Murder in the Cathedral Group

Question:

anamariaqd
anamariaqd
Student
College - Freshman

Are the Tempters and the Knights in "Murder in the Cathedral" the same men?

I've read the Romanian version of the play,it also had a foreword written by a famous Romanian writer and it says there that the Tempters and the knights are identical figures. I couldn't find that in the play or in the critics. Can you help me with this problem, is the statement true or is this a debatable issue?

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Posted by anamariaqd on Monday May 26, 2008 at 12:43 PM and tagged with characters, knights, tempters.

Answers:


  1. linda-allen Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    The 4 Tempters and the 4 Knights may or may not be played by the same actors, but they are quite different. Just as the devil does when Jesus goes out into the wilderness, so also the Tempters come to Thomas Becket at the beginning of the play to offer him all sorts of incentives to recant his rulings on the king. Thomas easily dismisses three of the Tempters, but when the fourth offers him sainthood and the fame that goes with it, Thomas hesitates for an instant. However, he is able to dismiss all four.

    The 4 Knights don't offer any incentives other than violence. If Thomas does not rule in Henry's favor, he will pay with his life. Thomas does not give in, and they murder him. Ironically, by not giving in he earns the sainthood that the 4th Tempter had offered him.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/murder-cathedral/characters

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    Posted by linda-allen on Tuesday May 27, 2008 at 1:32 PM

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