Critical Analysis

To make the most out of this poem it is important that each company member has a full knowledge of not only what it is about but also of the themes and imagery within it. Trying my best not to put my English Literature head on too much, a succinct critical analysis of the poem is important.

Although the poem’s title, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, connotes that it is one about love, it can be argued that this is not the case. The overall message is one of Prufrock’s disappointments in society; we gather that he feels it is bleak and monotonous. This is a clear theme that runs throughout, and so maybe this emptiness is something we could convey physically as a part of our performance.

Another concept the poem explores is Prufrock’s relationship with other people, in particular the opposite sex. Eliot has used a very nervous, introverted character as a focus and tool for the story, and this characterisation paired with the vacancy of his outlook on life provides a useful and versatile basis for our piece.

The epigraph comes from Dante’s Inferno and it could be said that this was put in place by Eliot to make the reader question “who they are” and what is good. It also gives the poem miserable and negative foundations; a feeling of mystery.

Eliot’s opening stanza is bleak and seedy, the description of the “half-deserted streets” and “sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells” reflecting Prufrock’s views on the place. He is snappy and seems on edge, which makes the reader feel a sense of danger and concern; the poem is not what they had expected (“Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”) However, there is the illusion of the reader being taken on a journey with “Let us go then, you and I” and this close reader-persona relationship could be echoed in an audience-actor relationship. There are many instances within the poem where Prufrock seems to ask himself questions, like an internal monologue that the audience is spying on.

Prufrock’s disagreement and disappointment with his surroundings is reiterated by later stanzas and images. For example, “yellow fog” makes the reader feel dirty and “time to murder and create” builds an extremely uninviting image and situation. Throughout, the reader is made to feel uneasy and this is something we could try and inflict upon our audience.

In my opinion the poem is rather humorous at times, despite its bleak nature, and lines such as “Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?” have a bittersweet tone. They are seemingly light-hearted comments but the reality of it is Prufrock’s regret at wasting life away and growing old. Towards the end of the poem he makes many comments about the physical troubles of ageing – “With a bald spot in the middle of my hair – (They will say: ‘How his hair is growing thin!’)” – which suggests his character is one that cares an immense amount about what other people think of him. He is insecure. Maybe insecurity and the fear of growing old, which we worked on a little during the study of Chekhov’s Three Sisters, is an aspect the company could include in the piece.

Prufrock’s stilted relationship with the woman he loves becomes even more apparent at the end of the poem, as he desperately tries to tell her of his adoration but doesn’t have the courage or confidence. “No! I am not prince Hamlet” is an exclamation of regret and confusion and it is a sad and melancholic conclusion.

He ends up weary on a beach, alone and an old man. The beach location reflects not only his being physically alone, but also psychologically, as he lost everything he could have had due to the fear of rejection and is now lost in his own mind. Eliot creates a terribly sad and reflective tone on Prufrock’s hearing the mermaids: “I do not think they will sing to me.”  The line stands alone, just as Prufrock does, and it could be seen as his final surrender to acceptance of his life being over and wasted.

Prufrock’s sadness is something that all humans can relate to, but on varying scales. We all have moments in our lives where we miss out on pursuing our desires and dreams due to fear of rejection from individuals and/or society. In the end, one could interpret the message of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock to be about the importance of living in the moment, and making the most out of our lives on earth.

There is a plethora of aspects of this poem that could inspire our piece, and this analysis has helped me better understand it as a whole.