Greek and Roman Myths in the Poetry of T. S. Eliot

Greek and Roman Myths in the Poetry of T. S. Eliot

This paper explores Greek and Roman myths inthe poetry of T. S. Eliot, arguably the greatest of the modernist poets.Throughout his complicated and satirical poetry, Eliot alludes to Greekand Roman myths including: Circe, Scorpion, Cassiopeia, Callisto,Pegasus, Cetus, Cynosura, Bootes, Bacchus, Ariadne, Theseus, Thanatos,Coronis, Orion, Sirius, Achilles, Agamemnon, Sybil, Hyacinth, Hercules,Nausicaa, Polypheme, Cupid, Philomela, Procne, Tereus, Actaeon, Diana,Tiresias, Orestes, Chronos, and Kairos. The mythical technique ofmanipulating Greek and Roman mythology employed in Eliot’s poemsunravels his complicated intentions, deepens his poetic symbolism, andbroadens his modernist perspective.