1

(1342 – 1400)

TROILUS AND CRISEYDE

ORIGIN• Troilus and Criseyde is believed to be written in between 1380- 1385/6.

•The basic background is provided by Homer’s description of Trojan war in his Iliad.

•The love story of Troilus ( a hero of Trojan war ) and Criseyde first occurs in Benoit de Sainte Maure’sRoman de Troie .

• Chief source for Chaucer- Boccaccio's II Filostrato

FEATURES• The poem Troilus and Criseyde belongs to the genre

of Courtly Romance.

• Written in the Italian phase of Chaucer’s literary career.

• 8239 lines, 5 books. The first 4 books begins with a Proemium ( a lofty invocation).

• Written in Rhyme Royal – ab ab bcc. East Midland dialect.

• Historical background of Trojan war.

• Chivalric tradition and element of mysticism.

• Combination of Romance and tragedy which anticipates Marlowe and Shakespeare.

• Chaucer dedicates the epic to his contemporaries John Gower and Strode.

• Blend of Christian and pagan elements.

STRUCTURE

Book 1 – Troilus’ love

Book 2 Love encouraged

Book 3 - The Consummation

Book 4 - The Separation

Book 5 - The Betrayal

CHARACTERS

• Calkas – a Trojan prophet who joins the greek, aware of the fall of Troy.

• Criseyde – Calkas’ daughter , a young widow.

• Troilus – Youngest son of King Priam of Troy.

• Pandarus – Criseyde’s uncle, close friend of Troilus.

• Hector – Prince of Troy, fierce warrior, leader of the Trojan armies, Troilus brother.

• Diomede – Greek warrior and king.

• Deiphebus – Prince of Troy, aids Troilus in wooing Criseyde.

• Cassandra – Troilus’ sister, a prophetess at the temple of Apollo.

• Antenor – a Trojan warrior held captive by the Greeks.

• Achilles – a warrior who kills Troilus and Hector in the battle.

BOOK 1

• Calkas’ Premonition• Foresees Troy’s Fall and flees to the Greek camp• Leaves Criseyde to wrathful citizens

• Feast of Palladium• Troilus is scornful of love and lovers• Cupid takes his revenge: Troilus is smitten with Criseyde

• Troilus Despairs• Tries to conceal his changed feelings• Admits to himself he’s in love, but has no idea what to do

• Pandarus to the Rescue• During a visit Pandarus senses distress and learns the truth• Promises to help Troilus win Criseyde• Troilus is improved by love

BOOK 2

• Pandarus’ Secret• After some teasing, reveals Troilus’ love to Criseyde• Speaks well of Troilus

• Criseyde’s Consideration• Criseyde sees Troilus in the street and is intrigued• Still indecisive

• Criseyde’s Consent• Upon hearing a song of love sung by her niece Antigone, Criseyde is swayed

to show interest in Troilus

• Meeting and Mail• Troilus writes a love letter to Criseyde and receives a positive reply• Pandarus sets up a meeting between the two

BOOK 3• Tentative Contact

• Troilus and Criseyde meet• She consents to be his lover provided her honor is unstained

• Pandarus Plots Again• By guile Pandarus gets Criseyde and Troilus together • They talk, he faints, and is tucked into bed with Criseyde

• Consummation• Troilus wakes up and their love is consummated

• Elysium… for a while• They enjoy a happy affair• Troilus is further improved by love• They are truly happy

BOOK 4

• Prisoner Exchange• Antenore, a Trojan, is captured in battle

• Calkas convinces the Greeks to trade him for Criseyde

• Manacles of Honor• The lovers hear of the trade and are at a loss

• Honor and position prevent the lovers from fleeing

• Separation Anxiety• The lovers meet the night before, dreading the dawn

• Criseyde plans to return by wit and manipulation

BOOK 5

• Abandonment• Criseyde is unable to return

• Troilus is miserable at her absence

• Betrayal• Criseyde is wooed by Diomede

• After initial resistance Criseyde is won over

• Dead Man Walking• Troilus despairs of life and joins in the battle seeking Diomede

• Troilus is killed by Achilles

• Troilus’ soul ascends to be purified and he looks down upon the earth, laughing

MAJOR THEMES

LOVE

• The ideal medieval Courtly love through the Trojan world.

• The expedient love between the victor and the vanquished, in the Greek camp.

• The diverse world of celestial love in the Eighth sphere of Heaven

FRIENDSHIP• The Middle English period gave much importance to

the concept of friendship.

• The theme of friendship motivates the actions of the central characters like Criseyde, Troilus and Pandarus.

• Towards the end , the Aristotelian concept of ‘imperfect friendship’ comes to play which wanes as it becomes mutually useless.

FREE WILL V/s PREDESTINATION

• ‘The Wheel of Fortune’

• All the characters turn out to be mere instruments in the hands of Fate.

CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVES

• The Christian and pagan ideals are compared and contrasted having a Christian narrator relating a pagan story.

• The narrator , initially in love with the concept of love, learns through the tragedy of Troilus, to focus on the enduring love of God.

• The stability of Troilus’ love gains a religious quality throughout the text.

• The poem also discusses the cardinal virtues of faith, hope and love.

SECURITY

• This theme is mainly concerned with the character of Criseyde.

• All her actions are determined by the factor of security.

• Throughout her life she searches for the security –physical, mental, social, political – in almost all levels of life.

TROILUS• An embodiment of all chivalric qualities.

• Perfectly moulded to live in ideal love.

• Stability & development of transcended love.

• A character based on the virtue of hope as a strong motivating force.

• By the end shows great capacity for tragic suffering, deepening psyche, through superior mental life.

• He leads a quasi – mystic style in love longing & reaches enlightenment at the end.

CRITICAL INTERPRETATIONS

• Psychoanalysts states that Troilus’ love for Criseyde is an auto - erotic attachment to the feminine image of himself. (Based on Jung’s concept of ‘anima’).

• The feminists reading accuses him for self-centeredness , emotional imperialism, dishonesty & treachery.

CRISEYDE• A courtly heroine.

• ‘dominated by fear’- C. S Lewis.

• Through Criseyde , Chaucer expressed the joy of human love & it’s transitoriness.

• Feminine mutability.

• She chooses solitude to meditate on matters like love, & , for her privacy is a territory of independent will.

CRITICAL INTERPRETATIONS

• Psychoanalysts doubts an incestuous relationship between Pandarus & Criseyde.

• Feminists reading supports her as a victim of circumstances.

• She is seen as a woman of self – esteem, aware of individual freedom – “I am myn owene womman” (Book 2 , 750 ).

• She is retaining the rational faculty and power to choose.

PANDARUS• The agent of the plot

• Acts as a catalyst in the love affair of Troilus & Criseyde.

• He is seen as a model of the medieval ideal friendship.

• Psychoanalysts like Beryl Rowland & Wolfgang Rudat views him as a ‘hermaphrodite.’

• Feminists question his motives in aiding Troilus to get Criseyde’s love.