Prufrock’s Issues

526 Words3 Pages
. By alluding to other texts and stories, Eliot is able to bring in the entire theme, mood, feeling and plot of those other stories, with just one word or phrase. In T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock there are many literary allusions that help explain Prufrock’s problems to the reader. One of the allusions is to Hamlet. He has spent the entire poem wondering if he should "disturb the universe" by asking "some overwhelming question" to a woman; he goes back and forth, being wishy-washy and fearful. He wonders if it "would have been worth it, after all," to have asked the question just to have her respond, "That is not what I meant at all. That is not it, at all." Well, he finally decides, no, it would not be worth it. Here he states, "I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be," meaning, he was not a royal, brave, conniving, eloquent , profound man (as Hamlet was). Instead, he says that he was "deferential, cautious, a bit obtuse; at time, indeed, almost ridiculous-almost, at times, the Fool." Alluding to Hamlet helps us to understand that he feels enormous pressure; Hamlet is a famous tale of a man sent on an enormous task of revenge-he gives fancy and profound speeches, he greatly impacts everyone around him. Prufrock is perhaps feeling that what he has to say is the same, but unlike Hamlet, he's not up to the task of doing it well. Eliot mentions, “The women come and go talking of Michelangelo”. The women are at a social gathering discussing about the Renaissance artist Michelangelo. Prufrock's anxiety is rooted in the social world. Not only is he afraid to confront the woman talking of Michelangelo, he seems intimidated by the social posturing he must engage in. Eliot repeats the Michelangelo line suggesting that Prufrock is truly overwhelmed by Michelangelo and will not
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