‘Prufrock Is Presented as an Awkward and Emasculated Character’. to What Extent Do the Metaphors in ‘the Lovesong of J.Alfred Prufrock’ Create the View of This Character?

‘Prufrock is presented as an awkward and emasculated character’. To what extent do the metaphors in ‘The lovesong of J.Alfred Prufrock’ create the view of this character?

T.S Eliot uses metaphors throughout ‘The love song of J.Alfred Prufrock to depict the protagonist as a man constantly at odds with himself and society. This piece is scattered with metaphorical phrasings that serve to present an image of an individual in emotional turmoil as he struggles to overcome his social anxiety and inability to act. Eliot uses these metaphors to convey a wide variety of Prufrocks emotions, similarly in referencing Dante’s inferno he is giving the audience an insight into Prufrock’s mental state. There is an implication that Prufrock is inviting us into his own personal hell, and throughout the poem we accompany him on his downward spiral much like Da Montelfeltro as he descends down through the nine levels of hell.
The epigraph in referencing Dante’s inferno evidently highlights Prufrock’s awkwardness. Metaphorically he is trapped within his own personal hell and trapped, exemplified by Eliot’s choice of language; the ambiguities of his metaphors are intended to be melodramatic and simultaneously distressing. Eliot relates Prufrock to Da Montefeltro as he too is confined to hell although his is a personal hell, trapped by his fears of inadequacy. Prufrock’s dramatic monologue is perhaps narrating his descent into the depths of his personal hell, much like Da Montelfeltro as descends through the nine stages. In referencing the ‘floors of the silent seas’ he is possibly suggesting mentally he has reached the lowest point of his personal hell.
By suggesting the evening is ‘spread out against the sky like a patient etherised upon a table’ Eliot depicts Prufrock’s inner emotions and emphasising his introverted personality. This use of metaphor reveals Prufrock’s state of mind, the mere thought of the evening is paralysing to him. So much so that he compares it to an...