The Love Song of J

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” By T.S. Eliot Completed Graphic Organizer

Personality Traits Observations Internal Conflicts Insecure Feelings of Inadequacy He compares his life to hell He is afraid to express romantic feelings or Afraid of Change Mentally Unstable He described the city as smoky, interest in women Easily Intimidated Sexually deprived etherized, polluted, dirty, and poor He is afraid to make the changes necessary to Lonely and Isolated “one nighter’s” better himself

Allusions: 1. Dante’s Inferno – Everyone is trapped in the hell of modernity. 2. Michel Angelo – The women are intelligent, well educated, and intimidating. Prufrock is afraid to speak to them or profess his interest. 3. Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” – There are two allusions to this poem in Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” The first is when Eliot writes: “There will be time … ” He is referring to Marvell’s urging of his Mistress to “seize the day” in terms of their affair. Prufrock uses this to poke fun at the romantic poets and himself by insinuating that their will be time for him to try to express his feelings and then be rejected, not loved by a mistress. 4. Hesiod’s “Works and Days” – Poem about farming, meant to be instructional, promoted hard work. Eliot has Prufrock use it to compare courting someone or cultivating a relationship to hard work, only his hard work will prove to be infertile. 5. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – Noting that there is a time for everything in life, but mostly emphasizes that modern life is bleak and there is little hope for a person to find fulfillment in love and life. 6. Hamlet – There are two references to Hamlet. The first is the crab scuttling across the ocean floor. This is meant to leave the reader feeling isolated, lonely, and lost in a sea of troubles. The second image is from the famous scene with Horatio digging Cornelia’s grave and finding Yorick’s skull. Eliot means to have Prufrock compare himself first with a prince, then with an attendant Lord, and then with a court jester – someone ridiculous that no one should really take seriously. 7. John the Baptist – Has his head cut off as a prize for Salome, Herod’s Queen’s daughter. In the Bible (Matthew 14), it states that Herod imprisoned John the Baptist for preaching the coming of the Mesiah or new King. Herod does not execute John because he is too popular with the people. Salome dances for Herod and he is so impressed that he claims he will give her whatever she would like. Salome’s mother tells her to ask for the prophet’s head. Salome obeys her mother and gets her wish. Herod is too proud to go back on his word and John the Baptist is beheaded for sport. Prufrock says he has had his head on the platter like John the Baptist, insinuating that he, while being no prophet, has also been beheaded for sport. 8. The Eternal Footman – Death is alluded to here or the thing that comes to help a person cross over into the netherworld. He is snickering at Prufrock along with everyone else. 9. Lazarus – There are two figures named Lazarus in the New Testament and Eliot uses both stories in this allusion. The first is the most commonly known story of Jesus raising Lazarus, brother of his friends Martha and Mary, from the dead. The second story is about a parable in the Bible that mentions a leprous beggar named Lazarus and a wealthy man named Dives. Lazarus dies and he goes to heaven. Dives dies and goes to hell. He petitions to go back to earth to warn his brothers of the dangers of hell, but is denied. 10. Attendant Lord – This is a reference to Polonius, another character from Hamlet. Polonius is a boot-licking mal-intentioned fiend who says only what is necessary for his own self advancement. He is also accused of being obtuse – meaning he uses too many words to say something that could be stated in one line. Prufrock claims he is like Polonius in that he is self-interested and he is too wordy or obtuse. 11. The fool or Yorick, the court jester – (see Hamlet as well) A character that portrays himself in a ridiculous way to please an audience. Prufrock goes from comparing himself to a lordly prince, to a self-serving lord, and then demotes himself to a court jester – very self-deprecating. 12. Mermaids or Sirens – Probably an allusion to Homer’s Odyssey when Odysseus’s ship is attacked by sirens. Sirens are known to lure men out to sea and then drown them.