The History Of European Theatre Troilus and Cressida: ‘Men prize the thing ungained more than it is’
Episode 201
‘Troilus and Cressida’, is a challenging piece by pretty much everybody’s estimation. Although it is no surprise that Shakespeare looked to the Homeric tales for his next inspiration which part of that story he chose to dramatize perhaps is and what he chose to do with it has perplexed commentators ever since. Ambiguous is the word most often used, but ultimately opinions range through ‘failure’ to ‘misunderstood’ to ‘modernistic’, and just about everything else in-between.
The early print history and dating of the play
The confusion caused by the two quarto versions and the First Folio version
The source material for the play
A brief synopsis of the play
‘Troilus and Cressida’ as a ‘problem play’
The Prologue
The play as an ensemble piece
The ignoble nature of the characters in the play
Cassandra as the voice of truth
Troilus and his view of Cressida
Is there a parallel with Romeo and Juliet?
The portrayal of Achilles and Hector
Ulysses and the ‘great chain of being’ argument
Was the play written for the Inns of Court?
Pandarus and the bitter ending to the play explained
The critical reception of the play
The performance history of the play
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