T.S. Eliot and the Influence of Greek Poetry, Literature and Myths

Published by Hellenic Moon on September 29, 2024September 29, 2024

Sept. 26 was the birthday of T.S. Eliot, one of the most significant poets of the 20th century, who profoundly shaped modernist poetry with his innovative style, dense allusions, and deeply philosophical themes. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1888, Thomas Stearns Eliot moved to England as a young man, where he became a naturalized British citizen in 1927. Over his lifetime, he crafted some of the most iconic poems in the English language, including The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915), The Waste Land (1922), Four Quartets (1943), and The Hollow Men (1925).

Eliot’s poetry is often noted for its complex interplay of modern despair, spiritual yearning, and cultural references—many of which stem from his deep engagement with ancient Greek literature, poetry, and mythology. Greek influences in Eliot’s work are not simply ornamental or incidental; they are foundational to his intellectual development and creative process.

T.S. Eliot’s Early Life and Education

Eliot’s early education was steeped in the classical tradition. He was introduced to Latin and ancient Greek at Smith Academy in St. Louis, and his classical studies continued at Harvard University, where he took courses on Greek drama, philosophy, and literature. His scholarly interest in the works of Greek tragedians such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, along with the philosophers Plato and Aristotle, helped shape his intellectual framework. His attraction to the spiritual and existential questions posed by Greek tragedies and myths resonated deeply with his own artistic and philosophical concerns.

Eliot’s time at Harvard coincided with the emergence of modernism, and his subsequent studies at the Sorbonne in Paris and Merton College at Oxford furthered his exposure to continental philosophical and literary traditions. Though Eliot is often associated with the intellectual climate of early 20th-century Europe, particularly the Anglo-American modernist movement, the classical foundations of his work remained a persistent and central influence throughout his career.

The Modernist Movement and Classical Tradition

Modernism in literature was characterized by a break from traditional forms and an exploration of fragmented narratives, linguistic experimentation, and allusion-heavy texts. Eliot, a key figure in this movement, stood out not only for his innovation in form but also for the way he wove ancient sources, including Greek myths and literature, into modern contexts. In his work, Greek themes and characters often appear as symbols that engage with contemporary social, spiritual, and intellectual crises. This strategy allowed Eliot to bridge the classical and the modern, presenting the past as a lens through which to view present-day anxieties.

A hallmark of Eliot’s poetry is his use of what literary critics have termed “mythical method,” a concept initially discussed by fellow modernist Ezra Pound. The “mythical method” involves employing myths to create a cohesive structure for modern experiences, which, in Eliot’s view, were fragmented by industrialization, world wars, and the decline of religious faith. Greek mythology offered Eliot a rich tapestry of stories, symbols, and archetypes that allowed him to address the disintegration of societal and cultural values in the modern age.

The Influence of Greek Literature and Poetry on T.S. Eliot

1. Greek Tragedy: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides

Greek tragedies provided a significant framework for Eliot’s exploration of human suffering, destiny, and moral dilemmas. The concept of hubris, the tragic hero, and the intervention of the divine in human affairs are recurring themes in Eliot’s poetry, paralleling the moral and existential conflicts found in works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.

For instance, The Waste Land—perhaps Eliot’s most famous poem—is a meditation on the collapse of Western civilization and spiritual desolation in the aftermath of World War I. The poem’s fragmented structure reflects the breakdown of cultural continuity, while its mythological and literary references create a dialogue between the past and the present. The use of Greek tragedy in The Waste Land is subtle but pervasive. Eliot’s invocation of the Furies from Aeschylus’ Eumenides connects the desolation of the modern world with the ancient themes of retribution, guilt, and purification.

Moreover, Eliot’s allusions to the figure of Tiresias, the blind prophet from Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and Antigone, further illuminate his engagement with Greek tragedy. In The Waste Land, Tiresias becomes a kind of meta-character who embodies the paradox of wisdom and impotence, foresight, and blindness. Tiresias’ role in Eliot’s work reflects the dual themes of decay and renewal, a central concern in Greek tragedy, where characters often struggle between fate and free will, leading to inevitable suffering and catharsis.

2. Greek Mythology: Symbols and Archetypes

Greek mythology in Eliot’s poetry serves as a repository of universal symbols and archetypes that articulate the cyclical nature of history, time, and human emotion. Myths such as those of Sisyphus, Icarus, and the Orpheus-Eurydice story are alluded to or reworked in his writing to emphasize the eternal recurrence of human folly, aspiration, and despair.

In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, for instance, Eliot’s protagonist resembles a modern-day Sisyphus—a man trapped in a futile cycle of indecision and self-doubt. Prufrock’s obsession with time and his paralytic fear of action echo the myth of the condemned king, who is doomed to roll a boulder up a hill only for it to fall again, symbolizing the inescapable repetition of life’s futility. Likewise, Prufrock’s yearning for unattainable ideals mirrors Icarus’s tragic ambition, and his ultimate failure encapsulates the Greek tragic hero’s downfall due to overreaching hubris.

The Waste Land makes extensive use of Greek mythology, particularly the fertility myths and the figure of the Fisher King, whose story originates in both Christian and pagan traditions but bears similarities to Greek vegetation deities like Adonis and Demeter. The myth of Demeter and Persephone, in which Persephone’s descent into the underworld causes the earth’s barrenness, parallels the desolate landscape of The Waste Land, where the land is symbolically sterile, and spiritual death reigns. Eliot draws on this myth to address the cycles of life, death, and rebirth, suggesting the possibility of regeneration despite the pervasive sense of cultural decay.

3. Philosophical Influences: Plato and Aristotle

Beyond poetry and mythology, Greek philosophy played a significant role in shaping Eliot’s intellectual outlook. Plato’s dialogues and Aristotle’s Poetics offered Eliot models for understanding the moral and aesthetic dimensions of art and human experience. Plato’s emphasis on the tension between the material world and the ideal, as well as his exploration of the nature of truth, is reflected in Eliot’s work, particularly in his meditations on spiritual doubt and faith.

Eliot’s early poems are often infused with philosophical questioning, resonating with Platonic themes of appearance versus reality. For instance, The Hollow Men can be read as a meditation on the Platonic notion of existence as a shadow of a higher reality. The figures in the poem are spiritually and morally hollow, disconnected from the truth, and trapped in a liminal space between life and death, reminiscent of Plato’s allegory of the cave, where humans perceive only shadows of reality.

Aristotle’s influence is also palpable in Eliot’s engagement with tragedy and catharsis. Eliot understood Aristotle’s Poetics not just as a treatise on literary form but as a philosophical exploration of human emotions and moral actions. This understanding is evident in the way Eliot constructs his poetic narratives, wherein characters and speakers confront moments of anagnorisis (recognition) and peripeteia (reversal of fortune), mirroring the structure of classical tragedy.

Eliot’s Synthesis of Greek and Modernist Elements

T.S. Eliot’s engagement with Greek literature, poetry, and mythology is a testament to his belief in the continuity of human experience across time and cultures. By integrating classical themes into his modernist framework, Eliot created a poetic language that could grapple with the spiritual, cultural, and intellectual crises of his time while remaining anchored in the timeless concerns of ancient Greece.

Eliot’s poetry does not merely reference Greek myths and literature for their aesthetic value; rather, these ancient sources provide a structural and thematic foundation for his exploration of modern life. In The Waste Land, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and Four Quartets, Eliot uses Greek symbols and archetypes to confront the fragmentation, alienation, and search for meaning in the modern world. Greek tragedy’s focus on fate, suffering, and moral complexity resonates throughout his work, offering a lens through which to view the existential challenges of the 20th century.

In essence, T.S. Eliot’s poetry embodies a dialogue between the ancient and the modern, between the despair of the present and the enduring truths of the past. Greek literature and mythology provided Eliot with a rich, symbolic framework that allowed him to craft a poetics of renewal, where even amidst chaos and disintegration, the possibility of redemption and order still lingers, much like the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth in the myths of old.

You might enjoy this article from Harvard Magazine about when T.S. Eliot was a student there.