Troilus and Cressida
99. Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida
This tragedy tells the ill-fated love story of Troilus, a young prince of Troy, and Cressida, the daughter of a Trojan priest. The action takes place at roughly the same time as the Iliad, if I remember correctly: the Greeks are encamped outside the walls of Troy, Achilles is sulking in his tent, and Greek Agamemnon and Trojan Hector are both trying to figure out how to win the war. Troilus, however, is more concerned with winning the beautiful Cressida’s heart; but no sooner do they pledge their love for each other, than Cressida is traded to the Greek camp in exchange for a noble Trojan hostage. Meanwhile, the Greeks and Trojans gear up for a climactic battle, in which a decisive blow is struck against the city of Troy.
I liked this play more than I thought I would - possibly because of taking Latin and reading the Aeneid in high school - and I’d like to read it again after brushing up on my Trojan War knowledge. Shakespeare’s take on the conflict is very interesting, and certainly different from Homer’s in some key areas! The relationship between Troilus and Cressida was fairly realistic to me; rather than being torn apart by destiny or tragic coincidences (as in Romeo and Juliet), the romance doesn’t work out because of ordinary human fickleness and the fortunes of war. There’s one absolutely amazing scene where Troilus sneaks into the Greek camp to spy on Cressida…I would love to see it acted on stage or film! Does anyone know if there’s a good movie version of this play? Anyway, I’d definitely recommend it to fans of classical history.