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English Literature   >   Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida

The Strangeness of Troilus and Cressida

 
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Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida

In this course, Professor Cedric Watts (University of Sussex) explores Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida. We begin by thinking about the strangeness of the play: is it a history, a comedy, or a tragedy? was it performed in Shakespeare's lifetime? if so, where? After that, we move on to think specifically about its status as a 'problem play' – a slippery term in Shakespearean scholarship if ever there was one – before thinking about the staging of the play and its burgeoning appeal and success in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In the final two modules, we explore some of the key themes in the play: first, the connected themes of war and appetite, both alimentary and sexual; second, true and false valuation.

The Strangeness of Troilus and Cressida

In this module, we consider the strangeness of Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida. The quarto version refers to it as a History, but in the First Folio it is listed as a Tragedy – so which genre is it? Was it ever performed? If so, where? Why doesn't Shakespeare tell us what happens to Troilus and Cressida?

Cite this Lecture

APA style

Watts, C. (2018, August 15). Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida - The Strangeness of Troilus and Cressida [Video]. MASSOLIT. https://massolit.io/courses/shakespeare-troilus-and-cressida/war-and-appetite

MLA style

Watts, C. "Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida – The Strangeness of Troilus and Cressida." MASSOLIT, uploaded by MASSOLIT, 15 Aug 2018, https://massolit.io/courses/shakespeare-troilus-and-cressida/war-and-appetite

Lecturer

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Prof. Cedric Watts

Sussex University