to go to Lesson 2.
San Diego Opera’s Department of Education and Outreach
Murder in the Cathedral Study Guide 2013
h i gh s c hoo l
l esso n 2: Is Archbishop Thomas Becket’s character from the opera Murder in the Cathedral a Tragic Hero? Background
In 1935, the poet T. S. Eliot was commissioned to write a play based on the famous 12th century story of the murder of Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket. The play, Murder in the Cathedral, was staged as part of the Canterbury Festival. In 1958 an Italian opera composed by Ildebrando Pizzetti, based on Murder in the Cathedral, had its world premiere at La Scala, in Italy.
I think the meaning of heroism has a lot to do with evolving into a higher human being. Oliver Stone, Filmmaker
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
In our last lesson we analyzed qualities of The Tragic Hero and applied elements of The Tragic Hero to characters from plays by Sophocles and Shakespeare and an enigmatic character from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series. Now, let’s take a look at the story of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the opera Murder in the Cathedral and see how he compares.
VOCABULARY AND CONCEPTS
Martyr – someone who makes sacrifices for their beliefs and is ultimately willing to die for their beliefs. Chorus – a large group of singers in an opera. Their role is to provide exposition for the story, and respond to events as they unfold. Generally the chorus’ response is similar to the intended response from the audience. Historical Fiction – a genre of literature. Historical fiction uses actual events and characters from the past to create a story. However the artists who create historical fiction use Artistic License to develop the story for dramatic effect. Artistic License – the act of an artist to change, amplify or re-arrange elements of story to make the overall work of art stronger. High School Lesson 2 Page 1 of 2
LESSON
Read the synopsis and dialogue handout for Murder in the Cathedral. Then explore the elements of The Tragic Hero and complete the analysis handout. Compare it to our key and see how they line up!
CLICK HERE FOR
Murder in the Cathedral Plot synopsis and dialogue
CLICK HERE FOR
Murder in the Cathedral Student analysis Character: Thomas Becket
CLICK HERE FOR
Murder in the Cathedral Analysis Key
WRAP-UP
How did your analysis compare to ours? Did you find details about Thomas Becket as a Tragic Hero that we missed? It’s hard to imagine a catharsis when you only read about one. After you see the opera, ask yourself,” how did that opera make me feel?”
JUST IN CASE YOU ARE CURIOUS
What happened after Becket’s death? Becket was canonized a saint of the church within three years of his death. His assassination created a cult following for the Archbishop and Canterbury became a popular place for pilgrimages. In fact Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous book The Canterbury Tales is about a group of pilgrims going to Canterbury. King Henry II was publically punished by the Pope and forced to do public penance for the murder of Thomas Becket. The four knights sent by the King were not punished in England, but they were excommunicated by the Pope. The knights traveled to Rome to beg forgiveness from the Pope. The Pope agreed and forgave them in exchange for fourteen years of service fighting in the Crusades.
NEXT STEPS
When you go to see Murder in the Cathedral, watch the performer who is singing the role of Archbishop Thomas Becket. His name is Ferruccio Furlanetto. Look closely as you watch him perform. How does he deal with each of the other characters, especially the Tempters and the Knights? Will we see that Becket is conflicted? Will we know that he is frightened? When does he discover that he is going to die? We hope that you have a wonderful night at the opera!
High School Lesson 2 Page 2 of 2
Murder in the Cathedral Study Guide 2013
h i gh s c hoo l
l esso n 2: Is Archbishop Thomas Becket’s character from the opera Murder in the Cathedral a Tragic Hero? Background
In 1935, the poet T. S. Eliot was commissioned to write a play based on the famous 12th century story of the murder of Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket. The play, Murder in the Cathedral, was staged as part of the Canterbury Festival. In 1958 an Italian opera composed by Ildebrando Pizzetti, based on Murder in the Cathedral, had its world premiere at La Scala, in Italy.
I think the meaning of heroism has a lot to do with evolving into a higher human being. Oliver Stone, Filmmaker
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
In our last lesson we analyzed qualities of The Tragic Hero and applied elements of The Tragic Hero to characters from plays by Sophocles and Shakespeare and an enigmatic character from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series. Now, let’s take a look at the story of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the opera Murder in the Cathedral and see how he compares.
VOCABULARY AND CONCEPTS
Martyr – someone who makes sacrifices for their beliefs and is ultimately willing to die for their beliefs. Chorus – a large group of singers in an opera. Their role is to provide exposition for the story, and respond to events as they unfold. Generally the chorus’ response is similar to the intended response from the audience. Historical Fiction – a genre of literature. Historical fiction uses actual events and characters from the past to create a story. However the artists who create historical fiction use Artistic License to develop the story for dramatic effect. Artistic License – the act of an artist to change, amplify or re-arrange elements of story to make the overall work of art stronger. High School Lesson 2 Page 1 of 2
LESSON
Read the synopsis and dialogue handout for Murder in the Cathedral. Then explore the elements of The Tragic Hero and complete the analysis handout. Compare it to our key and see how they line up!
CLICK HERE FOR
Murder in the Cathedral Plot synopsis and dialogue
CLICK HERE FOR
Murder in the Cathedral Student analysis Character: Thomas Becket
CLICK HERE FOR
Murder in the Cathedral Analysis Key
WRAP-UP
How did your analysis compare to ours? Did you find details about Thomas Becket as a Tragic Hero that we missed? It’s hard to imagine a catharsis when you only read about one. After you see the opera, ask yourself,” how did that opera make me feel?”
JUST IN CASE YOU ARE CURIOUS
What happened after Becket’s death? Becket was canonized a saint of the church within three years of his death. His assassination created a cult following for the Archbishop and Canterbury became a popular place for pilgrimages. In fact Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous book The Canterbury Tales is about a group of pilgrims going to Canterbury. King Henry II was publically punished by the Pope and forced to do public penance for the murder of Thomas Becket. The four knights sent by the King were not punished in England, but they were excommunicated by the Pope. The knights traveled to Rome to beg forgiveness from the Pope. The Pope agreed and forgave them in exchange for fourteen years of service fighting in the Crusades.
NEXT STEPS
When you go to see Murder in the Cathedral, watch the performer who is singing the role of Archbishop Thomas Becket. His name is Ferruccio Furlanetto. Look closely as you watch him perform. How does he deal with each of the other characters, especially the Tempters and the Knights? Will we see that Becket is conflicted? Will we know that he is frightened? When does he discover that he is going to die? We hope that you have a wonderful night at the opera!
High School Lesson 2 Page 2 of 2
