Troilus and Cressida
One of Shakespeare's most difficult and tonally unsettling plays, Troilus and Cressida sets a bitter love story against the futile heroism of the Trojan War. Its world is one of debased values, empty rhetoric, and futile sacrifice.
At a Glance
- Genre: Problem Play (sometimes classified as Comedy or Tragedy)
- Approximate date: c. 1601–1602
- Setting: Troy and the Greek camp
- Source: Homer's Iliad; Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde; Caxton's Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye
- Acts: 5
Dramatis Personæ
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| PRIAM | King of Troy |
| HECTOR | Troy's greatest warrior; admirable but fatally chivalric |
| TROILUS | Priam's youngest warrior son; idealistic lover; betrayed |
| PARIS | Priam's son; caused the war by stealing Helen |
| DEIPHOBUS, HELENUS | Priam's other sons |
| MARGARELON | Bastard son of Priam |
| AENEAS and ANTENOR | Trojan commanders |
| CALCHAS | Trojan priest who defected to the Greeks; Cressida's father |
| PANDARUS | Cressida's uncle; uncle of the word "pander"; arranges the lovers |
| AGAMEMNON | The Greek general; pompous |
| MENELAUS | Agamemnon's brother; Helen's cuckolded husband |
| ACHILLES | Greatest Greek warrior; sulking in his tent |
| AJAX | Greek warrior; massive, brutal |
| ULYSSES | Clever Greek; gives speech on "degree" |
| NESTOR | Old, wise Greek |
| DIOMEDES | Greek warrior; seduces Cressida |
| PATROCLUS | Achilles's beloved companion |
| THERSITES | Scurrilous, deformed Greek; bitter commentator |
| ALEXANDER | Servant to Cressida |
| HELEN | The cause of the war; frivolous, decorative |
| ANDROMACHE | Hector's wife; begs him not to fight |
| CASSANDRA | Prophetess; speaks truth no one believes |
| CRESSIDA | Daughter of Calchas; Troilus's beloved; transferred to the Greeks |
Plot Summary
Act I: Seven years into the Trojan War. Troilus languishes in love for Cressida; Pandarus promises to help. In the Greek camp, the generals debate why they cannot defeat Troy; Ulysses's speech on "degree" argues that cosmic and social order are one — disorder springs from disorder. Ajax is selected to challenge Hector, to pique Achilles's pride.
Act II: In Troy, the Trojans debate whether to return Helen. Troilus argues for honor; Hector argues pragmatically that Helen is not worth the cost — then votes to keep her anyway for honor's sake. Thersites provides scabrous commentary throughout.
Act III: Pandarus arranges the lovers' first meeting; Troilus and Cressida pledge eternal fidelity. The scene is immediately undercut by Pandarus's bawdy commentary. The Greeks arrange a prisoner exchange: Cressida (daughter of the defector Calchas) for Antenor.
Act IV: Cressida is transferred to the Greek camp. Diomedes escorts her; Troilus watches, horrified, as she immediately begins to flirt with Diomedes. She gives Diomedes Troilus's token (a sleeve).
Act V: Troilus watches, with Ulysses, as Cressida meets Diomedes and proves unfaithful. He is shattered. Achilles returns to battle after Patroclus is killed. Achilles and his Myrmidons kill Hector treacherously (he is unarmed). The Greeks do not triumph — the war simply continues, pointless and unresolved. Pandarus delivers a sour epilogue about venereal disease.
Key Themes
- The debasement of honor — the great heroes (Achilles, Ajax, Hector) are shown as vain, brutal, or foolish
- Betrayal and the nature of love — whether Cressida is a free agent or a victim of her situation is debated
- Language and empty rhetoric — speeches are eloquent but nothing is accomplished
- The futility of war — the Trojan War accomplishes nothing in the play; the ending resolves nothing
- Degree and order — Ulysses's famous speech argues for hierarchy; the play ironically shows it collapsing
Notable Quotations
"What's aught, but as 'tis valued?" *(Troilus, II.ii)*
"Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, / Wherein he puts alms for oblivion." *(Ulysses, III.iii)*
"Lechery, lechery, still wars and lechery! Nothing else holds fashion." *(Thersites, V.ii)*
LibriVox Recording
Troilus and Cressida audiobook on LibriVox — Free public domain recording. (Multiple versions available)
Cross-references
- Comedies — classified here but tonally unlike the other comedies
- Tragedies — tragic elements and no comic resolution
- Othello — jealousy and betrayal in love
- Julius Caesar — Roman-world rhetorical and political failures