
Troilus and Cressida
'Troilus and Cressida' Summary
Troilus and Cressida is set during the later years of the Trojan War, faithfully following the plotline of the Iliad from Achilles' refusal to participate in battle, to Hector's death. Essentially, two plots are followed in the play. In one, Troilus, a Trojan prince (son of Priam), woos Cressida, another Trojan. They profess their undying love, before Cressida is exchanged for a Trojan prisoner of war. As he attempts to visit her in the Greek camp, Troilus glimpses Diomedes flirting with his beloved Cressida, and decides to avenge her perfidy.
While this plot gives the play its name, it accounts for only a small part of the play's run time. The majority of the play revolves around the leaders of the Greek and Trojan forces, Agamemnon and Priam, respectively. Agamemnon and his cohorts attempt to get the proud Achilles to return to battle and face Hector, who sends the Greeks a letter telling them of his willingness to engage in one-on-one combat with a Greek soldier. Ajax is originally chosen as this combatant, but makes peace with Hector before they are able to fight. Achilles is prompted to return to battle only after his protege Patroclus is killed by Hector before the Trojan walls. A series of skirmishes conclude the play, during which Achilles catches Hector and has the Myrmidons kill him. The conquest of Troy is left unfinished, as the Trojans learn of the death of their hero.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1602Authors

William Shakespeare
United Kingdom
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon. The son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, he was probably educated at the King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford, where he...
Books by William ShakespeareDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

César Birotteau by Honoré de Balzac
César Birotteau is a deeply affecting story of a Parisian perfumer who rises from humble beginnings to achieve considerable success in the years follo...

Black Cat Vol. 03 No. 12 September 1898 by Various
This collection of short stories from *The Black Cat* magazine, published in September 1898, features a diverse range of tales exploring themes of lon...

Lying Lover: or, The Ladies' Friendship by Richard Steele
The play explores the consequences of Young Bookwit's deceitful and reckless behavior. He engages in fabricated love affairs, indulges in excessive dr...

Luchana by Benito Pérez Galdós
Luchana is a novel by Benito Pérez Galdós, the fourth in the third series of his *Episodios Nacionales*. It follows the adventures of Fernando Calpena...

Doctor Grimshawe’s Secret by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Dr. Grimshawe is a spider-cultivating eccentric. The central secret of the book is an all-encompassing spiders web. The central character is loosely b...

Trojan Women (Coleridge Translation) by Euripides
The Trojan Women, a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides, is a poignant portrayal of the aftermath of the Trojan War. It focuses on the sufferin...

Decameron. Parte 01 - Giornata Prima by Giovanni Boccaccio
The Decameron is a collection of 100 tales told by a group of young people who have fled Florence to escape the Black Death. The tales are full of lov...

Conscious Lovers by Richard Steele
The Conscious Lovers is a play by Richard Steele, originally written in 1722. It deals with themes of love, honor, and social duty, exploring the comp...

Faust: Der Tragödie erster Teil by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Der erste Teil der Tragödie Faust, erstmals erschienen 1808, gilt als das bedeutendste und meistzitierte Werk der deutschen Literatur. Die Handlung sp...

Frau in Weiß Band 1 by Wilkie Collins
The Woman in White follows the story of Walter Hartright, an art teacher, who becomes entangled in the lives of two sisters: the beautiful and innocen...
Reviews for Troilus and Cressida
No reviews posted or approved, yet...