Troilus and Cressida

The History of Troilus and Cressida is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1602, shortly after the completion of Hamlet. It was published in quarto in two separate editions, both in 1609. It is not known whether the play was ever performed in its own time, because the two editions say different things: one announces on the title page that the play had been recently performed on stage; the other claims in a preface that it is a new play that has never been staged.

Reputation

Troilus and Cressida is considered by some to be one of Shakespeare's lesser works, in particular for its disappointing last act. Others consider it an experimental piece that is attempting to break with the conventions of its genre, and consider its baffling characters to be comparable to those in Hamlet. Johann von Goethe called the work Shakespeare's "imagination at its most free."

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The play's puzzling nature has meant that Troilus and Cressida has rarely been popular on stage. In the Restoration, it was condemned by John Dryden, who called it a "heap of rubbish" and rewrote it. It was also condemned by the Victorians for its explicit sexual references. It was not staged in its original form until the early twentieth century, but it has become increasingly popular since then, in part due to its cynical depiction of war.

Related Topics:
Restoration - John Dryden - Twentieth century

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