Female Power in 'A Game of Chess'

I know, I know, the titled of this post is a little Oxymoron. But that was intentional. Throughout T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland" we see themes and motifs that tie together the 5 sections that differ so much in format and tone. One such motif is female power. The motif itself is sometimes tied to the theme "the becoming of female power in a wasteland created by men" as well as "the loss of female power". In the second section, A Game of Chess, this motif is explored in depth, representing both themes.

A description of a woman on 'throne-like' furniture, the opening of the section, is a reference to a historic female ruler Dido, who was known for acting on emotion and passion. However, many regarded Dido as 'act of control', 'unstable'. After a description of her luxurious furnishing, the attention of the poem is turned to the 'Unstoppered' perfumes. Not only does dowsing herself in perfume (used to hide odors) enforce the motif of 'false reality, unreal', it is transforming this queen-like figure into a more desperate, sadder, entity.

Again, the poem is turned to decour. This time to a wooden mantel. Specific references to water ('sea-wood', 'dolphin swam') are reminicent of "Ophelia", a great female character of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" who lost her life drowning.

References of nighten-gales begin appearing. Traditionally the song of this bird was sad, and of lament, as it was often associated with rape of revenge.

The female entity has become a wasteland, trapped like a piece in a game of chess.