Becket

Becket repeatedly whistles a marching song offstage. Audiences first hear him whistling a “gay, ironical Scottish marching song” (3) during the transition from the first scene to the flashback. He does so again just before entering the camp in Act II, and then he whistles an “old English marching song” (64) as he changes into his monk’s robe at the end of Act II. The whistled tune suggests Becket’s cheerful, gallant nature at the beginning of the play as a man of politics and war, then his cool nonchalance and devotion to duty after becoming a man of God. The marching tune serves as a link between Becket’s secular and sacred careers, indicating that even as archbishop he sees himself as a “soldier” in the service of a higher cause. 

In Act I, Becket tells the King that he has bought golden dishes from Italy for use at his dinner table. He explains that he is “setting a new fashion” (6) and asks the King to “christen” the new dishes for him. The dishes, more expensive than the ones the King himself uses, symbolize Becket’s life of luxury and pleasure. Later, after becoming archbishop, Becket sells the dishes and reverts to wooden platters and earthenware bowls, which he uses to serve food to beggars at his home.