The Love Song of J
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
1. This poem contains several allusions, or references to people and historical or literary events outside this literary work. Explain each allusion and why Eliot chose it for this particular aspect of his poem.
Line from the poem Allusion Explained
|And indeed there will be time (23) (Also notice |This is a reference from Andrew Marvell’s poem, “To His Coy Mistress” in which |
|how many times this is repeated and to what |the speaker urges his beloved to seize the moment instead of being coy or shy. |
|effect) | |
|To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead. Come |The name of two figures from the Old Testament: 1) Lazarus of Bethany, brother of|
|back to tell you all. I shall tell you all” |Martha and Mary. Jesus raised him from the dead; 2) Lazarus, a leprous beggar. |
|(94-95) |When Lazarus died, he was taken into heaven. When a rich man named Dives died, he|
| |went to hell. He requested that Lazarus be returned to earth to warn his brothers|
| |about the horror of hell, but his request was denied. |
|No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be: |From Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the protagonist. The attendant lord refers to |
|Am an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a|Polonius, an advisor to the new king, Claudius, who often looks foolish. The Fool|
|progress, start a scene or two, Advise the |is capitalized, probably referring to the court jester, who was a comic figure |
|prince; no doubt, an east tool… the Fool. |who entertained the king and queen. Many fools had an odd appearance and were |
|(112-119) |otherwise outcasts from the society. |
|Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) |This refers to John the Baptist’s head that was delivered on a platter (see the |
|brought in upon a platter (82-83) |text footnote) |
|I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. |This is a possible reference to the sirens in Homer’s Odyssey. |
|I do not think that they will sing to me. | |
|(124-125) | |
2. At many times in the poem, Prufrock seems to view himself as divided, both seeking and fearing action. Where do we see him express his deeply conflicted sense of self?
3. What is Eliot suggesting by repeating the refrain: “In the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo”?
4. What does Eliot mean in lines 56-58,
“The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin”?
5. Many people view this poem as a statement about the failings of the modern age. What failings might this poem suggest?
6. Do you dare to eat a peach? Why or why not?
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