Troilus and Cressida characters

Troilus

Troilus is a young Trojan prince who falls for the wrong girl (that would be Cressida). If he were a real person living in the 21st century, he'd be starring in an episode of Cheaters or telling Jerry Springer all about the time he hid in the bushes outside his girlfriend's house and watched her agree to a steamy hook-up with another guy (5.2). Gut-wrenching? You bet. Anyone who's ever been betrayed can totally relate to this guy, even if he is kind of a chump. (More on this in a second.)

By the time Shakespeare whipped up this play around 1601-1602, Troilus was already famous for being the most faithful lover on the planet. Thanks to Chaucer, who made the love story famous in his c.1380's poem Troilus and Criseyde, Troilus was as well-known to Shakespeare's original audience as, say, Romeo is to us today.

Cressida

We have absolutely no idea why Toyota named one of its cars after Cressida, since she's one of the most unreliable characters in literary history.

She's Troilus' girlfriend and the daughter of Calchas, a.k.a. the slime-ball who betrays Troy and joins the Greeks. (Hmm. Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.) She's also one of the most famous she-cheaters of all time. In the play, she falls in love with Troilus and promises to be faithful to him forever.

Until she's traded to the Greek army for a Trojan soldier and agrees to become Diomedes' lover. Oops!

Hector

Hector is definitely the most crush-worthy of the Trojans, at least by reputation. Most stories show him as the biggest, baddest, most honorable Trojan soldier around. In classic literature like The Iliad, Hector is the poster boy of "virtue" because he's the ultimate family man and honorable warrior.

In this play? Not so much. Let's look at all his flaws.

Achilles

Achilles has a rep for being the Greek army's toughest and most important warrior. There's just one problem: he doesn't quite live up to his reputation in this play. How can he when he refuses to come out of his tent and fight? Instead of getting his fight on, Achilles spends all his time doing the following:

(1) Lying around in bed with his lover, Patroclus
(2) Bagging on the Greek military leaders
(3) Kicking back and listening to everyone tell him how awesome he is

Hmm. This character is nothing like the "great Achilles" we've been hearing about. Check out what Ulysses has to say about all this:

The great Achilles, whom opinion crowns
The sinew and the forehand of our host,
Having his ear full of his airy fame,
Grows dainty of his worth, and in his tent
Lies mocking our designs: with him Patroclus
Upon a lazy bed the livelong day. (1.3.142-147)

According to Ulysses, Achilles is arrogant, lazy, and disrespectful. Not only that, but his inactivity has made him effeminate or "dainty." (In case you hadn't noticed, the play's military culture associates masculinity with warfare. If a guy doesn't fight, he's considered a girly wimp. More on this in "Themes.")

So, this presents quite a problem for the Greek commanders, because Achilles has set a terrible example for the rest of the army—the soldiers have zero respect for authority and are totally out of control. And, according to Ulysses, Achilles' bad example is the reason why the Greeks aren't winning the war.

Helen

If People magazine had been around in ancient Troy, Helen would have been the tabloid mag's "Sexiest Woman Alive" 10 years in a row. (You know, because that's how long the Trojan War lasted.)

Her beauty is so legendary it "hath launch'd above a thousand ships" (2.2.82), and she's always being described as "the mortal Venus, the heart-blood of beauty, / love's invisible soul" (3.1.32-33). But don't hate her because she's beautiful—it's a hard life. Her relationship with Paris is the whole cause of the Trojan War.

Pandarus

Pandarus is Western literature's original creepy uncle. He acts as a go-between for Troilus and Cressida and is always reducing their relationship to nothing more than a steamy hook-up.

Did you notice how he kills all the romance between our lovebirds when he rushes them off to the bedroom? When Troilus and Cressida try to get all Romeo and Juliet on us (read: gush about how much they love each other), Pandarus asks "What? Blushing still? Have you not done talking yet?" (3.2.100-101). In other words, Pandarus thinks there should be less talk and more action, which is why he shoos them into a room that's furnished, quite simply, with a "bed" (3.2.211). (We talk more about this in "Themes: Love.")

At one point, Cressida even calls her uncle a "bawd" (a.k.a. a pimp), and by the end of the play, even Pandarus acknowledges that he's been acting like a "trader in the flesh" (5.10.45). FYI—Pandarus' character is responsible for the fact that, today, the word "panderer" is another name for a person who arranges sexual hook-ups. (He's also the reason politicians who play to our lowest instincts are said to "pander," so thanks, Pandarus. )

Of course, things don't exactly work out for Troilus and Cressida, so naturally, Pandarus is blamed for everything. In the final act, Troilus slaps him and says that he should scram because he's nothing better than a pimp or a servant: "Hence, broker, lackey!" (5.10.33).

But here's our question: why is Pandarus doing all this? Is he just trying to get his vicarious jollies, or does he have some deeper political scheme that just doesn't quite work out?

Ajax

Ajax, a commander in the Greek army, is the play's official meathead. Literally. Thersites calls him "beef witted" (2.1.12). (We don't advise going up to your school's star linebacker and taunting him that, BTW.)

In other words, Ajax is ferocious on the battlefield, but he's also not very bright. Of course you'll be wanting an example, so here it is: he has no absolutely no idea he's being used by the Greek leaders when he's chosen to face Hector in man-to-man combat. (Remember, Ajax is picked because the commanders want to make Achilles jealous, not because Ajax is the best warrior.) That's why people are always ragging on him. Check out what Alexander has to say:

This man, lady, hath robbed many beasts of their
particular additions; he is as valiant as the lion,
churlish as the bear, slow as the elephant: a man
into whom nature hath so crowded humours that his
valour is crushed into folly, [...]
he is melancholy without cause, and merry against the hair: (1.2.19-27)

In other words, Ajax is "valiant" (bold and courageous) all right, but the guy is also a moody hot-head, which tends to turn all that "valor" and bravery into "folly." By the way, Ajax is always being compared to some kind of animal. Notice how Alexander says he's "valiant as the lion" but "slow as the elephant"? This suggests that Ajax is no better than, well, a brutish animal. This idea speaks to a larger issue in the play: warfare is just a bunch of wild animals going at it (5.7.9-12).

Another thing about Ajax is that he's got both Greek and Trojan blood. In fact, he's related to the Greek warrior Hector. That doesn't stop him from facing Hector in combat, but it does stop them from killing each other. Whenever Ajax's mixed heritage comes up in the play, it seems like Shakespeare is reminding us that the Greeks and Trojans have a lot more in common than they think.

Paris

Paris is the "wanton" (i.e. horny) Trojan prince who started the Trojan War when he stole Helen from the Greek King Menelaus (Prologue, 8-10). What? You say the cause of the Trojan War is more complicated than that? Well, not according to Troilus and Cressida. In the play, Shakespeare doesn't have a lot of patience for this guy—he portrays him as a selfish brat who cares more about getting laid than the people who are killed fighting in the Trojan War. As his dad points out, Paris acts "Like one besotted on [his] own sweet delights" (2.2.142).

Case in point. Paris doesn't mind sending soldiers to fight for his right to keep Helen but he doesn't spend nearly as much time on the battlefield as he should. At the beginning of the play, we hear that he's sustained a minor injury in battle (1.1.11-112), but, for the most part, Paris spends all his time making googly eyes at Helen (3.1.30-33) and getting jealous when she flirts with other men (1.2.166-167). With a guy like that for Prince, no wonder the Trojans lose

Menelaus

Menelaus is Helen's ex-husband and a commander in the Greek army. He's probably the most famous "cuckold" in literary history. ("Cuckold" is just an old-school term for a guy whose wife cheats on him. This word shows up a lot in this play.)

Because he's a "cuckold," he's the butt of several jokes about his status as the biggest chump of all time. Here's the most famous one:

Let Paris bleed, 'tis but a scar to scorn;
Paris gor'd with Menelaus' horn. (1.1.111-112)

Translation: When Troilus finds out that Menelaus has wounded Paris in battle, he says that Paris was probably "gor'd" with Menelaus' "horn." As we know, horns are a common symbol for cuckolded husbands (and, uh, penises). So, it's almost like Paris was sexually assaulting Menelaus by having sex with Helen—and then, by stabbing Paris, Menelaus assaults him right back. Because you know that a sword is just a pointy substitute for a penis, right?

Ulysses

One of the Greek commanders. A highly intelligent, even philosophical man, he is renowned for his cunning.

Thersites 

 A deformed slave serving Ajax who has a vicious, abusive tongue.

Agamemnon 

  The Greek general, and the elder brother of Menelaus.

Diomedes 

  A Greek commander who seduces Cressida.

Menelaus 

  A Greek commander, Agamemnon's brother, and the abandoned husband of Helen.

Helen 

  Menelaus's wife. Her elopement with Paris led to the Trojan War.

Calchas  

  A Trojan priest, and Cressida's father. He defected to the Greeks in the early days of the war.

Aeneas 

 A Trojan commander.

Nestor 

  The oldest of the Greek commanders.

Cassandra  

  A Trojan princess and prophetess; she is considered mad.

Patroclus 

 A Greek warrior. Achilles's best friend—and, it is suggested, his lover.

Priam  

 The king of Troy, and the father of Hector, Paris, and Troilus, among others.

Antenor 

 A Trojan commander, he is exchanged for Cressida after his capture by the Greeks.

Helenus

A prince of Troy.

Andromache  

  Hector's wife.