Myth, Violence, and Misogyny in T.S. Eliot’s “Sweeney Erect”

Abstract

This article attempts to give a new reading to T.S. Eliot’s use of myths. It vindicates that his allusions to Greek myths, in his poem “Sweeney Erect”, is to reinforce his misogynistic views and to maintain the patriarchal traditions and ideologies. Through his reference to myths of violence, murder, and betrayal, Eliot portrays emotional life as a degeneration into savagery, primitivism, and animality. As the paper evinces, “Sweeny Erect” is one of the most misogynistic poems Eliot had written.