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Explanation
of the Title
Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965)
originally entitled this poem "Prufrock Among the Women." He changed the
title to "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" before publishing the poem
in Poetry magazine in 1915.
Love Song
 The
words "Love Song" seem apt, for one of the definitions of love song
is narrative poem. And, of course, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
is a narrative, presenting a moment in the life of the title character.
It is also a poem. In addition, the work has characteristics of most love
songs, such as repetition (or refrain), rhyme, and rhythm. It also focuses
on the womanly love that eludes Prufrock.
Origin of the Name Prufrock
Eliot took the last name
of the title character from a sign advertising the William Prufrock furniture
company, a business in Eliot's hometown, St. Louis, while he was growing
up. The initial J. and name Alfred are inventions, probably
mimicking the way Eliot occasionally signed his name as a young adult:
T. Stearns Eliot.
Type
of Work: Dramatic Monologue
"The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock" is a is a modernistic
poem in the form of a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue presents
a moment in which a narrator/speaker discusses a topic and, in so doing,
reveals his personal feelings to a listener. Only the narrator, talks–hence
the term monologue, meaning "single (mono) discourse (logue)."
During his discourse, the speaker intentionally and unintentionally reveals
information about himself. The main focus of a dramatic monologue is this
personal information, not the speaker's topic. A dramatic monologue is
a type of character study. For more about modernistic writing click on
either or both these links: Link
1, Link
2.
The
Speaker/Narrator
The
poem centers on a balding, insecure middle-aged man. He expresses his thoughts
about the dull, uneventful, mediocre life he leads as a result of his feelings
of inadequacy and his fear of making decisions. Unable to seize opportunities
or take risks (especially with women), he lives in a world that is the
same today as it was yesterday and will be the same tomorrow as it is today.
He does try to make progress, but his timidity and fear of failure inhibit
him from taking action.
Setting
The action takes place in
the evening in a bleak section of a smoky city. This city is probably St.
Louis, where Eliot (1888-1965) grew up. But it could also be London, to
which Eliot moved in 1914. However, Eliot probably intended the setting
to be any city anywhere.
Characters
J. Alfred Prufrock:
The speaker/narrator, a timid, overcautious middle-aged man.
He escorts his silent listener through streets in a shabby part of a city,
past cheap hotels and restaurants, to a social gathering where women he
would like to meet are conversing. However, he is hesitant to take part
in the activity for fear of making a fool of himself.
The Listener: An
unidentified companion of Prufrock. The listener could also be Prufrock's
inner self, one that prods him but fails to move him to action.
The Women: Women
at a social gathering. Prufrock would like to meet one of them but worries
that she will look down on him.
The Lonely Men in Shirtsleeves:
Leaning out of their windows, they smoke pipes. They are like Prufrock
in that they look upon a scene but do not become part of it. The smoke
from their pipes helps form the haze over the city, the haze that serves
as a metaphor for a timid cat–which is Prufrock.
Themes
Loneliness and Alienation:
Prufrock is a pathetic man whose anxieties and obsessions have isolated
him.
Indecision: Prufrock
resists making decisions for fear that their outcomes will turn out wrong.
Inadequacy: Prufrock
continually worries that he will make a fool of himself and that people
will ridicule him for his clothes, his bald spot, and his overall physical
appearance.
Pessimism: Prufrock
sees only the negative side of his own life and the lives of others.
The Love Song of
J. Alfred Prufrock
By T.S. Eliot
First Published in 1915
in Poetry Magazine
.
| Text of the Poem |
Explanations and Comments |
| Epigraph
S'io credesse che mia riposta
fosse
A persona che mai tornasse
al mondo,
Questa fiamma staria senza
piu scosse.
Ma perciocche giammai di
questo fondo
Non torno vivo alcun, s'
i'odo il vero,
Senza tema d'infamia ti
rispondo.
–Spoken by Count Guido da
Montefeltro, a Damned Soul in the Eighth Circle of Hell in Dante's Divine
Comedy, the Inferno, Canto 27, Lines 61-66. |
Translation
If I thought my answer were
to one who could return to the world, I would not reply, but as none ever
did return alive from this depth, without fear of infamy I answer thee.
–Translation by G.B. Harrison
et al., eds. Major British Writers. Shorter ed. New York: Harcourt.
1967, Page 1015.
Comment: Eliot opens "The
Love Song" with this quotation from Dante's epic poem to suggest that Prufrock,
like Count Guido, is in hell. But Prufrock is in a hell on earth–a hell
in the form of a modern, impersonal city with smoky skies. The quotation
also points out that Prufrock, again like Count Guido, can present his
feelings "without fear of infamy." |
Let us
go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread
out against the sky
Like a patient etherised
upon a table;
Let us go, through certain
half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
5
Of restless nights in one-night
cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants
with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like
a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming
question … 10
Oh, do not ask, “What is
it?”
Let us go and make our visit. |
Interpretation
The speaker invites the
listener to walk with him into the streets on an evening that resembles
a patient, anesthetized with ether, lying on the table of a hospital operating
room. (Until recent times, physicians used ether–a liquid obtained by combining
sulfuric acid and ethyl alcohol–to render patients unconscious before an
operation.) The imagery suggests that the evening is lifeless and listless.
The speaker and the listener will walk through lonely streets–the business
day has ended–past cheap hotels and restaurants with sawdust on the floors.
(Sawdust was used to absorb spilled beverages and food, making it easy
to sweep up at the end of the day.) The shabby establishments will remind
the speaker of his own shortcomings, their images remaining in his mind
as he walks on. They will then prod the listener to ask the speaker a question
about the speaker's life–perhaps why he visits these seedy haunts, which
are symbols of his life, and why he has not acted to better himself or
to take a wife?
overwhelming question:
(See Allusions and References, below.) |
In the
room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo. |
Interpretation
At a social gathering in
a room, women discuss the Renaissance artist Michelangelo.
Comment: If the women
are speaking of the great Michelango, how could the lowly Prufrock possibly
be of interest to them? Or so Prufrock may think. |
The yellow
fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
15
The yellow smoke that rubs
its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the
corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools
that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the
soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace,
made a sudden leap, 20
And seeing that it was a
soft October night,
Curled once about the house,
and fell asleep. |
Interpretation
Smoky haze spreads across
the city. The haze is like a quiet, timid cat padding to and fro, rubbing
its head on objects, licking its tongue, and curling up to sleep after
allowing soot to fall upon it. The speaker resembles the cat as he looks
into windows or into "the room," trying to decide whether to enter and
become part of the activity. Eventually, he curls up in the safety and
security of his own soft arms–alone, separate.
Comment, Lines 17-19:
Prufrock alludes to his inferiority as well as his inability to act decisively:
He consigns himself to corners, as a timid person might at a dance; stands
idly by doing nothing, as does a stagnant pool; and becomes the brunt of
ridicule or condescension– the soot that falls on him.
October night: See
Study Questions and Essay Topics, below |
And indeed
there will be time
For the yellow smoke that
slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the
window-panes; 25
There will be time, there
will be time
To prepare a face
to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder
and create,
And time for all the works
and days of hands
That lift and drop a question
on your plate; 30
Time for you and time for
me,
And time yet for a hundred
indecisions,
And for a hundred visions
and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast
and tea. |
Interpretation
There's no hurry, though,
the speaker tells himself. There will be time to decide and then to act–time
to put on the right face and demeanor to meet people. There will be time
to kill and time to act; in fact, there will be time to do many things.
There will even be time to think about doing things–time to dream and then
revise those dreams–before sitting down with a woman to take toast and
tea.
there will be time:
(See Allusions and References, below.)
face: affectation;
façade
works and days: (See
Allusions and References, below.) |
In the
room the women come and go
35
Talking of Michelangelo. |
Interpretation
The women are still coming
and going, still talking of Michelangelo, suggesting that life is repetitive
and dull. |
And indeed
there will be time
To wonder, “Do I dare?”
and, “Do I dare?”
Time to turn back and descend
the stair,
With a bald spot in the
middle of my hair— 40
[They will say: “How his
hair is growing thin!”]
My morning coat, my collar
mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest,
but asserted by a simple pin—
[They will say: “But how
his arms and legs are thin!”]
Do I dare
45
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions
which a minute will reverse.
For I have known them all
already, known them all:—
Have known the evenings,
mornings, afternoons, 50
I have measured out my life
with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying
with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a
farther room.
So how should I presume? |
Interpretation
Prufrock says there will
be time to wonder whether he dares to approach a woman. He feels like turning
back. After all, he has a bald spot, thinning hair, and thin arms and legs.
Moreover, he has doubts about the acceptability of his clothing. What will
people think of him? Does he dare to approach a woman? He will think about
it and make a decision, then reverse the decision. Of course, he realizes
that the people here are the same as the people he has met many times before–the
same, uninteresting people in the same uninteresting world. They all even
sound the same. So why should he do anything?
simple pin: pin inserted
through the tie and shirt to hold the tie in place
dying fall: (See
Allusions and References, below.) |
And I
have known the eyes already, known them all—
55
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
To spit out all the butt-ends
of my days and ways? 60
And how should I
presume? |
Interpretation
He has seen their gazes before,
many times–gazes that form an opinion of him, treating him like a butterfly
or another insect pinned into place in a display. How will he be able to
explain himself to them–the ordinariness, the mediocrity, of his life?
fix: evaluate |
And I
have known the arms already, known them all—
Arms that are braceleted
and white and bare
[But in the lamplight, downed
with light brown hair!]
It is perfume from a dress
65
That makes me so digress?
Arms that lie along a
table, or wrap about a shawl.
And should I then
presume?
And how should
I begin? |
Interpretation
Yes, he has known women
like these before, wearing jewelry but really bare, lacking substance.
Why is he thinking about them? Perhaps it is the smell of a woman's perfume.
Arms . . . table:
This phrase echoes Line 3.
should . . . presume?
This clause repeats words in Lines 54 and 68.
how . . . begin?
This clause repeats words in Line 59.
|
Shall
I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
70
And watched the smoke
that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves,
leaning out of windows?
I should have been a pair
of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors
of silent seas.
|
Interpretation
Will he tell a woman that
he came through narrow streets, where lonely men (like Prufrock) lean out
of windows watching life go by but not taking part in it? He should have
been nothing more than crab claws in the depths of the silent ocean.
smoke . . . pipes:
The smoke becomes part of the haze (Lines 15-16). |
And the
afternoon, the evening,
sleeps so peacefully! 75
Smoothed
by long fingers,
Asleep
… tired … or it malingers,
Stretched
on the floor, here beside you and me.
Should I, after tea and
cakes and ices,
Have the strength to force
the moment to its crisis?
80
But though I have wept and
fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head
[grown slightly bald] brought in upon a platter,
I am no prophet—and here’s
no great matter;
I have seen the moment of
my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal
Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
85
And in short, I was afraid. |
Interpretation
The time passes peacefully,
as if sleeping, very tired–or it simply wastes time, stretched out on the
floor. Should the speaker sit down with someone and have dessert–should
he take a chance, make an acquaintance, live? Oh, he has suffered; he has
even imagined his head being brought in on a platter, like the head of
John the Baptist. Of course, unlike John, he is no prophet. He has seen
his opportunities pass and even seen death up close, holding his coat,
snickering. He has been afraid.
evening
. . . floor: This metaphor/personification echoes the simile
in Lines 2 and 3.
cakes and ices: cakes
or cookies, ice cream
head . . . platter:
(See Allusions and References, below.)
Footman: servant
in a uniform who opens doors, waits on tables, helps people into carriages.
The footman is a symbol of death. (See Allusions and
References, below.) |
And would
it have been worth it, after all,
After the cups, the marmalade,
the tea,
Among the porcelain, among
some talk of you and me,
Would it have been worth
while, 90
To have bitten off the matter
with a smile,
To have squeezed the
universe into a ball
To roll it toward some overwhelming
question,
To say: “I am Lazarus,
come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all,
I shall tell you all”—
95
If one, settling a pillow
by her head,
Should say: “That
is not what I meant at all.
That is not it, at
all.” |
Interpretation
Would it have been worth
it for the speaker while drinking tea to try to make a connection with
one of the women? Would it have been worth it to arise from his lifeless
life and dare to engage in conversation with a woman, only to have her
criticize him or reject him.
porcelain: the glassware
or hard, brittle people
To . . . ball: (See
Allusions and References, below.)
Lazarus: (See Allusions
and References, below.) |
And would
it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth
while, 100
After the sunsets and the
dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after
the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—
And this, and so much more?—
It is impossible to say
just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern
threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
105
Would it have been worth
while
If one, settling a pillow
or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window,
should say:
“That is not it at
all,
That is not what
I meant, at all.” |
Interpretation
Would it have been worth
it, considering all the times he would be with the woman at sunset or with
her in a dooryard? Would it have been worth it after all the mornings or
evenings when workmen sprinkled the streets (see below), after all the
novels he would discuss with her over tea, after all the times he heard
the drag of her skirt along the floor, after so many other occasions? Would
it have been worth it if, after plumping a pillow or throwing off her shawl,
she turned casually toward a window and told him that he was mistaken about
her intentions toward him?
sprinkled streets:
This may be a reference to the practice of wetting dirt streets with oil
or water to control dust.
magic lantern: early
type of slide projector. The magic lantern (also called sciopticon) projected
an image from a glass plate. |
No! I
am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord,
one that will do
To swell a progress,
start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt,
an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be
of use, 115
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence,
but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost
ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool. |
Interpretation
Prufrock and Hamlet (the
protagonist of Shakespeare's Hamlet,
Prince of Denmark) are both indecisive. But Prufrock lacks the
majesty and charisma of Hamlet. Therefore, he fancies himself as Polonius,
the busybody lord chamberlain in Shakespeare's play.
progress: In the time
of a Shakespeare, a journey that a king or queen of England made with his
or her entourage
high sentence: The
high-flown, pretentious language of Polonius (See paragraph just above.)
Prince Hamlet: (See
Allusions and References, below.)
attendant lord: :
(See Allusions and References, below.) |
I grow
old … I grow old … 120
I shall wear the bottoms
of my trousers rolled.
Shall I part my hair behind?
Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel
trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids
singing, each to each.
I do not think that they
will sing to me. 125
I have seen them riding
seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of
the waves blown back
When the wind blows the
water white and black.
We have lingered in the
chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with
seaweed red and brown 130
Till human voices wake us,
and we drown. |
The speaker
realizes that time is passing and that he is growing old. However, like
other men going through a middle-age crisis, he considers changing his
hairstyle and clothes. Like Odysseus in the Odyssey,
he has heard the song of the sirens. However, they are not singing to him.
wear . . . rolled:
to look youthful and jaunty
mermaids: (See Allusions
and References, below.) |
.
Allusions
and Other References
The Women Come and Go
Talking of Michelango:
Eliot borrowed most of this line from the Uruguayan-born French poet Jules
LaForgue (1860-1887). In one of his works, LaForgue wrote (in French):
Dans la piece les femmes vont et viennent / En parlant des maîtres
de Sienne. Here is the loose translation: In the room the women
go and come while speaking of the Siennese (painting) masters.
Michelangelo: Michelangelo
di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564), Renaissance sculptor, painter,
and architect and one of the greatest artists in history. He sculpted the
famous David for the Duomo Cathedral in Florence, painted the ceiling
of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, and designed the dome of St.
Peter's Basilica, also in Vatican City.
Works and Days: A
long poem by Hesiod, a Greek writer who lived in the 700's B.C. "Works"
refers to farm labor and "Days" to periods of the year for performing certain
agricultural chores. The poem, addressed to Hesiod's brother, was intended
to instruct readers, stressing the importance of hard work and right living
and condemning moral decay.
Overwhelming Question:
Eliot appears to have borrowed this phrase from James Fenimore Cooper's
1823 novel, The Pioneers, one of five novels that make up The
Leatherstocking Tales (1823-1841), about life on the frontier in early
America. When he was a youth, Eliot read and enjoyed The Pioneers.
In the novel, one of the characters, Benjamin, asks a series of questions
ending with the "overwhelming question." Following is the passage:
.......“Did’ee
ever see a British ship, Master Kirby? an English line-of-battle ship,
boy? Where did’ee ever fall in with a regular built vessel, with starn-post
and cutwater, gar board-streak and plank-shear, gangways, and hatchways,
and waterways, quarter-deck, and forecastle, ay, and flush-deck?—tell me
that, man, if you can; where away did’ee ever fall in with a full-rigged,
regular-built, necked vessel?”
.......The
whole company were a good deal astounded with this overwhelming
question, and even Richard afterward remarked that it “was a
thousand pities that Benjamin could not read, or he must have made a valuable
officer to the British marine.
Evenings, Mornings, Afternoons:
This phrase, as well as others focusing on time, refers obliquely to the
philosophy of Henri Bergson (1859-1941), author of a revolutionary and
highly influential work, Time and Free Will: An Essay on the Immediate
Data of Consciousness. In this work, he argued that the mind perceives
time as a continuous process, a continuous flow, rather than as a series
of measurable units as tracked by a clock or a calendar or by scientific
calculation. It is not a succession, with one unit following another, but
a duration in which present and past are equally real. Ordinarily, we think
of a day as consisting of morning, evening, and afternoon–in that order.
But, since time is a continuous flow to Prufrock, it is just as correct
to think of a day as consisting of evening, morning, and afternoon. Besides,
morning does follow evening.
There will be time:
This phrase replies to the opening line of "To His Coy Mistress," by Andrew
(1621-1678): "Had we but world enough, and time." In Marvell's poem, the
speaker/persona urges his beloved not to be coy but instead to seize the
moment–to take advantage of youth and "sport us while we may." Prufrock,
of course, continually postpones even meeting a woman, saying "There will
be time."
To Have Squeezed the
Universe into a Ball: This phrase is another allusion to Marvell's
"To His Coy Mistress" (See previous entry.) In the last stanza of that
poem, the speaker/persona says, " Let us roll all our strength and all
/ Our sweetness up into one ball." In Eliot's poem, the speaker asks whether
it would have been worth it to do the same thing with a woman of his choosing.
Footman: Death as
someone who helps a person into the afterlife.
Dying Fall: Phrase
borrowed from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Duke Orsino speaks it
in Line 4 of Act I, Scene I. Here is the passage in which the phrase appears:
If music be the food of
love, play on;
Give me excess of it, that,
surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken,
and so die.
That strain again! it had
a dying fall:
O, it came o'er my ear like
the sweet sound,
That breathes upon a bank
of violets,
Stealing and giving odour!
Lazarus: Name of two
New Testament figures: (1) Lazarus of Bethany, brother of Martha and Mary.
Jesus raised him from the dead (Gospel of John, Chapter 11: Verses 18,
30, 32, 38); (2) Lazarus, a leprous beggar (Gospel of Luke, Chapter 16:
Verses 19-31). 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.
John the Baptist:
Jewish prophet of the First Century A.D. who urged people to reform their
lives and who prepared the way for the coming of Jesus as the Messiah.
John denounced Herod Antipas (4 B.C.-39 A.D.), the Roman-appointed ruler
of Galilee and Perea, for violating the law of Moses by marrying Herodias,
the divorced wife of his half-brother, Philip. (Herod Antipas and Philip
were sons of Herod the Great, the Roman-appointed ruler of Judea.) In retaliation,
Herod Antipas imprisoned John but was afraid to kill him because of his
popularity with the people. Salome, the daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter
of Herod Antipas, danced at a birthday party for Herod Antipas. Her performance
was so enthralling that Herod said she could have any reward of her choice.
Prompted by Herodias, who was outraged by John the Baptist's condemnation
of her marriage, Salome asked for the head of the Baptist on a platter.
Because he did not want to go back on his word, Herod fulfilled her request.
John was a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Accounts of his activities
appear in the Bible in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and
in the Acts of the Apostles.
Prophet: Another
reference to John the Baptist. (See previous entry.)
Hamlet: The protagonist
of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, famous for his hesitancy
and indecision while plotting to avenge the murder of his father, King
Hamlet, by the king's brother, Claudius. Prufrock is like young Hamlet
in that the latter is also indecisive. However, Prufrock decides not to
compare himself with Hamlet, who is charismatic and even majestic in spite
of his shortcomings. Instead, Prufrock compares himself with an unimpressive
character in the Shakespeare play, an attendant lord. (See next entry.)
Attendant Lord: Polonius,
the lord chamberlain in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. (See previous
entry for background.) Polonius, a bootlicking advisor to the new king,
Claudius, sometimes uses a whole paragraph of important-sounding words
to say what most other people could say in a simple declarative sentence.
His pedantry makes him look foolish at times. Prufrock, of course, is worried
that the words he speaks will make him look foolish, too.
Fool: Eliot capitalizes
this word, suggesting that it refers to a court jester (also called a fool)
in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, referred to in previous lines. (See
the two previous entries.) There is no living fool in Hamlet, but there
is a dead one, Yorick. In a famous scene in the play, two men are digging
the grave of Ophelia when they unearth the skull of Yorick while Hamlet
is present. Picking it up, Hamlet says,
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew
him, Horatio: a fellow
of infinite jest, of most
excellent fancy: he hath
borne me on his back a thousand
times; and now, how
abhorred in my imagination
it is! my gorge rims at
it. Here hung those lips
that I have kissed I know
not how oft. Where be your
gibes now? your
gambols? your songs? your
flashes of merriment,
that were wont to set the
table on a roar? Not one
now, to mock your own grinning?
quite chap-fallen?
In the
courts of England in Shakespeare's time, a fool was a comic figure with
a quick tongue who entertained the king, the queen, and their guests. He
was allowed to–and even expected to–criticize anyone at court. Many fools
were dwarfs or cripples, their odd appearance enhancing their appeal and,
according to prevailing beliefs, bringing good luck to the court.
Mermaids: Probably
an allusion to the sirens in Homer's Odyssey.
Style
"The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock" is a modernistic poem that expresses the thoughts of the title
character via the following:
Conversational Language
Combined With the Stylized Language of Poetry. For example, the poem
opens straightforwardly with "Let us go then, you and I." It then presents
a bizarre personification/simile with end rhyme (Lines 2 and 3), comparing
the evening to an anesthetized hospital patient. End rhyme continues throughout
most of the poem, as does the use of striking figures of speech. The figures
of speech generally refer in some way to Prufrock. The anesthetized hospital
patient, for example, represents the indecisiveness of Prufrock. The yellow
fog and yellow smoke of Lines 15 and 16 are compared in succeeding
lines to a timid cat, which represents the timidity of Prufrock.
Variations
in Line Length and Meter. Some lines contain only three words. Others
contain as many as 14. The meter also
varies.
Shifts in the Train of
Thought: The train of thought sometimes shifts abruptly, without transition,
apparently in imitation of the way the human mind works when it dreams
or daydreams or reacts to an external stimulus.
Shifts in Topics Under
Discussion: The subject under discussion sometimes shifts abruptly,
from trifling matters one moment–Prufrock's bald spot, for example, or
the length of his trousers–to time and the universe the next.
Shifts From Abstract
to Concrete (and Universal to Particular): The poem frequently toggles
between (1) the abstract or universal and (2) the concrete or specific.
Examples of abstract language are muttering retreats (Line 5) and
tedious argument of insidious intent (Lines 8-9). Examples of phrases
or clauses with universal nouns are the muttering retreats
and the women come and go. Examples of concrete language
are oyster-shells (Line 7) and soot (Line 19). Examples of
particular (specific) language are Michelangelo (Line 14) and October
(Line 21).
Shifts From Obvious Allusions
or References to Oblique Allusions or References: Prufrock quotes,
paraphrases, or cites historical or fictional persons, places, things,
or ideas. Some of his references are easy to fathom. For example, everyone
with a modicum of education knows who Michelangelo was (Line 14). Other
references are difficult to fathom. For example, few readers realize that
To Have Squeezed the Universe into a Ball (Line 92) is a variation
of a line written by poet Andrew Marvell (1621-1678). In his use of allusions,
Eliot apparently wanted to show that Prufrock was well read and retained
bits and pieces of what he read in his memory, like all of us.
Use
of Repetition
Eliot repeats certain words
and phrases several or many times, apparently to suggest the repetition
and monotony in Prufrock's life. Notice, for example, how often he begins
a line with And–20 times. He also repeats other words as well as
phrases and clauses, including the following:
Let us go
In the room the women come
and go talking of Michelangelo
There will be time
Do I dare
Should I presume
I have known
Would it have been worth
it
Figures
of Speech: Examples From the Poem
Simile: Lines 2-3
When
the evening is spread out against the sky
Like
a patient etherised upon a table
(Prufrock uses like
to compare the evening to a patient)
Personifications, Simile:
Lines 8-9
Streets
that follow like a tedious argument
Of
insidious intent
(Personification 1: Streets
become persons because they follow. Personification 2: An argument becomes
a person because it has insidious intent. Simile: Use of like to
compare streets to an argument)
Metaphor: Lines 15-22
Yellow fog and yellow smoke
are both compared to a living creature. It is obvious that the creature
is a cat. (It licks its tongue, leaps, and curls up.) /
Metaphor: Line 51
I
have measured out my life with coffee spoons
(Life is compared to coffee.)
Alliteration
Lines
20-21: Slipped
by the terrace, made a sudden
leap,
And seeing
that it was a soft
October night,
Line 34: Before the taking
of a toast
and tea
Line 56: fix
you in a formulated
phrase)
Line 58: When
I am pinned and wriggling on the wall
Metaphor: Line 58
When
I am pinned and wriggling on the wall
(Prufrock compares himself
to an insect preserved for display in a collection)
Personification/Metaphor:
Line 75
And
the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
(Personification: The evening
is a sleeping person; Metaphor: The evening is compared to a person.)
Anaphora (Lines 91-94)
To
have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To
have squeezed the universe into a ball
To
roll it toward some overwhelming question,
To
say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead
(For a definition of anaphora,
see Literary Terms.)
Hyperbole and Metaphor: Lines
92-93
To
have squeezed the universe into a ball
To
roll it toward some overwhelming question
(Hyperbole and Metaphor:
The universe becomes a ball that is rolled.)
Publication
Eliot
published "Prufrock" in Poetry magazine in 1915 and then in a collection
of his poems, Prufrock and Other Observations, in 1917.
Study
Questions and Essay Topics
-
Are such vapors as yellow fog
and yellow smoke (Lines 15-16) apt metaphors for a cat?
-
Does the month of the year,
October (Line 21), mean that the speaker is running out of time to make
something of his life or to find the right woman?
-
Prufrock says he sees lonely
men leaning out of windows? How does Prufrock know they are lonely? Is
it possible that he misinterprets their state of mind?
-
T.S. Eliot believed that readers
should interpret a poem without attempting to link it to the life of the
author or to cultural or social conditions at the time the author wrote
the poem. In other words, a poem should stand on its own. Write an argumentative
essay that defends or opposes Eliot's position. Include in your essay opinions
of other authors, as well as literary critics, on this subject.
-
Do you believe Prufrock suffers
from a psychological affliction, such as paranoia, depression, or obsessive-compulsive
disorder? Explain your answer.
-
Write an essay that attempts
to fathom Prufrock's psyche.
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