“Criseyde’s Infidelity and the Moral of the Troilus.”

apRoberts, Robert P. “Criseyde’s Infidelity and the Moral of the Troilus.” Speculum, Vol. 44, No. 3 (1969,) pp. 383-402.

apRoberts aims, by analyzing the reasons for Criseyde’s infidelity, to discover what the true moral of Troilus & Criseyde is. He reference C.S. Lewis’ argument that Criseyde’s fatal flaw of fear is what causes her infidelity. However, after referencing and explaining Lewis’ argument, apRoberts debunks it, claiming that Criseyde is not overly fearful. He argues that, rather than one fatal flaw in a perfect heroine causing Criseyde’s infidelity, it is in fact her humanity that leads her to be unfaithful to Troilus. He says that Criseyde’s betrayal is not so much a result of a flaw that she has, as a heroic quality that she lacks. Rather than having a super-human level of courage and strength, like Antigone or Juliet, Criseyde has a normal level of strength that can not hold up to the fear of death and loneliness. And so he argues that, in the face of death if she returns to Troy, and loneliness if she remains with the Greeks, Criseyde decides she will accept the comfort and protection that Diomedes’ offers. In this case, he says, the moral of the story is not that one should not love a woman (or a man) who possesses qualities that will make her (or him) unfaithful, but rather that, because it is Criseyde’s very humanity that causes her to be unfaithful to Troilus, no one should expect true fidelity and immutability in human relationships.

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Hannah Rapp