Act 2 Summary

The second act of the play begins with the Priests narrating each holy day following Christmas. The day after Christmas is the Day of St. Stephen, the first martyr. The next day is the Day of St. John the Apostle. The day following that is the Day of the Holy Innocents. The priests note the events of each day, and seem to linger on the fact that Becket has always specially honored St. Stephen's day, and that at one point following Christmas, the Archbishop knelt in prayer that asked God not to visit the penalty for a specific sin on "them" – perhaps a reference to a sin of his own.

Finally on the fourth day after Christmas, four knights arrive who are determined to meet with the Archbishop. The Priests offer them the Hospitality of Archbishop Becket before they talk business, including places...