Troilus and Criseyde

by Geoffrey Chaucer, Mint Editions (Contribution by)

Overview

Troilus and Criseyde (c.1385) is an epic poem written by English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Composed in Middle English, Troilus and Criseyde is the story of two lovers forced apart by the Greek siege of Troy. Often considered Chaucer’s finest work for its structural consistency and completeness, the poem adapts Homer’s Iliad and other ancient sources which expand on its tradition to tell a Christian moral tale about the importance of faith and the sacred nature of human love.

After mocking the god of love, Troilus—a Trojan warrior and the youngest son of Priam—is struck with desire for the beautiful Criseyde, the daughter of a prophet named Calchas. With her uncle Pandarus’ help, the two begin to exchange letters before consummating their love in secret. Meanwhile, Calchas—who has predicted the fall of Troy and abandoned the city to join the Greeks—is negotiating with both sides in order to facilitate the release of Antenor in exchange for his daughter, Criseyde. Although Troilus and Hector object to the plan, Criseyde is sent to the Greek camp. Despite promising to return to Troy and to remain faithful to Troilus, she secretly doubts herself, and is soon courted by the Greek hero Diomede. Troilus and Criseyde, a masterpiece of medieval literature, is a tragic story of desire, will, and the divine that continues to move readers centuries after it was written.

This edition of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781513219301
Publisher:	Mint Editions
Publication date:	04/20/2021
Series:	Mint Editions (Poetry and Verse)
Pages:	246
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Geoffrey Chaucer (1340s-1400) was an English poet and civil servant. Born in London to a family of wealthy vintners, Chaucer became a page to a noblewoman as a teenager, gaining access to the court of King Edward III. He served in the English army at the beginning of the Hundred Years’ War, was captured during the siege of Rheims, and returned to England after a sizeable ransom was paid by the king. Afterward, he travelled throughout Europe, married Philippa de Roet—with whom he had four children—and eventually settled in London to study law. In 1367, Chaucer joined the royal court of Edward III, serving in a variety of roles while also writing his earliest known poem, The Book of the Duchess. In 1373, following a military expedition in Picardy, he visited Genoa and Florence where he is believed to have met both Petrarch and Boccaccio, who introduced him to the Italian poetry that would heavily influence the form and content of his own work. Chaucer was appointed to the role of comptroller of customs for the port of London in 1374, a position he would hold for the next twelve years. He is believed to have written The Canterbury Tales—his most important work and an early masterpiece of English literature—in the early 1380s, was appointed clerk of the king’s works in 1389, and, in the last decade of his life, lived on an annual pension granted him by King Richard II. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, and is recognized today as the father of English literature.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Geoffrey Chaucer: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text

Troilus and Criseyde

• Book I
  Book II
  Book III
  Book IV
  Book V

Glossarial Index of Characters in Troilus and Criseyde
Glossary

Appendix A: The Story of Troilus and Criseyde

1. From Benoît de Sainte-Maure, Le Roman de Troie (1160)
2. From Giovanni Boccaccio, Il Filostrato (1335–40)
3. Robert Henryson, The Testament of Cresseid (1532)

Appendix B: Other Influential Literature

1. From Ovid, Metamorphoses (7 CE)
2. From Ovid, Ars Amatoria (3 BCE)
3. From Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy (524 CE)
4. From Andreas Capellanus, On Love (1185–90)
5. From Jean de Meun, The Romance of the Rose (c. 1275)
6. Francis Petrarch, Sonnet 132 (c. 1370)

Appendix C: Medieval Science

1. From Constantine the African, Viaticum (c. 1060)
2. From Gerard of Berry, Glosses on the Viaticum (late 12th century CE)
3. From Bona Fortuna, Treatise on the Viaticum (early 14th century CE)
4. From Macrobius, On Dreams (c. 400)
5. The Ptolemaic Universe (c. 1539)

Select Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Apparently a reprint of a 1989 edition of the poem for beginning Chaucer readers, based on A. C. Baugh's 1963 . Shoaf includes many marginal glosses, extensive annotations, a brief glossary of frequently occurring difficult words, and an introduction that sets the literary and historical context. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

James Dean and Harriet Spiegel have produced an elegant edition of Chaucer’s masterpiece that will stand next to the Broadview Canterbury Tales as the most widely adapted classroom edition. It wears its considerable learning lightly and lets Chaucer’s poetry speak for itself, while still providing helpful notes and glosses to guide the reader. Spiegel is widely known as a translator of medieval literature and Dean is one of the most respected scholars and editors of his generation. Together they make a great team, and it shows on every page and every line of this edition. It will be on my syllabus, and I recommend it to everyone who teaches the Troilus.” — John Ganim, University of California at Riverside

“Everything a reader of Troilus would want: generous glossing; a lucid review of critical history; excerpts from Boccaccio and Benoît de Sainte-Maure; and a full text and translation, prepared specifically for this edition, of Henryson’s Testament. And much more.” — Sarah Stanbury, College of the Holy Cross

“Our students deserve to encounter the Troilus more often than they do, and this impressive edition will make such encounters possible. Its price (digital and print) takes into account the exigencies of student budgets. Thoughtfully accommodating all the dimensions of accessibility, the editors and press have given us a clear, up-to-date edition whose single-text editorial approach will make it useful not only in courses in medieval literature, but also those in textual studies or editorial theory. Everyone who teaches Chaucer should acquire this edition.” — Karla Taylor, Arthuriana

“The Broadview Troilus is an excellent edition for undergraduate students, helpful in its glossing and rich in its commentary.” — John C. Hirsh, Georgetown University

From the Publisher