References within the poem

Throughout the poem there are many historical, literary and historical references that T. S. Eliot has woven in to the text. Some of these I did not understand and/or recognise; therefore I did some research on them so I could attain a greater understanding of the poem and therefore be able to interpret it better with regards to performance.

The first reference which I didn’t understand and have previously researched was the Italian that opens the poem. This is in fact a reference to Dante’s Inferno, and the possible reasons for this are explored in a previous post.

I am not particularly in to art and although I was aware that Michelangelo was a famous artist, I had no idea from when or any information regarding him. I did some brief research so I could better understand the repeated phrase: “In the room the women come and go talking of Michelangelo.” Michelangelo Buonarroti was born on 6 March 1475 in Caprese near Florence in Italy. At just thirteen he was apprenticed to the artist Domenico Ghirlandaio and all throughout his life he was commissioned important projects even including the tomb of Pope Julius II. He died in Rome on 18 February 1564.

I am not sure why this is included in the poem but it must be of some importance as the line is repeated more than once throughout Prufrock. From my research it seems that some theories are that it refers to a location in the poem as well as Prufrock’s attempts to reach out of his own mind and explore greater things in the universe. One source related this to Michelangelo’s painting “The creation of Adam” which is located on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

T. S. Eliot also refers to Lazarus, who after research, I learned was a Biblical character that Jesus brought back to life after he had been laid to rest in a tomb. The reference is in line 94: “To say: ‘I am Lazarus, come from the dead, come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all.’” The stanza includes the juxtaposition of insignificant things such as “cups, the marmalade, the tea” and the importance and historical significance of people like Lazarus.