Troilus And Cressida Research Paper

The Love Theme in Troilus and Cressida

The love theme in Troilus and Cressida is undramatic, lacks plot interest and suspense since Shakespeare was concerned with portraying characters and the sketching of their emotions. Only a sad ending is likely since the audience already knows the outline of the story, the separation of the lovers. There are characters' utterances and actions which emphasise how an ironic undertone features throughout the play especially in the first two scenes in the presentation of idealised Cressida being undercut by Pandar and by Cressida herself. The apex of the love theme in Act 3 and Act 4 portrays the fundamental fragility of Cressida and the hollow passion of Troilus. The play's riddle lies in ''Let

One can discern the impact of experience on Troilus' innocence, the shattering appearances under the revelations of truth, the disintegration of the ideal when brought in contrast with hard fact. Here one can claim that Troilus discovers the bi-fold authority of soul - as Nowottny asserts there is the reason that deals with facts and the poetic ''reason'' that deals with value. Troilus, the lover, is overcome with apathy and only when his love fails he is instigated into action. Then his action stems more from hate. He is, I think, a new Menelaus, a new Hamlet revenging over a man who has made him a

Here I hold your hand; here my cousin's say Amen ... Amen.''

He also insists on a song punning on the sexual significance of ''die''. One can contrast how the lovers converse in Act II Sc.ii in his absence with the scenes where he appears. He is specially concerned with marring Helen's beauty that seems to have thrown a bane in the camp.

The other Loves

The other love between Paris and Helen is more pictured as lust and it satiric presentation sets the mood of the whole play. During the seminar, it was said that this love had indirect influence on the ending of the love of Troilus and Cressida. Moreover, a similarity with the latter was drawn in that both men are distracted from their duties as warriors. One can also add here Achilles who is only instigated into action when his ''masculine whore'' is killed. There has also been a reference to his loss of reputation due to his love for Polyxena - when he resorts to trickery in the gang murder of mighty Hector.The love theme in Troilus and Cressida has pressures from the public world. As Hamlet's uncle believed there is ''within the very flame of love'', a power that would destroy it, that would not let it remain constant, but would grow ''to a plurisy and die in its own excess'' ( Act IV Sc. vii ), a metaphor very much like that used by Ulysses in describing passion ... '' the universal wolf that would last eat up himself ''. ( Act I Sc i