Literature 1

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Would Troilus appeal to the modern-day woman

The narrative Troilus and Cressida by Chaucer describes a love story between them that

did not end well. In the play, Cressida's female character is presented as more masculine than the

male character that is Troilus. The female character in the play was turned entirely away by

Troilus. Women are perceived differently than men in the contemporary world. The modern-day

woman is experienced, learned, and always looks for respect from her fellow men. Such women

demand honest and experienced men as opposed to Troilus, who seemed inexperienced. The play

demonstrated him as a naïve man who was manipulated and betrayed by Cressida.

Women are mostly perceived compared to the Renaissance regime because the majority

of the men hate the idea of women having power over them. This means that by doing that,

women degrades their masculinity whereby only one of them can have the ability. Women are

supposed to be adored, obeyed, aided as delicate individuals, and not as military commandants.

Troilus and Cressida demonstrate evidently the price most women pay to have their flawless

status in the bravery world.

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There is always a wrong side to a male and a resilient side to the female. In the majority

of the conventional setups, especially the modern days, a man is displayed as the strongest and

best while a lady is depicted as despairing and helpless. Men being overlooked due to their

ability to express their feelings was not culturally acknowledged in the Reawakening regime.

Troilus, in the play as the main male character, was depicted as a weak man for expressing his

feelings and seeking attention from Cressida (Chaucer). Therefore, he ends up acting helplessly

as Cressida deprived him of the attention he wanted. This portrays Troilus as the conventional

female, whereby the main female character brings the real masculinity from Troilus. The

behavior of Troilus is brought about by love and his feelings for Cressida.

Troilus has this idea of love, whereby he thinks that for him to look masculine, he has to

sleep with Cressida, which is the initial idea of love (Chaucer). Cressida understands what

Troilus wants or what the majority of the men desire to increase masculinity. Therefore, she

accepts the fact that she has to do it as a lady in society. However, she changes everything after

betraying Troilus and ends up with Diomedes. Troilus gets angry concerning the love he had for

Cressida, which eventually triggers war in his thoughts. The contemporary woman does not like

a man who thinks of war as a way of handling conflicts.

Troilus character can quickly be a subject of present-day female authority. Troilus and

Cressida's characters portray the price ladies have to pay to have their perfect universe position.

The present-day women as presented as vital and often display valiant characters compared to

men. Troilus can be overlooked in the modern world as he is portrayed as being incapable of

masculinity. Troilus has been described as the usual female, while Cressida has been rendered as

a typical male in the modern-day world.

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In a contemporary world, the female becomes weak and fragile in matters while the male

becomes strong and independent, which has not been portrayed in Troilus and Cressida's love

story. Troilus tends to express his feelings and becomes angry after Cressida betrays him for

another man. The society has labeled women by ordering them what to be. Additionally, the

labels are acknowledged based on gender and impact an individual significantly regarding their

accomplishments. Love made Troilus want to fight, which in the end ruined him (Chaucer).

Therefore, this act presented the majority of the characteristics apparent from the Reawakening

era. This era recognizes masculinity based on social standards.

The masculinity that exits among war and love aspects has been portrayed between

Troilus and Cressida. Troilus can be described as a devoted, noble, and faithful man, making him

look like a primitive knight. Such characters make him appeal to the modern-day female as they

prefer loyal and devoted men. Women also want men to manipulate, whereby in the play, Troilus

has been presented as a victim of mind-altering obsession. The fact that Troilus wanted to sleep

with Cressida to increase his masculinity is a turn off to many women who value their bodies.

This behavior would not be appealing to modern-day women as they love respect. A part of the

play describes Troilus as an honorable and innocent man who can be easily seduced by the

modern-day ladies.

Contemporary women can quickly destroy such men as they are more experienced.

Troilus can also be presented as a sympathetic man who can easily be influenced by such

women. Troilus arguments, however, seem useless and can be categorized as nonsense by the

modern-day woman. The play has reversed female and male roles in society as Troilus acts as

the female version while Cressida acts as the male version of the present-day society. The tale
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has been understood as an illustration of the uncertainty concerning female love and a deterrent

account of the males.

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Works Cited

Chaucer, Geoffrey. Troilus and Criseyde: Global Language Resources, Inc. 2001.