Finished: Troilus and Criseyde (Chaucer) Sad tale, beautiful writing! Chaucer wrote one of my favorite poems, Merciless Beaute, so it stands to reason that I would love, love, love his writing of Troilus and Criseyde! Written as a long poem, it is amazing how Chaucer can keep the line rhythm and rhyming words going without becoming boring or stale, and with such a wit too! And, throughout the book there were little one-liner gems that I just loved...like, when Pandarus warns Criseyde not to underestimate her wise old father:

"The wisdom of your father is admitted,
The wise may be outrun, but not outwitted".

But, alas...I get ahead of myself! To keep it simple, Troilus and Criseyde is an ill-fated love story. Troilus is the son of the King of Troy. The Trojans are in the middle of their battle with the Greeks. The Trojan prophet, Calkas, decides to switch sides and goes to offer his services to the Greeks. He leaves behind his beautiful daughter, Criseyde. Troilus is a popular, intense warrior, second only to his famous brother Hector. He usually chides his men when they fall in love and thinks they should concentrate all their efforts on winning the war. That is...until he spies Criseyde! Troilus falls instantly and passionately in love and cannot be consoled back into "normal" behavior until his trusted friend, Pandarus, who just so happens to also be Criseyde's uncle, goes to plead his case to Criseyde. At first she is reluctant to take Troilus' proclamation of love seriously, thinking he's probably just out to conquer her and leave her. But, his lamentations in a letter convince her he is sincere and so they meet. It is about a third of the way through the book before they meet one another and declare their love. Once they do...they are inseparable, and there are many, many verses expounding on their love and passion for each other. However....for a reason that's not really ever explained, their relationship must remain a secret. I didn't really understand why they couldn't just get married. After all...his brother Paris had gone over and snatched Helen and began the war!! Oh well.

Just as they are a few months into their lovely bliss, Calkas decides he'd like to have his daughter there with him in Greece. He has "foreseen" that Troy will be destroyed by the Greeks, and so begs the Greek nobility to trade a captured Trojan knight for his daughter. The King of Troy agrees to the trade, not knowing he will be sending away the love of his son's life. Troilus vows that he will die without Criseyde and they spend one last night together. He wants to take her and run away. She, however, convinces Troilus to let her go. She says she'll be able to convince her father, with trickery, to let her come back to Troy. She promises she'll be back in ten days. Of course....on the tenth day Troilus waits by the gates in lovesick forlornness, and she never comes. Criseyde had been unable to fool her father in any way, and besides....a Greek warrior named Diomede has been pleading his own love to her night and day until she finally gives in!! She laments for a brief moment about betraying her love to Troilus, but then she gives in and falls in love with Diomede. She even ::::gasp:::: gives Diomede the broach that Troilus had given her as a reminder of his love on the last night they spent together.

After a few months, and many letters to Criseyde, Troilus still holds out hope that she loves him. When his men drag in the armor of the Greek warrior Diomede, though, and Troilus spies the very broach he gave to Criseyde pinned to the armor for good luck, Troilus finally realizes that Criseyde has betrayed his love. And, rather than die on the spot as his weeping soul would have him do..he turns his despair into anger and valiantly steams ahead on the battle field killing many Greeks. He's actually looking for Diomede and wants him to die at his hand. And, even though they meet in battle a few times, Fortune never allows for either to kill the other. Troilus does die in battle at the hands of Achilles though. And, as his spirit goes up to heaven, he looks back on earth and realizes that all the material gain and earthly feelings and thoughts were nothing compared to the delight of heaven!

Though I'd be typing all day if I tried to write down all the passages I liked, here's a sample of one in particular. :-)

This is part of the initial letter that Troilus writes to Criseyde:

He called her his true lady, life and joy,
His sorrow's cure, his bliss, his heart's desire.
And all the other phrases they employ,
These lovers, as their cases may require;
Humbly at first he wrote, and, taking fire,
He tried to earn his way into her grace;
To tell it all would ask no little space.

And next he begged her with all lowliness,
Because he wrote in madness, not to chide
The audacity; he wrote under duress;
Love made him do it, or he would have died;
He begged her piteously to take his side,
And after that he said (and lied like thunder)
He was worth nothing, he was no great wonder,

And he must make allowance for his skill,
Which was but little; and he feared her so,
And argued  his unworthiness until
He turned from that to dwell upon his woe,
But that was endless, it would never go;
His truth was sworn to her and he would hold it.
He read it over and began to fold it.

And as he did his tears fell salt and wet
Upon the ruby signet which he wore;
He set it neatly to the wax, and yet
He kissed the letter a thousand times before
He made an end, and, folding it once more,
Said 'Letter, what a blissful destiny
Awaits thee now, since she will look on thee!'