Mythology as the Source of Imagery in T. S. Elliot's The Wasteland

The Wasteland was a famous poem from 20 centuries that was written by Eliot T.S. According to Eliot every poet takes ideas from his role models and transform them into something new. In the Wasteland the concept of intertextuality appears in themes of death, tragic love and violence. This paper argues how Eliot uses intertextuality to link different characters and the use of mythological ideas in a new form. Eliot wanted his poem to be modern by including historical, mythological and literary ideas in a new form. From reading the poem Eliot has identified history as a large quantity of heritage, including myths, stories, religious views and literature. The wasteland is full of direct and indirect cultural effects shifting of scenarios, multiple voices and change in form sums up the state of modern consciousness. Eliot's poems are not only about the past, but also presents day events that have affected people today. Social moderasim is an experience in which all that is good melts into the atmosphere and thus indicates differences, uncertainty and danger. The Wasteland is the perfect example of modernistic work because there is barely any better flow throughout the poem.

Myths represent a vital supply for Eliot and play a vital role in conveyancing the themes of death, tragic love and violence within the Wasteland. Eliot explores the globe of ancient myths and chooses those that suit the topic matter of his literary work. Sometimes, he absorbs a precise myth and distributes it in his text. Different times, he transforms, changes and adds to that to serve the theme he intends to convey. One of the myths is The Fisher King, a character found within the legend of King arthur and also the holy grail. There are many versions of the story, however the fundamental parts centre around an old king who has been wounded in a way. Typically the wound is on his thigh where it is typically thought to symbolise sexual desire and therefore the lustful behaviour that Eliot was warning us against within the wasteland. The wound, however, is magic and it will not heal. To create matters worse, whereas the King remains unwell, his lands suffer, they become a wasteland. According to legend, solely a pure man will undertake a quest to heal the king, yet the King passes his time fishing till a fitly pure knight comes on to save him and his kingdom. By virtue of his purity, this knight, typically on a research for the holy grail. He manages to heal the King and so restore his lands to health. The parallel with the Wasteland is clear and the Fisher King is the central mention within the Wasteland. The idea that the world in which we current live in is a spiritual, emotional and cultural Wasteland and that mankind and the world can only be healed by purity and a religious re-awakening is clearly one of Eliot’s central messages in the poem.

Another myth is Phlebas the Phoenician who was a sailor who dies by drowning. He symbolizes the chance of renewal in the Wasteland. Phlebas is an example of lack of spirituality, self ego and what becomes of those who waste themselves.The Phoenician Sailor Phlebas and Eugenides, have a similar symbolic character, who is associated with Shakespeare's play The Tempest.Within the Tempest, Ariel’s song to the shipwrecked Ferdinand, is concerning the drowning of Ferdinand’s father, Alonso. The Waste Land has several references concerning The Tempest, the drowning of Alicia Alonso and Ferdinand is seen as their purification by water, therefore Eliot was affected by the perspective or the reader that the suffering is modified into art. Since drowning is done by water, this leads to purification. Water plays various roles within the literary work and is the symbol of purification, baptism, refreshment, and growth. The main purpose of this short section is to rebut ideas of renewal and regeneration. Phlebas simply dies, that’s it. Like Stetson’s clay within the first section, Phlebas body yields nothing more than a product of decay. First, this section fulfills one among the prophecies of Madame Sosostris within the poem’s first section “Fear death by water,” she says this when she pulls the card of the drowned Sailor. This section also mimics other literature form in its language and form, that are usually wealthy in meaning. These two options counsel that one thing of nice significance lies here. Phlebas isn't resurrected or transfigured. Eliot further emphasizes Phlebas dried up antiquity and irrelevancy by placing this section within the distant past.