Troilus and Cressida

Troilus and Cressida - Act 2.2

Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare was definitely not one of the favorite plays. While most of the characters in the play were Greek heroes originally, Shakespeare portrayed them as antiheroic. The play also deals with political satire of the war. It is hard for the readers or viewers of the play to see the play as a tragedy or romantic comedy since there are romantic elements, the absurd making the play comic, and lastly the tragedy of Cressida and Troilus not getting married in the end. Hector is seen as the voice of reason in the play and ironically is the most noble, which makes it difficult to watch his downfall from reason in the service of honor. Some critics might argue that this is the reason that Troilus and Cressida may be classified in the genre of tragedy also. Act 2.2 shows exactly how honor prevails over reason.

Act 2.2 takes place in the palace of King Priam in Troy. Hector, Troilus, Paris, Helenus, and King Priam are discussing the current state of the war being fought over Helen. The scene takes place after Cressida and her servant discuss how Hector got beat by Ajax and that Hector is fighting more furiously because of this defeat. Cressida also mentions that she loves Troilus but enjoys the pursuit by playing hard to get. In previous scenes, Troilus also expresses his initial view of the war. He asks why the Trojans are fighting over a woman. What is the point? Readers and viewers of the play also began to see how Hector is characterized. He is seen as the “golden boy” that is handsome, a good family man, and one of the best warriors.

There are a few central actions in this scene that seem most crucial to the play as a whole. The readers and viewers first see how King Priam’s sons feel about the war. Hector begins, with support from Helenus, by stating that while kidnapping Helen might have been a brave act, she is not worth so many innocent people dying. Troilus then changes his opinion of the war (from the previous scenes) and begins to understand why Paris wants to fight this war because he is in love with Cressida. Both Paris and Troilus argue that preserving honor in the most important. Another central action in the scene is when Cassandra (a prophet of doom) cries that Troy will burn if they do not release Helen to the Greeks. Both Troilus and Paris dismiss her as crazy but Hector instead makes an important speech. Hector argues that the act was brave but that if the situation is looked at reasonably then one would see that this war is not fair. Who determines that Helen is so valuable to lose so much blood over? Any man that loses his wife to another man will fight for her. He states that the war is being fought for fame and honor rather than reason. In the end, Hector sides with his brothers simply because Troilus states that Helen is “a theme of honor and renown.”

The plot seems to thicken after this scene. The readers and audience now are aware of the influence of honor over reason. Hector argues for reason yet the argument is rejected by Troilus and Paris stating that “reason and respect make livers