Becket have for serving the King so dutifully? Henry believes that Becket and him are just good friends, but other characters begin to question Becket’s motives. Did Becket really use the King in order to get in a position of power? What

Position: Thomas Becket actively sought to become a martyr by setting up the perfect murder after following a step-by-step the process to become holy so that he could obtain glory after death. Becket becoming Archbishop plays a key role in his martyrdom for below the obvious guise that one must be part of the clergy lies the true reason: being delegated Archbishop introduces Thomas to God. Thomas himself has said that before he came to be appointed he was not a religious person, yet he ensnares

to suffer and die quietly than to be caught up in a feud with the King, “I fear for the Archbishop, I fear for the Church” (Eliot 17). Indeed, the return of Archbishop Thomas Becket signifies the resurrection of political upheaval and enmity between these two sides of leadership, and the priests become apprehensive of Beckets return (Cedars). The play is evident of central themes that reveal the political thinking of T.S. Eliot. The play seamlessly connects the past with the present revealing the

praises and condemns characters for their unique qualities. Chaucer further gives us feedback of what actions the characters are taking in their lives. Many of the pilgrims are headed off to Canterbury, to worship the relics of Saint Thomas Becket. Thomas Becket was murdered by his friend King Henry and soon Canterbury became a pilgrimage site for people to pray for their healings. As for Chaucer, he observed both high and lower social class to get a

During the Middle Ages, the English church’s suggestions were spoken by God’s own voice. The Church encouraged pilgrimages to various holy places, or shrines, to search for spiritual enlightenment and penitence from sin. This ideology says that if one were to pray at a shrine, one could be forgiven of one’s sins, thus increasing the chance of going to Heaven after an earthly death. Those suffering from a plethora of aliments and other illnesses might also make a pilgrimage in the hope of being healed

London is iconic for many things Big Ben, red telephone booths, double decker buses, and Tower Bridge. Built in 1884, Tower Bridge a staple of London. Pryor to the building of Tower Bridge, London Bridge was the only way to cross the Thames river. By the nineteenth century, the population of London had grown much too large for one bridge, however there was a challenge as to how to build the bridge without disrupting river traffic. In 1876 a “Special Bridge Committee” was formed to oversee the designing

The Bruce Invasion, initiated by Robert Bruce, king of Scotland, and enacted on by his brother Edward Bruce, was a way for Scotland to secure resources and troops from Ireland. At the time, Ireland was giving resources over to England. Meanwhile, England and Scotland were at war with one another. Ireland was just a proxy for these two other sides to gain something, whether it be resources, political ally ship, or troops to fight off the other force’s army. The Bruce invasion of Ireland was less about

quietly, then around 1118 a boy named Thomas a Becket was born. Not much is known about his early life, but he eventually became chancellor, or secretary, for King Henry II of England. They grew to be close comrades. Amy Miller, a Junior Scholastic writer for New York, in the article “The Murder of St. Thomas a Becket” published in Scholastic Inc., explains, “Henry and Becket became close friends. They often hunted together, and the king gave Becket expensive gifts. Henry enjoyed his chancellor's

the most religious figure in England (“Canterbury Cathedral”). The Canterbury Cathedral, located in Canterbury, Kent, is not only one of the most famous and oldest Christian buildings in England, but is popular for the history and murder of Thomas Becket. During 597 AD, St. Augustine was given a church in England by Pope Gregory to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity after he came from Rome as a missionary (“Faiella 62”). This church would be further recognized as the Canterbury Cathedral. Within