English 304: Shakespeare: Major Plays (Prof. Boyer)

The best beginning procedure is always to familiarize yourself with the cast of characters and then to read the play (or at least an act or a scene) all the way through so that you know what's happening. The notes can help if you're stuck, but try to get the big picture of a scene before getting bogged down in details. Read through, then go back and clear up details. Then you're ready to think about the questions.

Background
Prologue and Act 1
Act 2
Act 3
Act 4
Act 5
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BACKBROUND

We know the Trojan War mostly through classical sources (Homer's Iliad and Greek tragedy), but there were other traditions in the middle ages,, traditions that sympathized with the Trojans rather than with the Greeks. (The British saw themselves as descendants of the Trojans through Aeneas and his grandson Brute-see the opening stanza of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.) The story of Troilus and Cressida belongs to one of those traditions, a tradition that reached its culmination in Chaucer's greatest completed poem, Troilus and Criseyde (c. 1387) and its continuation in Robert Henryson's Testament of Cresseid (c. 1480).

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PROLOGUE AND ACT 1

Pro.
1.	"The ravished Helen, Menelaus' queen, / With wanton Paris sleeps-and that's the quarrel" (Pro. 9-10)-a clear enough statement of the issues of the Trojan War. The Prologue gets us up to speed clearly enough. But what is the tone of the prologue? How is it approaching the subject matter?
1.1
1.	What is surprising about Troilus' first speech (1.1.1-5)? What is Troilus' problem here at the beginning of the play? How is Pandarus responding to it? Why is Pandarus an appropriate person for Troilus to tell his problems to?
2.	What are Troilus and Pandarus quarreling about in the first 84 lines of the scene? What is Pandarus attempting to do for Troilus? How successful has Pandarus been?
3.	Who is Cressida's father? Where is he? Why is he there? (See 1.1.76-77 and note 9.)
4.	How does Troilus respond to the situation in his soliloquy (1.1.85-100). How does he think of Cressida? How does he think of Pandarus?
5.	What does Troilus mean in line 108? Why is the encounter of Paris and Menelaus fitting?
6.	Where are Aeneas and Troilus going at the end of the scene? Compare the beginning of the scene.
1.2
1.	What does Cressida learn from Alexander about Hector?
2.	Who is Ajax and why is Hector angry at him (1.2.11-32)? You'll want to compare this description with the "real" Ajax when he appears later in the play.
3.	What is the effect of the discussion between Cressida and Pandarus (1.2.35-155)? Should Troilus be happy about what Pandarus says to Cressida? What seems to be Cressida's attitude toward Troilus?
4.	What does Pandarus try to do at 1.2.157-160? What interrupts him?
5.	What is the function of the parade of returning soldiers (1.2.163ff)? What happens when Troilus finally appears?
6.	In her soliloquy after Pandarus leaves (1.2.260-273), what does Cressida tell us about her true feelings toward Troilus? How will she appear in the future?
1.3
1.	What, according to Agamemnon, is the reason the Greeks have not captured Troy in the seven years they have been besieging it (1.3.1-29)? Does Agamemnon see the delay as negative or positive?
2.	How does Nestor explain the Greeks' problem (1.3.30-53)?
3.	Note the reference to Thersites at 1.3.72. We'll be seeing quite a lot of him.
4.	Look carefully at Ulysses' famous speech on degree (1.3.74-137, especially 109ff). What does he mean by "the specialty of rule" (l. 77) and by "degree" (l. 82)? How does Ulysses explain the Greeks' failure to capture Troy?
5.	"What is the remedy?" Agamemnon asks (1.3.141). What remedy does Ulysses, aided by Nestor, propose (1.3.142-210)? What new specificity do they now give to the problem that the Greeks have been discussing for the whole scene?
6.	Once he figures out who Agamemnon is, what announcement does Aeneas make to the Greek camp (1.3.214-306)?
7.	What proposal does Ulysses make to Nestor (1.3.307-384)? Make sure you understand this plan; it sets in motion one of the major actions of the first half of the play.

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ACT 2

2.1
1.	What is Ajax's aim in this scene? What does he want? Does he get it? From whom? What has happened to the proposal Ulysses made to Nestor at the end of 1.3?
2.	How does Shakespeare portray Ajax? Is he a fitting champion for the Greeks?
3.	In the battle of wits between Ajax and Thersites, who wins? What does Ajax try to do to get the information he wants from Thersites? What does Thersites do to keep from giving it to him? Notice the implied generational conflict suggested by Thersites (2.1.100-102).
4.	What is the tone of this scene? How does it affect the tone of the play? What is the significance of having this scene right after the Greek debate and just before the Trojan debate?
2.2
1.	What terms have the Greeks offered the Trojans at the beginning of the scene?
2.	What is Hector's position (2.2.8-24)? How does Troilus respond to Hector (2.2.24-49)? What terms now represent the two sides?
3.	What direction does the debate now take (2.2.50-95)? Notice the emphasis on "value" and the revelation that the Trojans didn't really start it (2.2.71-80).
4.	What is Cassandra's message (2.2.96-111)? What response does she get from the others? Do they believe her? Why or why not? Should they believe her? Why or why not? (Some outside knowledge about Cassandra should help here-see note 8.)
5.	As the debate continues, how does Hector continue his argument (2.2.162-187). Then what surprising conclusion does he reach (2.2.187-192)? Notice the terms Troilus uses as he responds (2.2.193-205).
6.	What does Hector tell them he has already done, and that we have already heard about (2.2.205-212)? What does this suggest about how much actual debate/argument has taken place in this scene?
2.3
1.	How does Thersites describe the "debate" between him and Ajax at the beginning of the scene? How does he describe Achilles? What is the effect of having this soliloquy right after the Trojan debate?
2.	How does Thersites move the discussion about keeping Helen to a different (and much lower) level? (See especially 2.3.15-17.)
3.	What is the effect of the railing scene with Thersites, Patroclus, and Achilles (2.3.33-61)? How accurate, within the play, is Thersites' judgment at 2.3.53-54 and his final comment at 2.3.64-68? What has happened to the "heroic" element of the play at this point?
4.	Why do Agamemnon and the others come (2.3.62ff)? Why is Ajax angry at Achilles (2.3.83-87)?
5.	What message does Agamemnon leave for Achilles (2.3.104-130)? What message do they get back from Achilles via Ulysses (2.3.151)? Why is the discussion of pride, and specifically Achilles' pride, less than honest (2.3.143-144)? (Remember, Achilles' pride and anger are not Shakespeare's invention: the wrath of Achilles is the theme announced in the first line of the Iliad.)
6.	What is Ulysses doing in 2.3.171-188 and 216-220? (Remember his earlier plan involving Ajax, a plan that he has not shared with Agamemnon, so that part of the action of this scene seems to be getting Agamemnon to accept Ajax as the one to fight Hector.) On a "gentility" scale of 1-10, where would you place Ajax after reading 2.3.191-192? And notice how funny the scene becomes at 2.3.219-226 (and continuing through Ulysses' "praise" of Ajax in 2.3.226-242.)

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ACT 3

3.1
1.	This is the scene everything may seem to be building up to-our chance to see Paris the lover with Helen, "the mortal Venus," his wife (3.1.30-31)? What happens when we actually get to see the two world-class lovers?
2.	While this scene may be important for the view it gives us of a portion of the Trojan court, what is the one important dramatic "action," important for what comes, that happens? (See 3.1.69-71.)
3.2
1.	What is happening at the beginning of scene 2 (3.2.1-15)? What is Troilus' reaction (3.2.16-27)?
2.	What is Pandarus' tone in 3.2.38-57? What is the lovers' tone when they are alone (3.2.58-91)? Take a while to think about this passage. We've seen Paris and Helen, Thersites and Ajax, etc. How does the tone differ here? How does it compare with the lovers in Romeo and Juliet? How believable is this section (and what follows, especially Cressida's explanation and what follows it, 3.2.105-138)? And remember, we are watching the woman that every person in the original audience knows to be the prime example of a faithless woman. How is Shakespeare playing with this knowledge? Consider this especially as the three characters, almost stepping out of character, "create" the proverbial statements that will forever refer to them: "As true as Troilus" (3.2.169), "As false as Cressid" (3.2.183), and "call them all Pandars" (3.2.188), at which point Pandarus repeats all three just to make sure we've understood. What does this Cressida believe about the statement about herself as she makes it? How strong is her belief? And notice that we almost have a wedding ceremony at the end (3.2.184-195). What happens to the tone of the scene with Pandarus' last couplet (3.2.196-197)?
3.3
1.	What complication enters the play in the first part of 3.3 (ll. 1-37)? What, for comparison, is the exact equivalent complication in Romeo and Juliet?
2.	What are the Greek leaders, especially Ulysses, doing in 3.3.38ff? Look closely at the discussion of time and honor in 3.3.139-184. What surprising news does Achilles get in 3.3.185-209? How does Patroclus respond (3.3.209-218)? Notice the comments of Achilles (3.3.227-234), which set up a major action of the last part of the play.
3.	How is Ajax behaving (3.3.237-261)? Why is Achilles sending Patroclus to him? Why does Achilles say what he says in 3.3.286-287? How does this affect the tone of the scene?

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ACT 4

4.1
1.	Why do the Trojans and Greeks meet in 4.1? What time of day is it? How does Diomed answer the question of who deserves Helen best (4.1.56-81)? How does this last exchange affect the tone of the play?
4.2
1.	What is the tone as Troilus and Cressida awake (4.2.1-20)? How does this compare to the Romeo and Juliet "morning-after" scene (Rom. 3.5)? What happens to the tone when Pandarus enters? What news comes from the outside? How does Troilus react to it?
4.3	(4.2 continues in most editions)
1.	How does Cressida react to the news? Who is Pandarus' concern? What is Cressida's prayer (4.3.24-30)? How strongly does she believe what she says?
4.4	(4.3 in most editions)
1.	How is Troilus responding to this crisis?
4.5	(4.4 in most editions)
1.	How comforting is Troilus' discussion of time (4.5.38-47)? How do the two promise to be true (4.5.54-108)? Pay especial attention to Troilus' comment in 4.5.94-97. How realistic is he being?
2.	How does Diomed respond to Cressida? to Troilus? (See 4.5.116-139.)
3.	What is happening (and about to happen) offstage in 4.5.140-148? What is ironic about line 145?
4.6	(4.5 in most editions)
1.	What happens when Diomed brings Cressida to the Greek camp? What is Ulysses' evaluation of her (4.6.55-64)?
2.	What happens when the Trojans arrive for the single combat?
3.	How does Ulysses describe Troilus (4.6.98-115)?
4.7	(4.5 continues in most editions)
1.	What happens when Ajax and Hector fight? Why won't Hector fight again (4.7.3-22)? What is Ajax's response to this (4.7.22-25)?
2.	What will they do after the fighting? How does Agamemnon explain what is happening (4.7.47-55)? Is the tone of the discussion between the enemy soldiers realistic? How does Achilles treat Hector? (4.7.117-130 and 152-154.)
3.	What does Troilus ask of Ulysses (4.7.161-177)? Is what Troilus asks a good idea?

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ACT 5

5.1
1.	What, at the beginning, is Achilles planning to do the next day (5.1.1-2)?
2.	What is Achilles doing while Thersites and Patroclus banter (5.1.1-31)? What accusation does Thersites make?
3.	What do we learn in 5.1.32-39? What is Achilles' "major vow" that he will keep? (You'll need to read between the lines and remember 3.3.185-208.)
4.	Where will Diomed, Troilus and Ulysses go while Achilles is hosting Hector (5.1.74-78)? How does Thersites describe Diomed (5.1.80-89)?
5.2
1.	Note the complicated structure of this scene: Ulysses and Troilus eavesdrop on Cressida and Diomed, while Thersites watches them all unseen and comments. (Shakespeare obviously likes complicated evesdropping scenes. We've already met such scenes in Love's Labour's Lost and Much Ado About Nothing
.2.	What is the nature of the discussion between Cressida and Diomed (5.2.6-106)? What has Cressida promised? What does she give to Diomed? How does she feel about doing so?
3.	What, realistically, is Cressida's position in the Greek camp? How realistic is her behavior in this scene? How do Troilus' responses change our understanding of what we are seeing and hearing? How do Thersites' remarks affect our understanding of the scene? Notice in how many different ways our imaginations are being pulled.
4.	How does Cressida respond after Diomed has left (5.2.107-112)? Is she being honest with herself? By way of comparison, how is Juliet able to avoid a scene like this? Why can't Cressida do the same thing?
5.	What is the effect of having Cressida's 3 rhymed couplets completed by Thersites' couplet (5.2.113-14)? Is Thersites correct?
6.	Why doesn't Troilus want to leave right away? What doubts does he begin to have? Notice how he rationalizes, first in 5.2.129-133, and then in 5.2.137-160? Notice how hard he has to work to avoid what he has seen; is this realistic? The key comes in a line that modern criticism has made much of, "This is and is not Cressid." (5.2.146). What does this mean? Notice how 5.2.153-156 echoes ideas in Ulysses' degree speech (1.3). (Perhaps Ulysses is the one accompanying Troilus because Shakespeare wanted him on stage so that we would recall his speech.)
7.	How does Troilus resolve to handle the situation (5.2.163-176)? Now Cressida receives her traditional title (5.2.178; cf 3.2.170-183).
8.	Once more Thersites has the last word, again affecting the tone of the scene (including the mention of wars in the reference to Hector arming in 5.2.183. Here is the most famous statement of his theme: "Lechery, lechery, still wars and lechery! Nothing else holds fashion" (5.2.193-194). Is he right? Does he have the whole answer?
5.3
1.	Why do Andromache and Cassandra urge Hector not to fight, and why does he insist on fighting (5.3.1-28)? What is Troilus' position? Why is he so eager to fight?
2.	Cassandra's message is stronger in 5.3.61-64; what is it? What confirmation does Priam present (5.3.64-69)? What is Hector's response (especially in 5.3.74-78)? How does Cassandra respond (5.3.83-93)?
3.	What does Pandarus bring to Troilus (5.3.102)? What is happening to Pandarus (5.3.104-109 and notes)? What is Troilus' response (5.3.110-114)?
5.4
1.	What is Thersites saying (5.4.1-14) and how does it affect our attitude toward the battle we expect will follow? What is Ajax doing now?
2.	What happens when Troilus and Diomed meet (5.4.16-19)? How is it affected by being framed with Thersites' comments (5.4.15, 20-21)?
3.	What is the effect of Hector's appearance, and of his meeting with Thersites rather than with one of the other Greeks?
5.5
1.	What has happened in the encounter between Troilus and Diomed (5.5.1-5)?
2.	What has happened to Patroclus in the battle (5.5.13, 17)? Why is this important? Why would the audience know that it is important? Why is it played down so much here?
3.	What has happened to Hector, to Ajax, and to Troilus (5.5.18-42)?
4.	What is the effect of the last part of the scene (5.5.43-49)?
5.6
1.	What fighting goes on at the beginning of 5.6 (ll. 1-14)? What does Hector do at 5.6.14, and how does Achilles respond (5.6.15-19)? Was this a good decision on Hector's part? Why did he do it?
2.	Whom does Hector fight with (5.6.27-31)? Why does Hector fight with him? Note that this edition, like many others, uses Malone's emendation of the stage direction to Enter one in [sumptuous] armor.
5.7
1.	Who are the Myrmidons and what does Achilles tell them to do (5.7.1-8)? How chivalrous does this sound?
5.8	(5.7 continues in most editions)
1.	How does Thersites respond when the Bastard Margarelon challenges him to fight (5.8.1-14)?
5.9	(5.8 in most editions)
1.	How has Hector fared in his battle? What has he discovered about the person wearing the sumptuous armor? (Note how this relates to the disease imagery throughout the play.)
2.	What does Hector do now (5.9.4.1)?
3.	Who arrives while Hector is disarmed? What happens? We all know from the Iliad or from tradition that "Achilles hath the mighty Hector slain" (5.9.14); what is ironic about the death of Hector in this play?
4.	What does Achilles order done in 5.9.21-22? How is this related to the Iliad?
5.	Given the tone of the play, does this sort of ending for Hector really surprise us? What is Shakespeare doing with the story?
5.10	5.9 in most editions)
1.	What does Agamemnon anticipate happening soon?
5.11	(5.10 in most editions)
1.	What is the attitude in Troy? What does Troilus expect to happen (5.11.31)?
2.	For what follows, see note 5. Most editions include this conclusion, which appears in both the Quarto and the Folio texts.
3.	What happens when Troilus encounters Pandarus (5.11.31.1-31.3)?
4.	Pandarus functions as an epilogue in 5.11.31.4-31.24. What does he tell the audience? What will happen to him? Why? What is the effect of ending the play in this way?

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