-->
-
Troilus and Cressida is a play by William Shakespeare considered to be one of his "problem plays."
-
Fast Facts
- Writer: William Shakespeare
- Setting: Seventh year of the Trojan War
- Written: 1602
- Primary source: Troilus and Criseyde by Chaucer
- Entered into Stationers' Register: February 7, 1603
- ISBN 978-1903436691
- No recorded performance during Shakespeare's lifetime or between 1734 and 1898
- Gained popularity during the 1960s as discontent over the Vietnam War grew
- Ran for 14 performances on Broadway in 1956-1957
-
Characters
- Troilus: Son of Priam, King of Troy
- Cressida: Love of Troilus, daughter of Calchas, a traitorous Trojan Priest
- Diomedes: A Greek prince
- Nestor: wise and talkative prince of Greece
- Ulysses: aka Odysseus, Greek hero and king of Ithaca
- Achilles: Hero of Greece, the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad
- Hector: Son of Priam, King of Troy, Greatest Trojan fighter
- Agamemnon: King of the Greeks and leader of the invasion on Troy.
-
Synopsis
The story's eponymous characters, Prince Troilus and Cressida, the daughter of a Trojan traitor, consummate their undying love for each other, only to have their relationship cut short when Cressida is exhanged for a Trojan prisoner of war. When Troilus attempts to visit Cressida in the Greek camp, he witnesses Diomedes flirting with his beloved and decides to avenge her betrayal. This however account for a very small portion of the play. The majority of the story revolves around the leaders of the Greek and Trojan forces and their attempts to get the proud Achilles to return to battle and face the Trojan prince, Hector. -
Famous Quotes
- "Words pay no debts." 3.2
- "Idol of idiot worshippers!" 5.1
- "I have had my labour for my travail." 1.1
- "He has not so much brain as ear-wax." 5.1
- "Perseverance, dear my lord, keeps honour bright." 3.3
- "Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart." 5.3
- "The baby figure of the giant mass of things to come." 1.3
-
Problem Play
The term "Problem Play" was coined by critic F. S. Boas to describe plays in which the resolution of the themes and debates seems inadequate and, in the final act, the deliverance of justice and completion one expects does not occur. Other definitions have been proposed since, however all center around the issue that these plays cannot be easily assigned to the traditional categories of comedy or tragedy. Troilus and Cressida is not a conventional tragedy, since its protagonist does not die, ending instead on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus and Cressida. -
-
Related Mahalo Pages
William Shakespeare | Othello, The Moor of Venice | Macbeth | Titus Andronicus | Julius Caesar | Antony and Cleopatra | Timon of Athens | Coriolanus | Hamlet | Cymbeline | Romeo and Juliet | All's Well That Ends Well | As You Like It | The Comedy of Errors | Love's Labours Lost | Measure for Measure | The Merry Wives of Windsor | The Merchant of Venice | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Much Ado About Nothing | Pericles, Prince of Tyre | The Taming of the Shrew | The Tempest | Twelfth Night | The Two Gentlemen of Verona | The Winter's Tale | Cymbeline
- View History
- Discuss on the Message Board
- Embed this Page
-
Share this page
-
-
The Mahalo Top 7
-
Cummings Study Guides: Troilus and Cressida Study Guide
cummingsstudyguides.net -
Mark Catt: A Study of Word-meaning in "Troilus and Cressida" 1997
extra.shu.ac.uk -
SparkNotes: Troilus and Cressida Study Guide
sparknotes.com -
Wikipedia: Troilus and Cressida
en.wikipedia.org -
GradeSaver: Troilus and Cressida Major Themes
gradesaver.com -
Project Gutenberg: Troilus and Cressida Downloadable Full Text
gutenberg.org -
YouTube: Reduced Shakespeare Company Troilus and Cressida (Time 5.50)
Crystal-very funny parody!
youtube.com
-
Cummings Study Guides: Troilus and Cressida Study Guide
-
-
Troilus and Cressida on Twitter Powered by Twitter
-
Shakespearean insult of the moment: "Thou map of woe!" (Troilus and Cressida)
@redgonewrong | November 13, 2009 08:55 PM -
Hmm. It appears that I remember precious little from Troilus and Cressida.
@darenchapin | November 13, 2009 02:55 PM -
@The_Globe "Where are my tears? rain, to lay this wind, or my heart will be blown up by the root." (Troilus and Cressida, IV, 4)
@markus1105 | November 13, 2009 12:39 PM -
It's all about Troilus and Cressida at the moment - we're basing our Great Shakespearean Workout on it ... more details to follow
@1623theatre | November 10, 2009 10:26 PM -
-
-
Troilus and Cressida on Amazon | View All
-
Troilus and Cressida (Signet Classics) - $5.95
This New Revised Signet Classic edition of Troilus and Cressida features a comprehensive stage history by Barbara Bowen, a general discussion of Shakespeare's life, world and theater, and newly added dramatic criticism by William Empson and...
Amazon -
Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare. Published by MobileReference (mobi) - $0.99
This is an electronic edition of the complete book complemented by author biography. This book features the table of contents linked to every act and scene. The book was designed for optimal navigation on the Kindle, PDA, Smartphone, and ot...
Amazon -
Troilus and Cressida (The Oxford Shakespeare; Oxford World's Classics) - $10.95
Given the wealth of formal debate contained in this tragedy, Troilus and Cressida was probably written in 1602 for a performance at one of the Inns of the Court. Shakespeare's treatment of the age-old tale of love and betrayal is based on ...
Amazon -
The History of Troilus and Cressida - $35.99
Offers a complete edition of the play. Each volume in the series has been prepared from the original texts and includes an introduction, a list of further reading, a full and commentary, and a short account of the textual problems of the pl...
Amazon -
Troilus and Cressida (Folger Shakespeare Library) - $5.99
FOLGER Shakespeare LibraryThe world's leading center for Shakespeare studies<P>Each edition includes:Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the playFull explanatory notes c...
Amazon
-
-
Ask a Question about Troilus and Cressida 140 characters
-
Troilus and Cressida in TV and Films
- Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.
- 1981: Troilus & Cressida (TV)
- 1966: Troilus and Cressida (TV)
- 1954: Troilus and Cressida (TV)
-
Troilus and Cressida Merchandise
- eBay.com: Troilus and Cressida Related Merchandise
- CafePress: Troilus And Cressida Printed Merchandise
- Amazon.com: Troilus and Cressida Related Merchandise
- Google Product Search: Troilus and Cressida Related Merchandise
- This page was created by Crystal Arcand, a Part Time Guide in the Mahalo Greenhouse (see the original), and curated by Ray Manukay.
- If you'd like to help us create the best spam free search results on the Internet, apply to be a Part Time Guide!</em>
