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Love and War in Shakespeare and Chaucer

Love and War in William Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida"

and Geoffrey Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde"

This paper explores the different treatments of the love relationship between Troilus and Cressida in William Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida" and Geoffrey Chaucer's version, "Troilus and Criseyde". Specifically, it compares the "sexualized" and warlike nature of the relationship between Shakespeare's lovers with the more romantic relationship depicted by Chaucer. In addition, it explores the connections each author makes between the lovers' relationship and the war between Troy and Greece. Finally, the paper suggests that Shakespeare may have tailored his drama to hold the interest of a live audience.

Shakespeare begins his version of "Troilus and Cressida" with a Prologue that describes the war raging between Troy and Greece. In this Prologue, there is no mention of the relationship from which the play takes its title. However, the first scene of the first act introduces the true nature of the war with which the play is concerned. In Act I, scene i, Troilus reveals that he is not really interested in his country's war with Greece. Instead, he is consumed with thoughts of his love, Cressida. Thereafter, the play concerns itself more with the war between the sexes than with the war between the two nations. Indeed, the war between the sexes soon appears to become the very reason for the war between the nations. For, in addition to the combative relationship between Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare offers other similar male-female relationships, such as the relationship between Paris and Helen.

Chaucer's version of "Troilus and Criseyde" also uses the relationship between the two lovers to explore the nature of the conflict between Troy and Greece. However, the portrayal of the lovers' relationship here differs significantly from Shakespeare's. This version portrays a relationship that clearly has more...

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Love and War in Shakespeare and Chaucer. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 10:52, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1682576.html