Betrayal of love at Troy; Troilus and Criseyde, Chaucer

 Why you might read Troilus and Criseyde?

Troilus and Criseyde is the second most well know Chaucer Poem. It is also complete which the more well-known Canatbury tales is not.

In my Self Education project, it helps to form a rounded understanding of Chaucer. It also serves as a lesson in Middle English before the pronunciation shift.

The story of Troilus and Criseyde

Troilus and Criseyde is a poem in five parts. It happens predominantly in Troy during the truce in the Trojan siege by the Greeks. It starts with the ice-cold Troilus seeing Criseyde across the room at the temple in Troy. He is smitten with her and immediately starts pining over here. She has also seen him and is also smitten. Luckily for them, her uncle who is her guardian realises this. He eventually sets up a meeting for them socially and they fall even further.

Eventually, the uncle sneaks Troilus into Criseyde's room by night. The two become lovers. Not long after this, a prisoner exchange is arranged between the two warring parties. Criseyde's father defected to the Greek side early in the war and now wants her to come to join him. So the swap includes Criseyde which she and Troilus are unhappy about. Troilus wants them to run away together. Criseyde wants to go but says she will return in ten days. In the end, things go Criseyde's way and Troilus escorts her to the Trojan lines.

Ten days come and go and Criseyde does not return. Troilus starts writing her letters but gets no reply. In this time she has fallen in love with one of the Greek warriors. Because of this, she has no intention to return to Troilus. She eventually writes him a letter telling him so, this leaves him distraught. This is where the poem chooses to end. Chaucer ends with an invocation to Christ.

Reflections on Troilus and Criseyde

I found the juxtaposition of Trojan times and events with the Chivalric people a little hard to keep straight at times. This is probably in part because as a modern reader I am dealing with two contrasting time periods being presented at once. This would have not been the case for a reader at the time of writing as they would have been living in one of them. Also as a modern reader, I am used to modern historical fiction that tries to be as true to the context and times as possible.

The betrayal itself is quite interesting. It seems that things between Troilus and Criseyde rather brief. Even though the love affair is rather intense. So it is not surprising that Criseyde falls for another in just ten days. Troilus does not even consider others even after such a short time. I wonder if these more impassioned affairs were more common in Chaucer's time. It could be just a poetic device to make life seem more intense in the story than in reality.

What others have to say about Troilus and Criseyde

"The love affair must remain secret to protect her honour; Troilus and Criseyde cannot marry because he is a prince and she is the daughter of a traitor; and nor can they leave Troy and abandon their city." From The Conversation

"Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer is widely regarded as one of his more influential works, alongside The Canterbury Tales." From English Literature

Comparisons to other texts

Like Anelida and Arcite we have a betrayal story. Troilus and Criseyde seem more of a whirlwind romance. By comparison, Anelida and Arcite seem a lot more stable as a starting place. Unlike Anelida and Arcite this is a complete poem and gives us as much of the story as Chaucer is willing to write.

Chaucer portrays women as fickle and with ever-changing allegiances. By contrast, Aristophanes in Lysistrata has women with all the power by their control over sex. He has them staying true to their plan even though it is difficult. Chaucer depicts his main character woman as weak and persuadable.

Conclusion

Troilus and Criseyde is the five-part poem where Chaucer details their romance. He portrays the woman as fickle and easily swayed while the man of the story stays true. It is quite an intense love affair between the two and just as quick it is over. Chaucer does not give us much information on how Troilus takes the rejection as he ends the poem first.

Have you read Troilus and Criseyde? If so what did you think of it? 

 
Want to read Troilus and Criseyde but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

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