In The Waste Land, T.S. Eliot explicitly tells the reader that Tiresias is “the most
important personage in the poem, uniting all the rest.” In this paper, I would like to
examine to what extent this claim by Eliot is valid by exploring the role Tiresias plays in
The Waste Land. More specifically, I plan to research the themes of gender and sexuality
in the poem since Tiresias’ androgyny appears to be a unifying factor. As a result of my
research, I hope to be able to highlight a distinct relationship between Tiresias and the
context of the poem and tie this relationship in with Eliot’s larger themes.
My research will focus on three distinct ideas surrounding Tiresias. First off, I would
like to examine how – if at all – Therisias can simultaneously be a spectator, character,
and central personage in the play. How Therisias is each and all of these figures is a
question I would like to address and I have already targeted particular online articles
which will help me. Secondly, I would like to delve deeper into how Tiresias’ sexuality
functions in the play. I plan to look at the character of Tiresias by researching other
sources of literature where he appears and seeing what connections can be made to The
Waste Land.
Lastly, I would like to look at the text of the Waste Land to analyze Tiresias and his
relation to the context. In particular, I will focus on lines in The Fire Sermon where
Teresias is first introduced and then proceeds to watch a series of sexual trysts. Why do
we need Tiresias to be narrating this particular section? How does the style and syntax
influence Tiresias’ relation to the scenes? Could this portion have been told by an
anonymous narrator or one of the characters involved in the tryst or do we need Tiresias?
These are questions whose answers will ideally provide insight into Tiresias’ role in The
Fire Sermon and in The Waste Land overall.