PRUFROCK

• the epigraph


  Dantes inferno from the divine comedy: speaker is Guido da montefeltro who is speaking to Dante a spirit he encounters on his descent to hell. Guido assumes Dante is also dead and confines in him his sin of false counsel. Guido is then punished by being encased in flame- the flickering nature of this reflecting insubstantial, unreliable narrator of fake news. Link to poem: This suggests Prufrock is speaking from a private hell. Imagine of inhabiting depths permeates both the epigraph and the poem: depths of hell, depths of the sea. Theme of death in Lazarus allusion: he rose from the dead something both Dante and Prufrock are incapable of attributes to Prufrocks allusions to what he lacks. Sets confessional tone although Guido's sin of false counsel makes the reader question the sincerity and direction of the poem. Suggests we are being addressed- Prufrock is our Virgil like Guido was for Dante. Cautionary tale from sinners.
• First stanza- pre setting


  'Let us go then you and I'- Who is being addressed? Prufrock+ a companion, Prufrock+ the reader, Prufrock + Prufrock's psyche. Lyrical pair of lines, creates romantic atmosphere harshly undercut by line 3 'Like a patient etherised upon a table'- This line, similie has harsh imagery that breaks the romance such as modernism did to romantic convention. Patient under potent anaesthetic suggests complacency and impotence. MACABRE IMAGERY. A break in rhyme from first two lines shows the harshness of modernism. 'ether' might evoke Prufrock's addled mind, inability to act decisively. The atmosphere is also misty and constantly changing like Prufrock. Image of operating table suggests Prufrock himself is sick, psychologically or spiritually paralysed, socially unconcious. Contextually the sickness imagery links to the sickened state of youth in the early 1900s after the old romantic vocabulary was used to justify the ending of lives in the war.
• First stanza- the setting


  'muttering retreats'- muttering suggests shame or secretiveness. Retreats suggest deceit and lack of comfort. Speaker is seeing cheap versions of love, restless possibly suggesting intimacy 'muttering' 'restless' sexual connotations? Meaningless hookups. 'Sawdust restaurants'- not classy/high end 'oyster shells'- used in Elliot time as a APHRODISIAC( food to incite sexual stimulation) contributes to theme of sexual frustration. Cheap theme. 'like a tedious argument'- simile continues his metaphor of journey to hell. Argument with himself. indecision. All the setting of 'sawdust restaurants', 'cheap hotels', 'half deserted' reflect the meandering convoluted nature of his internal argument. Painting picture of long, ugly,gritty route both literal and psychological. 'Insidious intent'=treacherous, leading us, misleading us. AO5- some critics have suggested his final destination to be a whorehouse but prufrock's fear that woman he desires won't return affection makes this less likely. THE QUESTION- linked to concept of existentialism- philosophical tradition associated with authenticity and self determination. Prufrock battles with this idea he is imprisoned in his inadequate 'self'- expression of his inadequacy.
• stanza 2- women, short


  'In the room the women come and go talking of Michelangelo.'- AO3- original title of this poem was 'Prufrock among women' Prufrock presumably harbours CARNAL intent. The women he interacts with only speak of the high arts and have flighty nature suggesting a superficial comment on the renaissance. The rhyming couplet contrasts the high end dialect of the women. Allusion to Michelangelo: perhaps refers to Prufrock himself, he is 'sculpting' the persona he will adopt socially. Symbolic of the kind of desirable man that Prufrock cannot be.
• stanza 3-


  paratactic fog/cat metaphor- yellow gas is from sulfur of burning coal- evokes a smog filled dirty city- SORDID feel, portray pollution as almost seductive using sensory imagery. Ao5: Yellow gas reminder of chlorine gas? Reference to WW1- drowning at end of poem-caused internal drowning. The use of aesthetically pleasing imagery but also an acknowledgement of the fog's noxiousness suggests Prufrock's separation from his life around him. 'sudden leap' takes daring which Prufrock lacks. Use of dissonance to portray something disgusting as endearing.
• Stanza 4


  'To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet' - contrasts the elegant description of the fog, reflects social ineptitude. Metaphorical masks to make us socially acceptable. Masquerade imagery: deceit, insecurity. 'murder and create'- juxtaposing terms show Prufrock's internal dilemma possible versions of himself? repetition of 'time'- he trying to convince himself there will be time whilst also hyperfixating on ageing and therefore times passing. 'drop a question on your plate'- ao3- In Eliots time you put a calling card on a plate to see if you'd be received by the person you're looking for. 'you'- echo of 'you and I' elusive pronoun. 'Time yet for a hundred indecisions and for a hundred visions and revisions.'- suggests a constant revising of Prufrock's manufactured personality. Rhyming couplet- self referential- Eliot would revise his poems for years- indecision. STREAM OF CONCIOUSNESS Toast and tea- metonyms for social convention, domestic imagery. Bathetic anti-climax after murderous imagery 'murder and create' and 'visions' and 'revisions'. A bathetic anti climax of passivity contrasting the promise of dynamic action.
• stanza 5 -refrain


  a refrain of 'in the room where the women come and go talking of Michelangelo' - functions as an early refrain and is coming and going much like the women themselves. Roots us back in the poems meanings after Prufrock's various digressions. The women are implied to be :

  Pseudointellectual and pretentious - women told to interest themselves with domestic normality such as literature, tea, lunch to avoid becoming 'enervated
• stanza 6


  'do I dare' 'wonder' motif of indecision- filled with regret and frustration, repetition adds weight to the question. Plenty of time but his insecurity is leading time to run out. 'With a bald spot in the middle of my hair- (They will say: 'How his hair is growing thin')- PARENTHETICAL LINE- demonstrates Prufrock's self consciousness, preoccupation of others opinions. It mitigates his enjoyment of everyday life. The ridiculous fixation on 'bald spot' creates dramatic contrast between overwhelming question of life and the mundanity of domestic lives especially Prufrock's. 'My collar mounting firmly to the chin'- images of a man in armour, encased in armour of civilisation. Conveys his insecurity in outward appearance man constricted to his facade.

  'Do I dare disturb the universe'- Repetition, 'disturb the universe' is hyperbolic, laughable exaggeration contrasting his passivity.
• Stanza 7

  'measured out my life with coffee spoons'- overplayed his existence: Coffee taken during a social call his small measurement suggesting the lack of socialising Prufrock has done in his life. Coffee spoons is the smallest spoons in traditional silver service. 1/4 of a teaspoon. Doled out life in tiny, prudent, decorous doses. 'Dying' can refer to reaching orgasmic climax- archaic phrase 'little death' sexual cries? 'So how should I presume?' fundamental lack of inner courage.
• stanza 8


  'the eyes' synecdoche they are always watching, definitive article expressing generalisation. 'sprawling on a pin ' - experiment done by natural scientists for intellectual progression 'wriggling' and 'pinned'- sadism, judgement. 'Butt ends of my days and ways'- use of voiceless alveolar stops in the repetition of 't'- mimic a spitting action. Crassly anti social way of behaving contrasts his preparation for social acceptability.
• Stanza 9


  'are that are bracleted and white and bare, but in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!'- objectification of women, disconnect between idealised females and reality- Prufrock is immaturely sexual. ''shawl' image of high society life or a death shroud.
• stanza 11

  'pair of ragged claws' 'scuttling across the floors of silent seas' - crabs scuttle horizontally but never forward much like Prufrock's inability to forward . Image of speakers loneliness immersion in deep seas of fantasy. ALLUSION TO POLONIUS- 'yourself sir should be old as I am, if like a crab you could go backwards
• scene 12


  'And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully'- personification of the afternoon and evening draws sharp contrast with his own existential turnmoil- recalls sky like a patient on table. Unconscious or tired? 'strength to force the moment to its crisis' - euphemism for having an orgasm: dramatic climax or turning point.

  'wept and fasted' 'wept and prayed'- allusion to temptation of Christ in the desert as he fasted and prayed for the remission of humanity's sin.

  'Head brought in upon a platter' could symbolise rejection, refers to the biblical story of John the Baptist who was beheaded at the command of Herod.

  He alludes to people he is unlike: John the Baptist, Lazarus, Hamlet: he will never be remembered in life or death.

  'eternal footman'- symbol of death , mocked by mortality, derisive figure of death - 'snickers
• scene 13


  'universe into a ball'- hyperbole designed to leave reader speculating and leave place for anti climax and bathos mirroring Prufrock's disappointment in his lack of action. Allusion of Lazarus references epigraph as Lazarus escapes world of hell unlike Guido and Prufrock. Jesus conquers death in this story and foreshadowed Jesus's ascension and rebirth. His grand aspirations cruelly shot down by woman's casual emasculation.
• stanza 14


  Anaphora- repetition conveys monotony of encounters Use of APORIA 'It is impossible to say what I mean' shows Prufrock's struggle and by extension Eliot's.
• stanza 15


  allusion to Hamlet's soliloquy- PATHOS as hamlet is also a character famous for indecision and hesitation. However, he is a great thinker and star of tragic drama, dramatic protagonist Prufrock cannot claim this. Instead he is a mere 'attendant lord' Polinius whom Hamlet constantly mocks and is also described as a crab, he is a minor character, insignificant ( tool)

  Triple asyndetic list- 'politic, cautious, and meticulous' shows his care tragic as he remains forgettable.
• stanza 16-


  Stanza signifying a loss of hope: 'I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled'- stark contrast to 7th stanza where he speaks of formal wear. His hope is deminishing.
• stanza 17


  'I shall wear white flannel trousers'- symbolises a passive acceptance of unrequited sexuality. Colour matches his hair suggesting his age. ' I shall' a decisive statement, come to terms with his frustration?