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Chapter 35. Troilus and Briseida in the Western literature

From the Middle Ages to the present
  • Lourdes Raya Fages and Pablo Piqueras Yagüe
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Latin Literatures of Medieval and Early Modern Times in Europe and Beyond
This chapter is in the book Latin Literatures of Medieval and Early Modern Times in Europe and Beyond

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the figure of Troilus and the motif of the love triangle, consisting of him, Briseis, and Diomedes from the De excidio Troiae of Dares Phrygius to contemporary literature. We focus specifically on the medieval works that influenced the representation of these three characters and their relationship. We examine their roles in Dares’ work, in the Roman de Troie of Benoît de Sainte-Maure, in Guido delle Colonne’s Historia destructionis Troiae, in two epics of the XII and XIII centuries (De bello Troiano of Joseph of Exeter and Troilus of Albert of Stade) and in three more familiar pieces, namely Boccaccio’s Il Filostrato, Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, and Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, to end with a quick review of the theme from that moment until the present. The representation of the characters and their triangle was formed in the Roman de Troie following Dares, and each author who developed the story used the tradition but added his own special touches.

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the figure of Troilus and the motif of the love triangle, consisting of him, Briseis, and Diomedes from the De excidio Troiae of Dares Phrygius to contemporary literature. We focus specifically on the medieval works that influenced the representation of these three characters and their relationship. We examine their roles in Dares’ work, in the Roman de Troie of Benoît de Sainte-Maure, in Guido delle Colonne’s Historia destructionis Troiae, in two epics of the XII and XIII centuries (De bello Troiano of Joseph of Exeter and Troilus of Albert of Stade) and in three more familiar pieces, namely Boccaccio’s Il Filostrato, Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, and Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, to end with a quick review of the theme from that moment until the present. The representation of the characters and their triangle was formed in the Roman de Troie following Dares, and each author who developed the story used the tradition but added his own special touches.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Foreword ix
  4. Section I. Instead of an introduction
  5. Chapter 1. Combien de littératures latines médiévales ? 3
  6. Section IA. Regional layers
  7. Chapter 2. Italy 15
  8. Chapter 3. France et Belgique 52
  9. Chapter 4. Germany and Austria 73
  10. Chapter 5. Switzerland 121
  11. Chapter 6. Spain 135
  12. Chapter 7. Portugal (950–1400) 158
  13. Chapter 8. Ireland, Scotland, Wales 168
  14. Chapter 9. England 177
  15. Chapter 10. Czech lands 199
  16. Chapter 11. Chronological and regional layers - Poland 207
  17. Chapter 12. Hungary 214
  18. Chapter 13. Nordic countries 221
  19. Chapter 14. Baltic countries 235
  20. Section IB. Regional Latinities outside Europe in the medieval and early modern times
  21. Chapter 15. Africa (fifth-sixth century) 253
  22. Chapter 16. The Middle East 264
  23. Chapter 17. Latin literature and the Arabic language 284
  24. Chapter 18. Latin orientalism 296
  25. Chapter 19. Central and East Asia 308
  26. Chapter 20. Latin literature on the “discovery” of America 324
  27. Chapter 21. A “postcolonial” approach to medieval Latin literature? 335
  28. Section II. Medieval Latin multimedial communication
  29. Section IIA. Manuscripts and visual communication
  30. Chapter 22. The circulation of Latin texts during the Middle Ages 349
  31. Chapter 23. Latin manuscripts as multimedia communication tools 363
  32. Chapter 24. “Textual images” and “visual texts” 376
  33. Chapter 25. Medieval science in daily life 406
  34. Chapter 26. Latin traditions in medieval cartography 436
  35. Section IIB. Orality and performance
  36. Chapter 27. Liturgy, drama, preaching, and narration 453
  37. Chapter 28. Sung medieval Latin verse as performance 465
  38. Section III. Renewing paradigms
  39. Chapter 29. Gendering authorship 487
  40. Chapter 30. Ecologies of medieval Latin poetics 498
  41. Chapter 31. The art of letter-writing 507
  42. Chapter 32. Between history and fiction 523
  43. Chapter 33. Starting anew 540
  44. Section IV. Interfaces. Latin/vernacular and medieval/modern
  45. Chapter 34. The conquest of literacy 557
  46. Chapter 35. Troilus and Briseida in the Western literature 578
  47. Chapter 36. Fairies from Walter Map to European folklore 588
  48. Chapter 37. Geoffrey of Monmouth and the evolution of Excalibur 596
  49. Chapter 38. The matter of Troy in medieval Latin poetry (ca. 1060 – ca. 1230) 606
  50. Chapter 39. Hamlet 625
  51. Chapter 40. Faust’s medieval origins 639
  52. Biographies 647
  53. Index nominum 655
  54. Index locorum 699
https://doi.org/10.1075/chlel.xxxiv.35ray

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Foreword ix
  4. Section I. Instead of an introduction
  5. Chapter 1. Combien de littératures latines médiévales ? 3
  6. Section IA. Regional layers
  7. Chapter 2. Italy 15
  8. Chapter 3. France et Belgique 52
  9. Chapter 4. Germany and Austria 73
  10. Chapter 5. Switzerland 121
  11. Chapter 6. Spain 135
  12. Chapter 7. Portugal (950–1400) 158
  13. Chapter 8. Ireland, Scotland, Wales 168
  14. Chapter 9. England 177
  15. Chapter 10. Czech lands 199
  16. Chapter 11. Chronological and regional layers - Poland 207
  17. Chapter 12. Hungary 214
  18. Chapter 13. Nordic countries 221
  19. Chapter 14. Baltic countries 235
  20. Section IB. Regional Latinities outside Europe in the medieval and early modern times
  21. Chapter 15. Africa (fifth-sixth century) 253
  22. Chapter 16. The Middle East 264
  23. Chapter 17. Latin literature and the Arabic language 284
  24. Chapter 18. Latin orientalism 296
  25. Chapter 19. Central and East Asia 308
  26. Chapter 20. Latin literature on the “discovery” of America 324
  27. Chapter 21. A “postcolonial” approach to medieval Latin literature? 335
  28. Section II. Medieval Latin multimedial communication
  29. Section IIA. Manuscripts and visual communication
  30. Chapter 22. The circulation of Latin texts during the Middle Ages 349
  31. Chapter 23. Latin manuscripts as multimedia communication tools 363
  32. Chapter 24. “Textual images” and “visual texts” 376
  33. Chapter 25. Medieval science in daily life 406
  34. Chapter 26. Latin traditions in medieval cartography 436
  35. Section IIB. Orality and performance
  36. Chapter 27. Liturgy, drama, preaching, and narration 453
  37. Chapter 28. Sung medieval Latin verse as performance 465
  38. Section III. Renewing paradigms
  39. Chapter 29. Gendering authorship 487
  40. Chapter 30. Ecologies of medieval Latin poetics 498
  41. Chapter 31. The art of letter-writing 507
  42. Chapter 32. Between history and fiction 523
  43. Chapter 33. Starting anew 540
  44. Section IV. Interfaces. Latin/vernacular and medieval/modern
  45. Chapter 34. The conquest of literacy 557
  46. Chapter 35. Troilus and Briseida in the Western literature 578
  47. Chapter 36. Fairies from Walter Map to European folklore 588
  48. Chapter 37. Geoffrey of Monmouth and the evolution of Excalibur 596
  49. Chapter 38. The matter of Troy in medieval Latin poetry (ca. 1060 – ca. 1230) 606
  50. Chapter 39. Hamlet 625
  51. Chapter 40. Faust’s medieval origins 639
  52. Biographies 647
  53. Index nominum 655
  54. Index locorum 699
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