Reshaping Of Troilus-Cressida Story

Because of its great fascination to numerous writers over the centuries, the Troilus-Cressida Story itself has become a literary tradition. This paper makes a research on the three most influential versions of it:Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, Henryson's The Testament of Cresseid, and Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida by comparing and contrasting the differences between them, exploring the reasons of these adaptations and also appreciating the resulting artistic effects.Through close text reading, the paper finds that, first of all, the adaptations the writers made are bound to the society they live in. By comparing and contrasting the heroine's interaction with Pandarus and Troilus, her role in war, and her self-reflection on betrayal, we see the rising awareness of women from the late Middle Ages to the early Renaissance—from passively accepting their inferior women position to fighting for their rights actively.A quite essential factor in this story is the model of Courtly Love. Chaucer's version is a typical embodiment of Courtly Love tradition for his perfect usage of "ennobling force of courtly love", "the superlatives", and "the monologues", which are all recurrent traits that defines middle age poems. But Chaucer also transcends this tradition by his more mature characterization, giving his characters flesh and blood in real life other than following strictly the monotonous and obsolete models. Henryson and Shakespeare's disposal of all of the recurrent traits that define tradition of Courtly Love provides an irony on it and also on the tone of the story. By following or violating this Courtly Love tradition, the writers manifest the main problem in their stories of the contradiction between the aristocratic love conventions in which woman was an exalted and powerful figure, and the social reality in which she was a totally subordinate being to be used, manipulated and taught obedience.Despite the pagan origin of the story, Christian context is obviously embedded in the three versions. The writers deliberately made the adaptations to fit into their religious thoughts and the artistic effects they want in their stories. To analyze the Christian context in the three versions is the most effective way to solve the puzzle of those various adaptations.Chaucer's story is destined to be tragic mainly because the heroes put his faith in the world and all within it which are changeable, mortal and imperfect. The Christian thought here is that the only way to return to the eternal God is to combine the earthly love and celestial love together, with the former placed in a subordinate position.In Henryson's version, the sense of Christianity seems intense thus simple to understand, but actually it requires deeper reading. Commonly perceived as crime and punishment in Critics'eyes, leprosy in this paper is considered more importantly as salvation or preparation to redemption. It is leprosy that gives Cresseid a second chance to meet Troilus after her betrayal, and in turn triggers her Epiphany:penitence and faith; and also her change in action:be responsible and active in making choices and taking actions. The importance of testament can never be exaggerated. It is in the heroine's last testament that reflects her drastic mental transform, which cleans her soul and wins her rebirth.Despite of its disharmony and chaotic social and moral orders, Shakespeare's version is none the less Christian. The spectators in Shakespeare's time knew that the Christian God stood at the top of the Great Chain of Being even though the pagan characters in the play were unaware of this. But at Shakespeare's time, God is always capricious and unpredictable, thus distant and incomprehensible in Shakespeare's version.One of the characteristics of the Renaissance is the revival of classical works. Chaucer, Henryson and Shakespeare, instead of translating or imitating the classical story of "Troilus-Cressida", adapted and reshaped it in their unique ways according to their own understanding. These adaptations and reshaping reflect the variety of the Renaissance literature, inconstancy of the time, complexity of the works themselves, and also the writers'unique artistic preference. Thus the "Troilus-Cressida" story, wearing its various costumes, is shining brightly and everlastingly, in the history of literature.One of the characteristics of the Renaissance is the revival of classical works. Chaucer, Henryson and Shakespeare, instead of translating or imitating the classical story of "Troilus-Cressida", adapted and reshaped it in their unique ways according to their own understanding. These adaptations and reshaping reflect the variety of the Renaissance literature, inconstancy of the time, complexity of the works themselves, and also the writers'unique artistic preference. Thus the "Troilus-Cressida" story, wearing its various costumes, is shining brightly and everlastingly, in the history of literature.