Troilus and
Cressida – Act IV
It is in
Scene I of Act IV that we find a pertinent discussion of Helen between Paris
and Diomedes. Here we find out that Helen is mostly seen as an object to be won
in this war, instead of as a person to be loved by either side, especially when
Paris says:
“Fair
Diomed, you do as chapmen do:
Dispraise the thing that you desire to buy.
But we in silence hold this virtue well:
We’ll but commend what we intend to sell.—
Here lies our way.” (4.1.77-81)
It is understood here that Paris intends to call Helen a
sort of object for sale (or in this case, won), and that he applies this to
both him and Diomedes in the last three lines of his words. We also find out
that Helen is blamed specifically for the war through the words of Diomedes:
“She’s
bitter to her country. Hear me, Paris.
For every false drop in her bawdy veins
A Grecian’s life hath sunk; for every scruple
Of her contaminated carrion weight
A Trojan hath been slain. Since she could
speak
She hath not given so many good words breath
As, for her, Greeks and Trojans suffered
death.” (4.1.70-76)
Even though Helen was kidnapped, and was being held against
her will, it is clear from this passage that she is still almost the sole blame
for the deaths of all the young soldiers – Greek and Trojan alike – and that
this view will not falter. Instead of blaming those who started the war, we
find many blaming Helen, which is an atrocious thing to do, as this was not her
choice.
As for the
beginnings of the war that we see starting in Scene V of Act IV, I’m conflicted
between laughing out loud and throwing the book on the ground. Let me explain
further: The first true beginnings of the war start with Troilus having to give
Cressida over to Diomedes, which sparks a bit of verbal conflict between
Troilus and Diomedes, but nothing further; and then I turn the page and expect
for swords to start clanging, but what do I get? Nothing. In fact, I get
through the rest of Act IV without any actual mention of a fight going on
between the Trojans and Greeks, but what I do get is a picture of a flowery
field as the Greeks just about run to welcome Hector with open arms after
Hector politely ends the “battle” with nothing but goodness in his heart. What.
The hell. Is going on here?! I find myself currently partially fuming about the
whole no-violence ordeal, but wanting to laugh because a war without any true
mention of fighting is like pretending that the floor is lava when you were a
kid, and acting as if you’ll die if you stick a toe off of the damn couch. I
mean, come on, Shakespeare; we all know you love a good fight, so for the gods’
sakes please give me a fight here! I get that you have terribly dry comedy in
this particular play, but, really, spare me. At any rate, all I’ve seen of some
actual conflict so far is what has gone on between Diomedes and Troilus over
Cressida – which turned out interestingly as even then there was no drawing of
swords or mention of taking one or the other down in the fight to come. So, to
conclude this little blog of mine, I’d like to say: Helen, don’t worry honey, I
won’t let those mean old men blame you for everything and take out their anger
on you; and, Shakespeare, get your Trojan War together here – you’re killing me
with this obscene venturing of comedy at this point.
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