conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me a plot for a book about Becket, Cathedral, December entitled Murder in the Cathedral.. Start with the sentence 'Murder in the Cathedral: The action occurs between 2 and 29 December 1170, chronicling the days leading up to the martyrdom of Thomas Becket following his absence of seven years in France'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Murder in the Cathedral: The action occurs between 2 and 29 December 1170, chronicling the days leading up to the martyrdom of Thomas Becket following his absence of seven years in France.\nBecket\'s internal struggle is the main focus of the play.\nThe book is divided into two parts.\nPart one takes place in the Archbishop Thomas Becket\'s hall on 2 December 1170.\nThe play begins with a Chorus singing, foreshadowing the coming violence.\nThe Chorus is a key part of the drama, with its voice changing and developing during the play, offering comments about the action and providing a link between the audience and the characters and action, as in Greek drama.\nThree priests are present, and they reflect on the absence of Becket and the rise of temporal power.\nA herald announces Becket\'s arrival.\nBecket is immediately reflective about his coming martyrdom, which he embraces, and which is understood to be a sign of his own selfishness—his fatal weakness.\nThe tempters arrive, three of whom parallel the Temptations of Christ.\nThe first tempter offers the prospect of physical safety.\nThe second offers power, riches and fame in serving the King.\nThe third tempter suggests a coalition with the barons and a chance to resist the King.\nFinally, a fourth tempter urges him to seek the glory of martyrdom.\nBecket responds to all of the tempters and specifically addresses the immoral suggestions of the fourth tempter at the end of the first act: The Interlude of the play is a sermon given by Becket on Christmas morning 1170.\nIt is about the strange contradiction that Christmas is a day both of mourning and rejoicing, which Christians also do for martyrs.\nHe announces at the end of his sermon, "it is possible that in a short time you may have yet another martyr".\nWe see in the sermon something of Becket\'s ultimate peace of mind, as he elects not to seek sainthood, but to accept his death as inevitable and part of a better whole.\nPart II of the play takes place in the Archbishop\'s Hall and in the Cathedral, 29 December 1170.\nFour knights arrive with "Urgent business" from the king.\nThese knights had heard the king speak of his frustration with Becket, and had interpreted this as an order to kill Becket.\nThey accuse him of betrayal, and he claims to be loyal.\nHe tells them to accuse him in public, and they make to attack him, but priests intervene.\nThe priests insist that he leave and protect himself, but he refuses.\nThe knights leave and Becket again says he is ready to die.\nThe chorus sings that they knew this conflict was coming, that it had long been in the fabric of their lives, both temporal and spiritual.\nThe chorus again reflects on the coming devastation.\nThomas is taken to the Cathedral, where the knights break in and kill him.\nThe chorus laments: "Clean the air.\nClean the sky.\n", and "The land is foul, the water is foul, our beasts and ourselves defiled with blood".\nAt the close of the play, the knights step up, address the audience, and defend their actions.\nThe murder was all right and for the best: it was in the right spirit, sober, and justified so that the church\'s power would not undermine stability and state power.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me a plot for a book about Cathedral, Murder, film entitled Murder in the Cathedral.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Murder in the Cathedral (film): Archbishop Thomas Becket (Father John Groser) deals with his temptations before his murder in the Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.