Troilus and Cressida

William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 202K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Troïlus et Cressida by William ShakespeareAuthor: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616,Language: French, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: May 4, 2006

Editor's review

Troilus and Cressida is the most intellectually probing of Shakespeare's problem plays, using the Trojan War as a shell to explore honor, love, and betrayal. There are no absolute heroes; war and desire cancel each other out, and irony coexists with bitterness. The treatment of Troilus's infatuation and Cressida's turn is cold and complex. This French edition comes from Project Gutenberg and is a public-domain electronic text, suitable as a parallel-reading or French-language practice resource. Read it as a dismantling of traditional heroic narrative, note the layers of irony in the dialogue, and watch how "value" shifts with circumstance. Those who have read the Homeric epics or Chaucer's related passages will better appreciate Shakespeare's rewrites. The electronic edition is easy to search and annotate, making it suitable for research-oriented readers to revisit key passages.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Shakespeare's problem plays and marginal tragedies
Language learners who wish to study Shakespeare in the original French or in a parallel text
Students and teachers studying the evolution of the Trojan theme and literary adaptation
Literary readers who enjoy cold irony and are unsatisfied with traditional heroic narratives

Not a good fit for

Casual readers hoping for a fulfilling love story or heroic triumph
Beginners whose French reading is not yet proficient and who need detailed annotations
Readers who only want a quick plot summary and do not wish to read the dialogue closely

Reading tips

Read through the plot once, then return to the dialogue between Cressida and Troilus and note the irony
Compare with related passages in the Homeric epics or Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde to see how the adaptation differs
When reading in French, keep pen and paper to mark unfamiliar expressions, and afterward sort out the characters' relationships and shifting positions
Use a reliable plot guide alongside to avoid confusion among the many characters and factions

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What kind of play is this by Shakespeare?

It is usually classified as a "problem play," combining features of tragedy and satirical comedy. It deals with both war and love, but neither has a conventionally happy ending; character motivations are complex and judgment is left open, so it does not fit neatly into a simple comic or tragic framework.

What level of French is needed for this edition?

The text is a public-domain electronic edition and generally has no modern annotations. It suits readers with intermediate or higher French reading ability who can use reference works to handle unfamiliar expressions and classical syntax; those with weaker French are advised to read a Chinese or English translation first and use the French edition for comparison.

Can I understand it without having read the Homeric epics?

Yes. The plot can be understood on its own, but familiarity with the traditional narrative of the Trojan War makes it easier to see how Shakespeare reverses heroic material and dismantles the language of honor. If time is limited, a summary of the Trojan War story is enough background.

What should I keep in mind when reading the electronic edition?

This version is a public-domain text released by Project Gutenberg, laid out mainly as plain text and possibly lacking clear act and scene headings. It is advisable to mark acts, scenes, and characters yourself, use the search function to revisit key dialogue, and consult a print or annotated edition when necessary.

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About the author

William Shakespeare Author · English · 1564–1616

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was the greatest playwright, poet and actor of the English Renaissance. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, he is known as the "Bard of Avon." He wrote roughly thirty-seven to thirty-nine plays, one hundred and fifty-four sonnets and narrative poems. His representative works include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. His works span tragedy, comedy and history play, distinguished by rich, poetic language and profound characterization. His explorations of human nature, power, love and fate have had a lasting influence, and his works have been translated into many languages and circulated widely around the world.