Troilus and Criseyde - wikipedia Troilus and Criseyde For the Shakespeare play, see Troilus and Cressida. Chaucer reciting Troylus and Criseyde : early 15th - century manuscript of the work at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Troilus and Criseyde ( / ˈtrɔɪləs... ˈkrɛsɪdə / ) is an epic poem by Geoffrey Chaucer which re-tells in Middle English the tragic story of the lovers Troilus and Criseyde set against a backdrop of war during the Siege of Troy. It was composed using rime royale and probably completed during the mid 1380s. Many Chaucer scholars regard it as the poet 's finest work. As a finished long poem it is more self - contained than the better known but ultimately unfinished Canterbury Tales. This poem is often considered the source of the phrase : `` all good things must come to an end '' ( 3.615 ). Although Troilus is a character from Ancient Greek literature, the expanded story of him as a lover was of Medieval origin. The first known version is from Benoît de Sainte - Maure 's poem Roman de Troie, but Chaucer 's principal source appears to have been Boccaccio who re-wrote the tale in his Il Filostrato. Chaucer attributes the story to a `` Lollius '' ( whom he also mentions in The House of Fame ), although no writer with this name is known. Chaucer 's version can be said to reflect a less cynical and less misogynistic world - view than Boccaccio 's, casting Criseyde as fearful and sincere rather than simply fickle and having been led astray by the eloquent and perfidious Pandarus. It also inflects the sorrow of the story with humour. The poem had an important legacy for later writers. Robert Henryson 's Scots poem The Testament of Cresseid imagined a tragic fate for Criseyde not given by Chaucer. In historical editions of the English Troilus and Criseyde, Henryson 's distinct and separate work was sometimes included without accreditation as an `` epilogue '' to Chaucer 's tale. Other texts, for example John Metham 's Amoryus and Cleopes ( c. 1449 ), adapt language and authorship strategies from the famous predecessor poem. Shakespeare 's tragedy Troilus and Cressida, although much blacker in tone, was also based in part on the material. Troilus and Criseyde is usually considered to be a courtly romance, although the generic classification is an area of significant debate in most Middle English literature. It is part of the Matter of Rome cycle, a fact which Chaucer emphasizes. Contents 1 Characters 2 Synopsis 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External links Characters Achilles, a Greek warrior Antenor, a soldier held captive by the Greeks, traded for Criseyde 's safety, eventually betrays Troy Calchas, a Trojan prophet who joins the Greeks Criseyde, Calchas ' daughter Diomede, woos Criseyde in the Greek Camp Helen, wife to Menelaus, lover of Paris Pandarus, Criseyde 's uncle, who advises Troilus in the wooing of Criseyde Priam, King of Troy Cassandra, Daughter of Priam, a prophetess at the temple of Apollo Hector, Prince of Troy, fierce warrior and leader of the Trojan armies Troilus, Youngest son of Priam, and wooer of Criseyde Paris, Prince of Troy, lover of Helen Deiphobus, Prince of Troy, aids Troilus in the wooing of Criseyde Synopsis Calchas, a soothsayer, foresees the fall of Troy and abandons the city in favour of the Greeks ; his daughter, Criseyde, receives some ill will on account of her father 's betrayal. Troilus, a warrior of Troy, publicly mocks love and is punished by the God of Love by being struck with irreconcilable desire for Criseyde, whom he sees passing through the temple. With the help of sly Pandarus, Criseyde 's uncle, Troilus and Criseyde begin to exchange letters. Eventually, Pandarus develops a plan to urge the two into bed together ; Troilus swoons when he thinks the plan is going amiss, but Pandarus and Criseyde revive him. Pandarus leaves, and Troilus and Criseyde spend a night of bliss together. Calchas eventually persuades the Greeks to exchange a prisoner of war, Antenor, for his daughter Criseyde. Hector, of Troy, objects ; as does Troilus, although he does not voice his concern. Troilus speaks to Criseyde and suggests they elope but she offers a logical argument as to why it would not be practical. Criseyde promises to deceive her father and return to Troy after ten days ; Troilus leaves her with a sense of foreboding. Upon arriving in the Greek camp, Criseyde realizes the unlikeliness of her being able to keep her promise to Troilus. She writes dismissively in response to his letters and on the tenth day accepts a meeting with Diomede, and listens to him speak of love. Later, she accepts him as a lover. Pandarus and Troilus wait for Criseyde : Pandarus sees that she will not return and eventually Troilus realizes this as well. Troilus curses Fortune, even more so because he still loves Criseyde ; Pandarus offers some condolences. The narrator, with an apology for giving women a bad name, bids farewell to his book, and briefly recounts Troilus 's death in battle and his ascent to the eighth sphere, draws a moral about the transience of earthly joys and the inadequacy of paganism, dedicates his poem to Gower and Strode, asks the protection of the Trinity, and prays that we be worthy of Christ 's mercy. References Jump up ^ Hornstein, Lillian Herlands ( 1948 ). `` Petrarch 's Laelius, Chaucer 's Lollius ? ''. Publications of the Modern Language Association of America. Modern Language Association. 63 ( 1 ) : 64 -- 84. JSTOR 459407. Jump up ^ Richard Utz, `` Writing Alternative Worlds : Rituals of Authorship and Authority in Late Medieval Theological and Literary Discourse. '' In : Creations : Medieval Rituals, the Arts, and the Concept of Creation. Ed. Sven Rune Havsteen, Nils Holger Petersen, Heinrich W. Schwab, and Eyolf Østrem. Turnhout : Brepols, 2007, pp. 121 -- 38. Jump up ^ C.S. Lewis, Selected Literary Essays, pp. 30 -- 31, Cambridge : Cambridge UP, 1969. Jump up ^ Scene outline of Chaucer 's Troilus, by Donald R. Howard & James Dean, eds., Signet edition, 1976. Jump up ^ Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer Further reading Boitani, Piero and Jill Mann. The Cambridge Companion to Chaucer. 2nd ed. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2003. Brown, Peter, ed. A Companion to Chaucer. Oxford : Blackwell, 2000. Chaucer, G. Troilus and Criseyde. Project Gutenberg. Dinshaw, Carolyn. Chaucer 's Sexual Poetics. Madison : University of Wisconsin Press, 1989. Garrison, John, `` One Mind, One Heart, One Purse : Integrating Friendship Traditions and the Case of Troilus and Criseyde, '' in Medievalia et Humanistica 36 ( 2010 ), p. 25 -- 48. Hansen, Elaine Tuttle. Chaucer and the Fictions of Gender. Berkeley : University of California Press, 1992. Mann, Jill. Feminizing Chaucer. 2nd ed. Rochester, NY : D.S. Brewer, 2002. McAlpine, Monica. The Genre of Troilus and Criseyde. Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 1978. Patterson, Lee. Chaucer and the Subject of History. Madison : University of Wisconsin Press, 1991. Robinson, Ian. Chaucer and the English Tradition. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1972. Robinson, Ian. Chaucer 's Prosody : A Study of the Middle English Verse Tradition. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1971. Strohm, Paul. Social Chaucer. Cambridge : Harvard University Press, 1989. Wallace, David. Chaucerian polity : Absolutist Lineages and Associational Forms in England and Italy. Stanford : Stanford University Press, 1997. External links Wikisource has original text related to this article : Troilus and Criseyde Chaucer, Geoffrey. Troilus and Criseyde via The Medieval and Classical Literature Library. Troilus and Criseyde, UK : BBC. `` Modern Prose Translation of and Other Resources on Troilus and Criseyde '', eChaucer, Maine. Kline, AS, Modern English Version, Poetry in Translation. Geoffrey Chaucer Works The Canterbury Tales General Prologue The Knight 's Tale The Miller 's Tale The Reeve 's Tale The Cook 's Tale The Man of Law 's Tale The Wife of Bath 's Tale The Friar 's Tale The Summoner 's Tale The Clerk 's Tale The Merchant 's Tale The Squire 's Tale The Franklin 's Tale The Physician 's Tale The Pardoner 's Tale The Shipman 's Tale The Prioress 's Tale Sir Thopas The Tale of Melibee The Monk 's Tale The Nun 's Priest 's Tale The Second Nun 's Tale The Canon 's Yeoman 's Tale The Manciple 's Tale The Parson 's Tale Chaucer 's Retraction Other works The Romaunt of the Rose The Book of the Duchess The House of Fame Anelida and Arcite The Parliament of Fowls Boece Troilus and Criseyde The Legend of Good Women A Treatise on the Astrolabe Spurious The Cuckoo and the Nightingale The Complaint of the Black Knight The Floure and the Leafe Pierce the Ploughman 's Crede Jack Upland Tales The Tale of Gamelyn Prologue and Tale of Beryn The Plowman 's Tale The Pilgrim 's Tale Language and Texts Rhyme royal Heroic couplet English words first attested in Chaucer MSS Tradition Order of The Canterbury Tales Hengwrt Chaucer Ellesmere Chaucer Harley MS. 7334 Adam Pinkhurst Scribe D Related Chaucer 's influence on fifteenth - century Scottish literature Influence of Italian humanism on Chaucer Philippa Roet ( wife ) Katherine Swynford ( wife 's sister ) Thomas Chaucer ( son ) Alice de la Pole ( granddaughter ) William Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet Characters Romeo Juliet Mercutio Tybalt Benvolio Friar Laurence Nurse Paris Rosaline Queen Mab Atomy Sources The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet Pyramus and Thisbe Palace of Pleasure Troilus and Criseyde Ballets Romeo and Juliet ( 1938, Prokofiev ) Romeo and Juliet ( 1962, Cranko ) Romeo and Juliet ( 1965, MacMillan ) Romeo and Juliet ( 1977, Nureyev ) Romeo and Juliet ( 1965, Lavery ) Radio and Juliet ( 2005 ) Romeo + Juliet ( 2007, Martins ) Romeo and Juliet ( 2008, Pastor ) Operas Romeo und Julie ( 1776, Benda ) Giulietta e Romeo ( 1796, Zingarelli ) Giulietta e Romeo ( 1825, Vaccai ) I Capuleti ei Montecchi ( 1830, Bellini ) Gloria ( 1874, Cilea ) Roméo et Juliette ( 1867, Gounod ) A Village Romeo and Juliet ( 1907, Delius ) Romeo und Julia ( 1940, Sutermeister ) Romeo und Julia ( 1943, Blacher ) Musicals The Belle of Mayfair ( 1906 ) West Side Story ( 1957 ) Once on This Island ( 1990 ) Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour ( 2001 ) Giulietta e Romeo ( 2007 ) Classical Beethoven 's String Quartet No. 1 ( c. 1800 ) Roméo et Juliette ( 1839, Berlioz ) Romeo and Juliet ( 1870, Tchaikovsky ) On screen 1900 1908 1916 Metro Pictures 1916 Fox 1936 1940 1953 1954 1955 1964 1968 1978 ( TV ) 1992 ( TV ) 2006 2013 Film adaptations English Beneath the 12 - Mile Reef ( 1953 ) Romanoff and Juliet ( 1961 ) West Side Story ( 1961 ) Gonks Go Beat ( 1965 ) Lonesome Cowboys ( 1968 ) Romie - 0 and Julie - 8 ( TV ; 1979 ) The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet ( 1982 ) Valley Girl ( 1983 ) Bullies ( 1986 ) China Girl ( 1987 ) Romeo. Juliet ( 1990 ) Tromeo and Juliet ( 1996 ) Love Is All There Is ( 1996 ) Rose by Any Other Name... ( 1997 ) The Lion King II : Simba 's Pride ( 1998 ) Shakespeare in Love ( 1998 ) The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns ( 1999 ) Romeo Must Die ( 2000 ) Brooklyn Babylon ( 2001 ) Pizza My Heart ( TV ; 2005 ) West Bank Story ( 2005 ) Life and Lyrics ( 2006 ) Romeo & Juliet : Sealed with a Kiss ( 2006 ) Rome & Jewel ( 2006 ) David & Fatima ( 2008 ) The Cross Road ( 2008 ) Vicious Circle ( 2008 ) Gnomeo & Juliet ( 2011 ) Private Romeo ( 2011 ) Warm Bodies ( 2013 ) Make Your Move ( 2013 ) Romeo & Juliet ( 2013 ) Hindi Ek Duuje Ke Liye ( 1981 ) Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak ( 1988 ) Saudagar ( 1991 ) Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein ( 2002 ) Bollywood Queen ( 2002 ) Ishaqzaade ( 2012 ) Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram - Leela ( 2013 ) Issaq ( 2013 ) Telugu Maro Charitra ( 1978 ) Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi ( 1996 ) Kalisundam Raa ( 2000 ) Maro Charitra ( 2010 ) Spanish Romeo and Juliet ( 1940 ) Los Tarantos ( 1963 ) 30 : e november ( Swedish / Spanish 1995 ) Amar te duele ( 2002 ) Italian Fury of Johnny Kid ( 1967 ) Ma che musica maestro ( 1971 ) Portuguese Mônica e Cebolinha : No Mundo de Romeu e Julieta ( 1979 ) O Casamento de Romeu e Julieta ( 2005 ) Other Ambikapathy ( Tamil 1937 ) Les amants de Vérone ( French 1949 ) Romeo, Juliet and Darkness ( Czech 1960 ) The Phantom Lover ( Mandarin 1995 ) Chicken Rice War ( Cantonese / English 2000 ) Ondagona Baa ( Kannada 2003 ) Mamay ( Ukrainian 2003 ) The District ! ( Hungarian 2004 ) In Fair Palestine : A Story of Romeo and Juliet ( 2006 ) The Bubble ( Hebrew / Arabic 2006 ) Priyatama ( Marathi 2014 ) Arshinagar ( Bengali 2015 ) Eeda ( Malayalam 2017 ) The Sea Prince and the Fire Child ( Japanese 1981 ) TV series Sons and Daughters ( 1982 ) Family and Friends ( 1990 ) Villa Quintana ( 1995 ) Yo amo a Paquita Gallego ( 1998 ) Skin ( 2003 ) A Touch Away ( 2006 ) Dangerous ( 2007 ) Romeo × Juliet ( 2007 ) Romeo y Julieta ( 2007 ) Saints & Sinners ( 2007 ) Harina de otro costal ( 2010 ) Villa Quintana ( 2013 ) Westside ( 2013 pilot ) Star - Crossed ( 2014 ) Still Star - Crossed ( 2017 ) Plays Romanoff and Juliet ( 1956 ) Romeo and Juliet ( 2013 ) Songs Lan và Điệp ( 1930s ) `` Montagues and Capulets '' ( 1935 ) `` Fever '' ( 1956 ) Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet ( 1968 ) `` ( Do n't Fear ) The Reaper '' ( 1976 ) `` Angelo '' ( 1978 ) `` Romeo and Juliet '' ( 1978 ) `` Romeo and Juliet '' ( 1981 ) `` Cherish '' ( 1989 ) `` Amor Prohibido '' ( 1994 ) `` Kissing You '' ( 1996 ) `` Exit Music '' ( 1997 ) `` Starcrossed '' ( 2004 ) `` Peut - être toi '' ( 2006 ) `` Mademoiselle Juliette '' ( 2007 ) `` Love Story '' ( 2008 ) `` Love Me Again '' `` Laal Ishq '' `` Mor Bani Thanghat Kare '' `` Nagada Sang Dhol '' `` Ram Chahe Leela '' ( 2013 ) Albums Romeo and Juliet ( 1968 ) Romeo + Juliet ( 1996 ) Romeo & Julia ( 2006 ) Tragic Lovers ( 2008 ) Literature Les Chouans The Wandering Jew ( 1844 ) The Stolen Dormouse ( 1941 ) The Faraway Lurs ( 1963 ) Romiette and Julio ( 2001 ) New Moon ( 2006 ) Warm Bodies ( 2010 ) Art Romeo and Juliet : the Tomb Scene ( 1790 ) Romeo and Juliet ( 1978 ) Phrases `` Star - crossed '' `` A rose by any other name would smell as sweet '' Story within a story Nicholas Nickleby 1912 film 1947 film 1980 play 2001 film 2002 film The Picture of Dorian Gray 1910 film 1913 film 1915 film 1916 film 1917 film 1918 film 1945 film 1976 TV special 2009 film Harlequinade W Juliet `` Nothing Broken but My Heart '' Panic Button Bare : A Pop Opera `` '' Into the Light '' Bolji život The Sky Is Everywhere Pay as You Exit The White Mercedes She Died a Lady `` Moonshine River '' Rendez - vous Fame `` I Am Unicorn '' The Frog Prince Molly Smart Girls Get What They Want Tumbleweeds `` The Thief of Baghead '' The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke Prince Charming Km. 0 Phileine Says Sorry Hamateur Night `` Say You 'll Be Mine '' Into the Gauntlet Wandering Son K - On ! Foreign stories Adam Khan and Durkhanai Tum Teav Yusuf Khan and Sherbano Solomon & Gaenor Butterfly Lovers Hani and Sheh Mureed Lục Vân Tiên film Teav Aek Layla and Majnun Lovers of Teruel film Lord Saltoun and Auchanachie Ishaqzaade Other Such Tweet Sorrow Romeo and Juliet effect After Juliet `` Upper West Side Story '' ( 2012 ) Millennium Dome Show Inge Sylten and Heinz Drosihn Boys Do n't Cry My Wedding and Other Secrets Donkey in Lahore Upside Down Letters to Juliet Sherlock Gnomes Book : Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare 's Troilus and Cressida Characters Trojans Priam Hector Deiphobus Helenus Paris Troilus Cassandra Andromache Aeneas Pandarus Cressida Calchas Helen Greeks Agamemnon Menelaus Nestor Ulysses Achilles Patroclus Diomedes Ajax Thersites Myrmidons Sources Troilus and Criseyde Troy Book Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye Adaptations The Face of Love ( 1954, TV ) Troilus and Cressida ( 1981, TV ) Related Trojan War Trojan War in popular culture Achilles and Patroclus Shakespearean problem play `` Bitch '' Geoffrey Chaucer 's Troilus and Criseyde Characters Troilus Cressida Achilles Antenor Calchas Diomede Helen Pandarus Priam Cassandra Hector Paris Deiphobus Source Il Filostrato ( 12th century ) Roman de Troie ( 12th century ) Operas Troilus and Cressida ( 1954 ) Plays Troilus and Cressida ( 1602 ) Poetry `` The Testament of Cresseid '' ( 15th century ) Linguistic contributions Words first used in The Oak and the Reed `` The pot calling the kettle black '' Cowbell `` At sixes and sevens '' Related Sir Giles Goosecap `` To Her Inconstant Lover '' Il Canzoniere Amoryus and Cleopes Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Troilus_and_Criseyde&oldid=845365305 '' Categories : 1380s works 14th - century poems Adaptations of works by Giovanni Boccaccio Epic poems in English Middle English poems Poetry by Geoffrey Chaucer Troilus and Cressida Romance ( genre ) Trojan War literature Works based on Greek and Roman works Hidden categories : EngvarB from September 2013 Use dmy dates from September 2013 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Brezhoneg Français Italiano עברית Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 11 June 2018, at 09 : 18 ( UTC ). 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Question: who said all good things must come to an end
Answer: Geoffrey Chaucer