Category: problem play

A couple of days back, I floated the idea of cutting the cast for a hypothetical production of Troilus and Cressida. Today, let’s take a look at the text and where it can be cut.

Continue reading “Troilus and Cressida: Cut the cast… cut the script…”

I know.

In last week’s podcast–the He-Man Woman-Haters Club edition–I said that the next podcast, the last Troilus and Cressida podcast, you know, THIS podcast would be released today.

Sorry, but you’ll just have to wait until next Sunday.

My older son Kyle is back from college for just a week, so….

As longtime listeners to the podcast probably know, every play, I put together a concept and a cast for a hypothetical production. Troilus and Cressida, of course, is no different. Directorial concepts can be all over the map, stemming from what I’ve discovered is (for me at least) the overarching theme or motif for the play as text; for example, setting Much Ado About Nothing in the North following the Civil War, or Midsummer as a Nawlins Mardi Gras fever dream.

The casting, on the other hand, is usually pretty straightforward: Such-and-such an actor plays such-and-such a role for such-and-such a reason, and so on. The notable exception to this rule has been Twelfth Night with its “drag queen cabaret” concept.

Continue reading “Troilus and Cressida: How many is too many, how few too few?”

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy gets (laid and) the girl. Boy loses girl when she gets exchanged for a soldier. Another boy (let’s call him boy 2) meets the girl. Girl betrays boy with boy 2. Boy vows revenge. Have I got the broad strokes of the Troilus and Cressida plot of Troilus and Cressida? Yes, I know: technically, the meeting (as well as the falling in love) happens before our choric Prologue, but you get the idea.

Continue reading “Troilus and Cressida: Ending, what ending?”

Toward the beginning of this adventure back to Troy, we discussed the early editions/publications of Troilus and Cressida.

Quarto versions had the word “Historie” in the title, while the Folio version had the word “Tragedie” there. Of course, the Folio’s table of contents were of no use in breaking the tie: Troilus and Cressida didn’t even appear in the TOC; instead it just kind of magically appeared between the two sections, after the “last” history, The Life of King Henry the Eighth, and before the “first” tragedy, The Tragedy of Coriolanus. With no page numbers.

At the end of that blog entry, I asked the simple question:

So what is it? History? Tragedy?

Now, you know me. I love me a good discussion over genre, especially when it isn’t clear.

Continue reading “Troilus and Cressida: Genre?”

Troilus and Cressida.

Cressida and Troilus.

Who’s the protagonist of this play?

Well, I guess that depends on your definition of protagonist…

Continue reading “Troilus and Cressida: Who’s the protagonist?”

Over these last few days, I’ve been talking quite a bit about the misogyny I’ve been finding in Troilus and Cressida. First, I began with the most general of references, then I took a (first, early) look at our title female, Cressida, a bawdy babe before she becomes the false femme of renown (or infamy), then I focused on the woman at the heart of the war that frames our play, Helen, and a couple of days ago, I returned to Cressida, as she began (or continued) her fall from not-quite-grace. Today, let’s finish that tumble.

Continue reading “Misogyny, the case of Cressida (part the last–putting her to bed)”

Over these last few (and next couple of) days, I’m been talking more than a little about the misogyny I’ve been finding in Troilus and Cressida. First, I began with the most general of references, then I took a (first, early) look at our title female, Cressida, a bawdy babe before she becomes the false femme of renown (or infamy), and yesterday, I focused on the woman at the heart of the war that frames our play: Helen. Today, we play a little ping-pong, and I return to our titular (love that word) female lover, Cressida.

Continue reading “Misogyny, the case of Cressida (part two)”

Over these last few (and next few) days, I’m discussing the misogyny I’ve been finding in Troilus and Cressida. First, I began with the most general of references, and yesterday, I took a (first, early) look at our title female, Cressida, a bawdy babe before she becomes the false femme of history. Today, let’s take a gander at the woman at the heart of the war that frames our play: Helen.

Even before we meet her, we hear her worth and value debated by King Priam and his sons (including her kidnapper Paris). As noted in my first blog entry in this series, all this “worth”y talk points more to the possession and objectification of members of the gender.

And for Helen, it’s about to get worse…

Continue reading “Misogyny, Helen the fair quean (not a typo)”