The Cocktail Party
E23598
The Cocktail Party is a verse drama by T. S. Eliot that explores themes of marriage, identity, and spiritual crisis through a drawing-room comedy that gradually reveals deeper psychological and religious dimensions.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
play
→
verse drama → |
| author |
T. S. Eliot
→
|
| award |
Tony Award for Best Play nomination
→
|
| broadwayOpeningYear |
1950
→
|
| characterRole |
Celia Coplestone is a young woman seeking spiritual meaning
→
Edward Chamberlayne is a troubled husband → Lavinia Chamberlayne is Edward's estranged wife → Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly is a psychiatrist-like figure → |
| countryOfOrigin |
United Kingdom
→
|
| criticalReception |
generally successful on stage
→
|
| dramaticMode |
comedy that turns serious
→
|
| dramaticTechnique |
mixture of social comedy and religious allegory
→
use of chorus-like group of guests → |
| firstPerformanceYear |
1949
→
|
| form |
verse
→
|
| genre |
drama
→
drawing-room comedy → psychological drama → religious drama → |
| hasMotive |
examination of the breakdown and reconstruction of marriage
→
exploration of the possibility of sainthood in the modern world → |
| influencedBy |
Christian theology
→
Eliot's own religious beliefs → Greek tragedy → |
| language |
English
→
|
| mainCharacter |
Celia Coplestone
→
Edward Chamberlayne → Lavinia Chamberlayne → Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly → |
| partOf |
T. S. Eliot's late dramatic works
→
|
| premiereEvent |
Edinburgh Festival
→
|
| premiereLocation |
Edinburgh
→
|
| setting |
London
→
a middle-class drawing room → |
| structure |
three-act play
→
|
| theme |
alienation
→
human relationships → identity → marriage → redemption → sainthood → self-knowledge → spiritual crisis → |
| timePeriodOfWork |
20th century
→
|
| writer |
T. S. Eliot
→
|
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
T. S. Eliot
→
|
notableWork |