CRITICISM

Adamson, Jane. “‘And that's the quarrel.’” In Troilus and Cressida, by William Shakespeare, edited by Jane Adamson, pp. 1-27. Brighton, Sussex, U.K.: Harvester Press, 1987.

Reviews the major critical debates concerning Troilus and Cressida, focusing in particular on the scholarly disagreement concerning the play's tone, spirit, and genre.

Auden, W. H. “Troilus and Cressida.” Lectures on Shakespeare. 1947. Reprint. Reconstructed and edited by Arthur Kirsch, pp. 166-80. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2000.

Offers an overview of the play, including a discussion of its technical problems, style, and characterization. Auden comments that the play transcends mere satire.

Domenichelli, Mario. “Renaissance Chivalry and ‘Handsome Death’ in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida.” In Shakespeare and Intertextuality: The Transition of Cultures Between Italy and England in the Early Modern Period, edited by Michele Marrapodi, pp. 85-99. Rome: Bulzoni, 2000.

Examines Troilus and Cressida as a philosophical study of the Elizabethan interest in the revival of chivalry.

Honigmann, E. A. J. “Shakespeare Suppressed: The Unfortunate History of Troilus and Cressida.” In Myriad-Minded Shakespeare: Essays on the Tragedies, Problem Comedies and Shakespeare the Man, second ed., pp. 112-29. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan, 1998.

Provides an account of the publication and stage history of Troilus and Cressida and comments on the play's genre and its allusions to Elizabethan political events and figures.

Jones-Davies, M. T. “Discord in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida; or, The Conflict between ‘Angry Mars and Venus Queen of Love.’” Shakespeare Quarterly 25, no. 1 (winter 1974): 33-41.

Argues that Shakespeare employed the legend of Mars and Venus and their unlawful association in crafting Troilus and Cressida, and states that the play's theme of discord is reflected in its dual plots dealing with war and love.

Kimbrough, Robert. Shakespeare's “Troilus and Cressida” and Its Setting. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1964, 208 p.

Book-length study of Troilus and Cressida concentrating on the play's theatrical beginnings; the treatment of Troy in literature and theater; the play's plot, structure, and setting; the love plot; and the war plot from both the Trojan and Greek perspectives.

Loggins, Vernon P. The Life of Our Design: Organization and Related Strategies in “Troilus and Cressida.” Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 1992, 101 p.

Analysis of the play based on its structure.

Lynch, Stephen J. “Shakespeare's Cressida: ‘A Woman of Quick Sense.’” Philological Quarterly 63, no. 3 (summer 1984): 357-68.

Discusses the function of Cressida's wit in Troilus and Cressida, illustrating the way it is shown to be both perceptive and accurate. Lynch argues that Cressida is the play's most trustworthy commentator.

———. “Hector and the Theme of Honor in Troilus and Cressida.” Upstart Crow 7 (1987): 68-79.

Challenges critics who view Hector as a model of honor. Through an examination of the character's actions, Lynch argues that Hector's behavior suggests that his conception of honor is defective in its dismissal of inherent virtue and in its ambitious seeking of public reputation.

Muir, Kenneth. Introduction to Troilus and Cressida, by William Shakespeare, edited by Kenneth Muir, pp. 1-40. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982.

Comments on Shakespeare's sources for Troilus and Cressida and surveys the themes, imagery, and satiric elements in the play.

Schwartz, Elias. “Tonal Equivocation and the Meaning of Troilus and Cressida.” Studies in Philology 69, no. 3 (July 1972): 304-19.

Contends that an understanding of the tonal fluctuations within the play is important for grasping the meaning of the play as a whole, and argues that the shifts in tone are intended to generate various but balanced emotions and attitudes. Schwartz concludes that the play presents a view of the world that is characterized by meaninglessness and chaos.

Shalvi, Alice. “‘Honor’ in Troilus and Cressida.” Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 5, no. 2 (spring 1965): 283-302.

Views the play as a philosophical examination of the Renaissance debate concerning honor and asserts that Shakespeare criticized and satirized the way honor had become, during his lifetime, a pursuit of reputation, rather than being based on a true concern for morality.

Thomas, Vivian. “The Fractured Universe: Wholeness and Division in Troilus and Cressida.” In The Moral Universe of Shakespeare's Problem Plays, pp. 81-139. London: Croom Helm, 1987.

Explores the play's treatment of the desire for unity juxtaposed with the reality of disintegration. Thomas additionally examines the way the play handles the nature of identity, the play's imagery, and the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1985-86 production of Troilus and Cressida.