The Cocktail Party

E23598

The Cocktail Party is a verse drama by T. S. Eliot that explores themes of marriage, identity, and spiritual crisis through a drawing-room comedy that gradually reveals deeper psychological and religious dimensions.

All labels observed (6)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf play
verse drama
author T. S. Eliot
award Tony Award for Best Play nomination
broadwayOpeningYear 1950
characterRole Celia Coplestone is a young woman seeking spiritual meaning
Edward Chamberlayne is a troubled husband
Lavinia Chamberlayne is Edward's estranged wife
Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly is a psychiatrist-like figure
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
criticalReception generally successful on stage
dramaticMode comedy that turns serious
dramaticTechnique mixture of social comedy and religious allegory
use of chorus-like group of guests
firstPerformanceYear 1949
form verse
genre drama
drawing-room comedy
psychological drama
religious drama
hasMotive examination of the breakdown and reconstruction of marriage
exploration of the possibility of sainthood in the modern world
influencedBy Christian theology
Eliot's own religious beliefs
Greek tragedy
language English
mainCharacter Celia Coplestone
Edward Chamberlayne
Lavinia Chamberlayne
Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly
partOf T. S. Eliot's late dramatic works
premiereEvent Edinburgh Festival
premiereLocation Edinburgh
setting London
linked to: London, England

a middle-class drawing room
structure three-act play
theme alienation
human relationships
identity
marriage
redemption
sainthood
self-knowledge
spiritual crisis
timePeriodOfWork 20th century
writer T. S. Eliot

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Referenced by (21)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

T. S. Eliot notableWork The Cocktail Party
Edward Chamberlayne appearsIn The Cocktail Party
Edward Chamberlayne firstAppearance The Cocktail Party
Lavinia Chamberlayne appearsIn The Cocktail Party
Lavinia Chamberlayne appearsInAct Act I of The Cocktail Party
linked to: The Cocktail Party
Lavinia Chamberlayne appearsInAct Act II of The Cocktail Party
linked to: The Cocktail Party
Lavinia Chamberlayne appearsInAct Act III of The Cocktail Party
linked to: The Cocktail Party
Celia Coplestone appearsIn The Cocktail Party
Celia Coplestone firstAppearance The Cocktail Party
Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly appearsIn The Cocktail Party
Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly firstAppearance The Cocktail Party
Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly appearsIn The Cocktail Party
Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly workOfFiction The Cocktail Party
Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly firstAppearance The Cocktail Party (1949 stage premiere)
linked to: The Cocktail Party
Lavinia Chamberlayne appearsIn The Cocktail Party
Lavinia Chamberlayne partOfFictionalUniverse The Cocktail Party universe
linked to: The Cocktail Party
Edward Chamberlayne fictionalUniverse The Cocktail Party
Edward Chamberlayne appearsIn The Cocktail Party
Celia Coplestone appearsIn The Cocktail Party
Celia Coplestone appearsInAct Act I of The Cocktail Party
linked to: The Cocktail Party
Celia Coplestone appearsInAct Act II of The Cocktail Party
linked to: The Cocktail Party