| Abstract: |
The dramatic works of T. S. Eliot represent a profound literary engagement with questions of moral decision-making and existential suffering in the modern world. This paper investigates the philosophical and theological underpinnings of Eliot's five major plays Murder in the Cathedral (1935), The Family Reunion (1939), The Cocktail Party (1949), The Confidential Clerk (1953), and The Elder Statesman (1958). The primary objective is to examine how Eliot's characters navigate moral dilemmas, confront guilt, and experience existential pain as they seek redemption and spiritual clarity. The study adopts a qualitative, analytical methodology grounded in textual analysis and critical interpretation. It is hypothesized that Eliot's dramatic protagonists undergo a consistent pattern of moral crisis, existential awakening, and spiritual transformation. The results reveal that moral decision-making in Eliot's dramas operates on multiple levels psychological, ethical, and spiritual and that existential pain functions as a necessary catalyst for redemption. The discussion establishes that Eliot's dramatic vision integrates Christian theology with modernist existential thought, offering a unique paradigm for understanding human suffering. The paper concludes that Eliot's dramas remain profoundly relevant to contemporary discourse on ethics, morality, and the human condition. |
