Courtly Love Conventions in Troilus and Creseyde Essay -- Troilus Cris

Courtly Love Conventions in Troilus and Creseyde From the beginning the reader knows that Troilus and Criseyde is both a romance and a tragedy, for if the name of the poem and the setting of doomed Troy are not enough of a clue, Chaucers narrator tells us so explicitly. This is a tale of The reiterate sorwe of Troilus to tellen, ... In lovying, how his aventures fellen Fro wo to wele, and after out of joie2 This waxing and waning of Troilus and Criseydes happiness in love allows Chaucer to explore the different manifestations of love in his contemporary society, and what the costs of winsome might be. In particular, Criseydes fear of love, and betrayal of Troilus love, raises the question who is allowed to choose to love? Yet despite the readers foreknowledge of a tragic ending, Chaucers skill is in exploring this theme, tour making the outcome of the story seem anything but fixed. He directs our responses and controls the narrative situation,3 so that we are in constant a nticipation. One scene in particular strikes me as a powerful example of Chaucers ability to evoke this feeling of uncertainty and infinite possibility suddenly coalescing into the next inevitable attempt of the plot. In a relatively short passage in Book II (lines 876-931) Criseyde makes the symbolic decision to love, despite her concerns about the power games involved with authentic or courtly love. She wex somwhat able to converte4 her fears into love of Troilus. This scene is made up of what appears to be a simple convergence of four important elements Antigones song of true love, and her certain and convincing belief in true love (as opposed to mere passion - hoot... ...Cambridge University Press, 1986) pp. 213-226. This from p. 213. 4. Benson, Book II, 903, p.501. 5. Benson, Book II, 892, p.501. 6. David Aers, Criseyde Woman in gothic Society, The Chaucer Review 13 (3) (1979), 177-200. This from p. 180. 7. Benson, Book II, 872, p. 501. 8. Benson, Book II, 874-875, p. 501. 9. Benson, Book II, 887, p.501. 10. Benson, Book II, 891, p. 501. 11. Benson, Book II, 894, p. 501. 12. Benson, Book II, 922, p. 502. 13. Aers, p. 186. 14. Benson, Book II, 922, p.502. 15. Benson, Book II, 930, p. 502. 16. Eugene Vance, Mervelous Signals Poetics, Sign Theory, and Politics in Chaucers Troilus, New literary History 10 (1979), 293-337. This from p. 328. 17. Aers, p. 180. 18. Aers, p. 181. 19. Benson, Book II, 903, p. 501. 20. Benson, Book II, 890-891, p.501.