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Elijah Ramjattan
02/03/2015
Mr. Cosmin Ritivoiu
Literary Analysis

The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot - A Game of Chess

This piece of literature by Thomas Stearns Eliot, entitled A Game of Chess, from his
novel The Waste Land. Is a poem that peaks the interest of its readers and captivates the
attention of its audience. Eliot uses the descriptive powers of his poem to plaster the true
meaning of what he is trying to convey. A Game of Chess contains many innuendoes that
promotes the idea of adultery and sexual intercourse. This poem also seems to allude to sexual
frustration and sexual inactivity.
In the opening sentences of the poem, T. S. Eliot eludes to a scene from Shakespeares
play, Imogens (Cymbeline). The Chair she sat in, like a burnished throne,
Glowed on the marble (Line 77, The Waste Land). This Shakespearian play promotes the
ideology of adultery, which is coincidental to this poem because adultery seems to be one of the
components to A Game of Chess. The plot of this Shakespearian play includes three main
characters Imogen the princess of Britain, her husband Posthumus and his acquaintance Lichimo.
Imogen is apparently morally pure, which causes Lichimo to want to seduce her into immoral
acts. However, Lichimo fails; because of his failure he decides to hide in Imogens room where
she lays and then pulls the bed sheets off of her to unveil her naked body. By seeing her naked he

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notices a mole under her breast, and uses this as proof to say to Posthumus that he slept with his
wife. Eliot might have used this Shakespearian reference to allude to the fact that he wishes to
commit adultery with the women referred to in A Game of Chess. Though Eliot does not
explicitly say these sexual connotations, he uses references and language to make this obvious to
the reader. Eliot makes another reference to Shakespeare in this poem which says, O O O O
that Shakespeherian Rag (Line 128). This is actually quoted from the Hamlet play. The purpose
of this reference to Hamlet could have been to express the frustration of Eliots character.
The women that is in the first part of the poem is a female of high class and has many
lavish things. However, though she may have all these great things she is still frustrated,
Unstoppered, lurked her strange synthetic perfumes, Unguent, powered , or liquid - troubled,
confused And drowned the sense in odours (Line 87-89). Eliot makes a reference to a figure in
Greek mythology named Philomel; The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king (line 99).
This story is often associated with revenge, which could possibly mean that the woman in this
section was struggling with the idea of revenge.
'My nerves are bad to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me.
'Speak to me. Why do you never speak. Speak.
'What are you thinking of? What thinking? What?
'I never know what you are thinking. Think.'
I think we are in rats' alley 115
Where the dead men lost their bones.
'What it that noise?'
The wind under the door. 118
'What is that noise now? What is the wind doing?'
Nothing again nothing.
'Do
'You know nothing? Do you see nothing? Do you remember
'Nothing?'
I remember
Those are pearls that were his.
'Are you alive, or not? Is there nothing in your head?' `

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This passage of the poem seems to show indecisiveness to commit adultery found within the
woman. She seems to be worried about the decisions she is about to make. My nerves are bad
to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me (line 111).
In the second half of this poem there seems to be change in the personality of the
women. This might be because Eliot is changing to another character. The woman in this second
part seems to be of lower class than the woman mentioned before; He'll want to know what you
done with that money he gave you (line 144). The woman in the previous section of this poem
would not need money from someone else and would not have to worry about what she does
with the money. There also seems to be a dialogue between two woman in this part of the poem,
where one lady seems to be worried about her own sexual inactivity and her husbands as well;
He's been in the army for four years, he wants a good time, And if you don't give it to him,
there's others will, I said. (line 149-150). These lines also show that she is worried that her
husband might commit adultery.
This poem by T. S. Eliot, contains many metaphors and allusions. He enjoyed using
historical literature such as Shakespeare to add further depth to his poem A Game of Chess.
The reader must look carefully at the text in order to fully understand the scene or the context in
which T. S Eliot is writing. A Game of Chess contains many sexual innuendos and sexual
connotations. There also seems to be many ideas relating to adultery, which lowers the moral
standards of this poem. This poem is not biblically sound and can be offensive to Christians
because of its moral standards; He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys
himself (Proverbs 6:32). Thomas Stearns Eliots technique of hiding the true meaning of his
poem in allusions and metaphors is outstanding and cannot be overlooked.

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