A Selfish Martyr: Becket's Role in 'Murder in the Cathedral' Anonymous 11th Grade

Dying for one's belief is the most selfless act known to man. Those who die for this very reason are granted martyrdom and become respected for many generations by the descendants of the martyrs. However, if a person plans to die for his belief in order to obtain this eternal glory, he would not deserve the title of martyr and should not be granted the respect that comes with it as this would make his death a selfish one. This is the very belief that is echoed in the Murder in the Cathedral by T. S. Eliot by using the story of the death of Archbishop Thomas Becket. Becket fell for the temptation of never ending glory found only through gaining a status of martyrdom by allowing upcoming death to reach him.

Martyrdom is when one dies to protect a belief. Those who achieve this high state after death are known to be pure as they have no selfishness to be able to sacrifice themselves to protect the majority. This is the reason they must be cherished for the years that come after their passing from this world. However, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had died not to protect a belief or a group of people, but only to obtain the very respect that comes with martyrdom, even though he himself stated that “the martyr no...