• A TALE OF TWO NATIONS: CHAUCER, HENRYSON, SHAKESPEARE, TROILUS AND CRISEYDE

    Author(s):
    Murat Öğütcü (see profile)
    Date:
    2018
    Group(s):
    CLCS Renaissance and Early Modern, GS Drama and Performance, LLC Shakespeare
    Subject(s):
    Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616, Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400, English literature, Scottish literature
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Troilus and Cressida, Troilus and Criseyde, Henryson, Shakespeare, Chaucer
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/r9aq-6j47
    Abstract:
    The matter of Troilus and Criseyde had been dealt in both England and Scotland in similar yet different ways from the late 14th to the early 17th century. In Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde (ca. 1385), the conflict between worldly and heavenly love is depicted in a controversial way. Henryson’s Testament of Cresseid (ca. 1480) seems to give a Scottish, or rather Catholic, answer and afterthought to the loose ends he inherited from Chaucer. However, a new twist in the literary relation between England and Scotland occurs when the Matter of Troy is put on stage. Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida (ca. 1602) combines Chaucer and Henryson’s versions. In the former, Shakespeare merely continues the English tradition, yet in the latter, Shakespeare seems to deviate from that tradition in embracing Scottish literature at a time when England was ruled by Elizabeth I and James VI of Scotland was a strong candidate for the succession to the English throne. Thus, through the work, the unification of the two countries is maintained on a literary level, which would be maintained later also practically under the future James I of England. Thus, the Troilus and Criseyde story sheds light into the Anglo-Scottish relations and the reciprocal influence of each side on the other reflected in literature. Therefore, this paper will compare and contrast Chaucer’s, Henryson’s and Shakespeare’s dealing of Troilus and Criseyde. Keywords: Chaucer, Henryson, Shakespeare, Troilus and Criseyde, Anglo-Scottish Interactions
    Metadata:
    Published as:
    Journal article    
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    4 years ago
    License:
    Attribution
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