The Bard's Blog (EngL 3007)

I didn't know the movie Troy came from this play. There were a few different things between the movie and the play though. For instance, Hector is killed in a duel with Achilles in the movie and not ambushed by a group like in the play. Another difference is that the play doesn't seem to have big events happen, but instead it seems something big might happen and nothing does. for example, when hector and ajax engage in a duel I thought someone was going to die but it ended up in a draw. This seemed to be an overall theme in the play, whereas the movie it seemed to be packed with big events.

Posted by Josh Kasprzyk at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

If Troilus and cressida were so in love, why did it take them so long to profess their love for one another? Cressida stated that she was in love with Troilus from the beginning but then didn't admit to until the third act. Also, why was she so upset that she had admitted to her love with Troilus? If he had already stated his feelings for her to Pandarus, then why is it such a big deal for her to admitt the same feelings. Speaking of Pandarus, was his role in this relationship taking off sort of a devil's advocate thing? was his purpose only to get the two together? and if so, how does he benefit from the relationship?

Posted by Amanda Crotty at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I thought that this play was interesting because of the unique window of time that in choose in presenting the greek and trojan war. It seems ironic that the love story this play choose to take on was that of Troilus and Cressida when the far more famous relationship was between Helen of Troy and Paris. Paris loved Helen so much that he had no choice but to steal her from her husband, Menalaus, and bring her to Troy - it was this love story that started the war. Paris would do anything to keep Helen from going to Greek hands. Yet Troilus gives away Cressida to the Greeks without a fight. It seems very ironic to me that the older brother will start a war over a woman, and the younger pretends as though he wil always be with Cressida and then when an obstacle gets in his way, he gives up and gives her to the Greeks.

Posted by Sands at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Reading this play was difficult for me. Normally, I can find a character I enjoy who can help me breathe life into the play and who then can help me interpret what I'm reading. There were so many characters in this play, it was really hard for me to dig in on the level of the characters.

Certainly there were some funny parts. I found Thersites to be a rather funny distraction from the romance and violence, if not a little out of place. There are simply so many characters and so many lines I'm sure that this play would make out well as an "ensemble piece."

When read however, I just couldn't get the players in my mind to make the play interesting. I think thematically the play operated better for me: a bleak satire about failed love affairs and inconclusive war. I had read in my textbook that this play hadn't been recorded as being played at any time during the Victorian age but has since seen a relative revival: given our modern wars and the nature of our own modern love affairs I could perhaps see why this is true.

Posted by Jordan Husney at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)