Murder in the Cathedral

The Interlude is the first time in Murder in the Cathedral that the play switches entirely to prose. Because the brief section is presented as a sermon, it is essentially a monologue from Thomas Becket to his congregation, and it is delivered, shortly after his return from exile, as he finds himself haunted by The Inevitability of Fate and of his imminent death. Through this sermon, Becket expounds on his beliefs and reflects on the nature of martyrdom. By examining the figures of Jesus Christ and Saint Stephen, he explains the implicit connection between mourning and celebration on these Christian holidays. Since his return, the chorus has been mourning his imminent death, and the priests have been celebrating his presence in the moment, and through his sermon, Becket unifies these two disparate positions by suggesting that neither is incorrect or correct and that both are two essential parts of the same whole. Becket’s power as a speaker during this sermon hints at why he is such a well-loved spiritual leader.

Becket also provides the audience with a sense of his own evolving self, and it is clear that the words of the fourth tempter still ring in his mind as he reflects on the inherent vanity of a man who willingly approaches his own martyrdom. Becket accepts that he is flawed, but he also insists that he has overcome the zealous sense of self that threatened to undermine his martyrdom with the sin of vanity. He has therefore reaffirmed his faith in God and in the divine nature of his actions, resolving in his own mind The Conflict between Earthly and Spiritual Concerns. In this Interlude, Becket frames himself as an instrument of God’s will, even through his death. This idea also satisfies his belief in the balance between action and suffering, and he goes to his fate willingly, but with a belief in the providence of God’s plan. Although his sermon yet contains a hint of vanity in his decision to compare himself to Jesus Christ and Saint Stephen, Becket suggests that these figures were part of the same divine plan that has now captured him. He accepts the parallels between himself and these religious figures but stresses the importance of devotion rather than vanity. He feels privileged to suffer their same fates and does not suggest that he is entitled to any degree of worship.

In a narrative sense, the Interlude does little to move the plot forward. Instead, it provides space for a subtle evolution of Thomas Becket’s character as his death approaches. As this sermon suggests, the Becket who returned from exile is not the Becket who will die in Part 2, for over the course of his monologue, he humbly reflects on his status as an instrument of God rather than as a person with agency in his own right. By accepting his lack of agency and surrendering his fate to God, he delivers a call to action to the audience, encouraging them to do the same.