Pandarus
Pandarus,in classical legend, a son of Lycaon who assisted the Trojans in their war against the Greeks. The role that he plays in Chaucer 's and Shakespeare's stories of Troilus and Criseyde (Cressida) was the invention of Boccaccio in his Filostrato (where he is called Pandaro; see N. R. Havely , Chaucer's Boccaccio, 1980 ). In Boccaccio he is the cousin of Cressida, presumably much the same age as her and Troilus; Chaucer strikingly changes him from her cousin to her uncle and guardian, for reasons that are not entirely clear but whose effect is to increase the sense of irresponsibility towards her in arranging their love affair. His role plays a striking part in the atmosphere of sourness in which the events of Shakespeare's play occur. The word ‘pander’ (as Shakespeare says: v. x. 34) derives from his role as go-between for Troilus and Criseyde.
[The entire page is 150 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
