Becket's Speech Part 2

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Part II Part II Summary Four days after the Interlude-December 29, 1170-the women of Canterbury again gather, and again speak ominous, foreboding words as they lament "the death of the old" year and the promise only of "a bitter spring" to follow. The priests have been marking the liturgical feasts that come after Christmas-the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, on December 26; the feast of St. John the Evangelist on December 27; the feast of the Holy Innocents, those children of Bethlehem slain by Herod's soldiers in the monarch's mad search for the newborn "king of the Jews," on December 28-but also express doubt that these chronological markers carry much meaning: as one priest states, "Every day is the day we should fear from or hope from. The critical moment. is always now. Even now, in sordid particulars / The eternal design may appear." In truth,…show more content…
Reginald Fitz Urse introduces each speaker. First, de Traci argues that he and his companions are disinterested in the murder; they stand to gain nothing by it, and do it only for the sake of England. They are acting, in other words, as patriots. Second, Sir de Morville talks about the need for order. Becket upset the King's plan to consolidate the power of the church with the power of the state; therefore, he represented a threat to stability and security. Third, and finally, Brito asks the audience to consider well the question, "Who killed the Archbishop?" He argues that, in effect, Becket killed himself by his unquenchable pride. He condemns Becket as "a monster of egotism." Following these speeches, Fitz Urse urges the audience to disperse quietly to their homes. The play draws to a close as the priests and chorus recognize Becket's new status as a saint with God and seek his intercession, recognizing their complicity, and indeed that of the world, in his
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