INTRO:
OW: Hello and welcome to False as Cressid, where I analyze Early Modern, Romantic, and Victorian era prints of Cressida in Shakespeare’s gendered reception of Troilus and Cressida! My name is Olivia, and I am a current senior at the University of Alabama, majoring in English and History, with a minor in Medieval and Early Modern European Studies. As an epilogue to this series, today I am taking some time to reflect on what we learned and highlight what work can be done in the future on the visual representations of women from Shakespeare’s play.
SUMMARY:
OW: As you might remember, in our first episode, “Cressida in Isolation,” I focused on Cressida herself. Cressida’s representation as the “villain” of the play is part of a common theme to make assumptions about women, as evidenced by the representations of other Troilus and Cressida women characters Helen and Cassandra, as well as women actors like Eleanor Gwyn who physically performed roles like Cressida’s on the professional stage. Artists portrayed Cressida as having prior knowledge of her betrayal of Troilus and relishing in it, staring coyly at the viewer, and styling her in productions of the play as a courtesan (sex worker). Episode #2, “Cressida and Pandarus,” analyzed Cressida’s relationship with her uncle and argued how Pandarus prioritizes his relationship with Troilus over that of his own niece in his encouraging Cressida to enter into a sexual relationship with Troilus. His motives included the potential societal gains achieved from his association with a Trojan prince or the voyeuristic sexual pleasure he received from witnessing the match. This is evidenced through presenting Cressida as an object for Troilus to enjoy, gripping her arm harshly in his urgency for the match to happen, and Pandarus’ sickening smirk at witnessing the lover’s meeting while he lurks in the background of the prints. Episode #3, “Cressida, Troilus, and Diomedes,” focused on the relationships between those three characters to argue that Cressida reacted to both her lover and captor similarly, appearing unfeeling or resisting them. This is evidenced in 4.2 when she looks blasé when told of her exchange to the Greek camp (and subsequent departure from Troilus), and 5.2., where Cressida made a struggle to escape the grasp of her sexual assaulter, Diomedes. In sum, many artists of the Early Modern, Romantic, and Victorian eras portray Cressida as not only completely complacent but plotting her “betrayal of Troilus.”
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS:
OW: Two takeaways stick out to me at the conclusion of this semester. The first is the assumed prior knowledge Cressida has of her “betrayal” of Troilus. Throughout scenes and eras of history, Cressida consistently looks either at Troilus or the audience as if she understands she will hurt Troilus by taking Diomedes as her lover in the Greek camp. I first noticed this in John Opie’s 1800 painting Portrait of a Lady in the Character of Cressida which depicts 3.2 when Pandarus presents Cressida to Troilus for them to enter into a sexual relationship together.[1] Troilus looks at Cressida with trepidation, while the smallest of smirks appears on her face, as if, even in their first “official” meeting, she understands how she will wound him and takes pleasure in the thought of it. Joseph Kenny Meadows’ 1846 drawing, Prythee, tarry- You men never tarry, depicting 4.2, presents this theme again.[2] Troilus and Cressida, having just spent a night together, are locked in each other’s arms. Troilus dotes on Cressida, kissing her head while she looks right at the viewer with a smirk. Again, in Edward Burney’s 1785 print Mrs. Cuyler in Cressida, Cressida stares coyly at the audience while holding Troilus’ love token in her hand.[3] Yet, it is an odd expression, given the work depicts 4.4 in which the two exchange love tokens as parting gifts to one another before Cressida travels to the Greek camp. Similar to the other prints, it looks like she understands what she’ll do in the future. This is seen additionally in Henry Tresham’s 1794 print Troilus and Cressida Act 4 Scene II and Joseph Kenny Meadows’ early nineteenth century print, Troilus and Cressida, Act III scene ii.[4] In all these images, Cressida appears to have prior knowledge of her betrayal of Troilus and looks delighted to enact her future actions. Portraying her in this way adds to her villanization as if she relishes what she will do in the future, and it makes it easier for people to hate her. If she is complicit in the betrayal from the start of the play, then no considerations of her circumstances as an unmarried woman in both Troy and Greek camp are necessary. It allows viewers to shy away from the ugly truth of what I believe Cressida does as a means of survival, as well as the sexual assault she faces by the Greek soldiers.
OW: This transitions me into my second takeaway: women characters being typecast into a small set of roles. I noticed this in Cressida with the two main characterizations I saw of her, the aforementioned femme fatale, as well as the blushing maiden. I spotted a meeker and more obedient in other prints, which added to this nuanced argument over Cressida’s character. I saw this beginning in Act I with Henry Rolls’ early nineteenth century print, O Brave Troilus, Look Well Upon Him Niece.[5] In the image, Pandarus gestures to Troilus marching back into camp with a stern expression while Cressida listens intently to her uncle, clutching her shawl in her hand while turning away from Pandarus. It looks as if she is trying to protect her chastity, as her uncle is encouraging her into a sexual relationship as an unmarried woman. This arises again in Henry Robinson’s early nineteenth century print, Troilus and Cressida Act 3 scene 2, where Cressida is presented to Troilus by Pandarus.[6] Her head is bent, and her eyes are downcast, led by her uncle’s whims. Again, I saw this trend in J. Coghlan’s Troilus and Cressida [IV,2] Pandarus, Cressida, and Troilus, made in the early nineteenth century.[7] After the lovers have spent the night together, they stand outside of the palace. Troilus is speaking to Cressida with an imploring look while Cressida pinches her veil with, as in the other images, her eyes are downcast. This theme is also seen in Joseph Kenny Meadows’ 1846 drawing Troilus and Cressida and John Gilbert’s early nineteenth century drawing Troilus & Cressida [act V, scene 2].[8] Therefore, there are only two roles that Cressida can play: the femme fatale or the blushing maiden. There is no middle ground, in the prints I have viewed. There is not much consideration for Cressida having any agency of her own that does not include her betrayal of Troilus. That is to say she is only given agency when it comes to her future status as Diomedes’ “lover.” Aside from this, she is presented as an object for Troilus for him to do as he pleases. While there are a few images that do not exemplify this, most of them solely place Cressida’s character within the male gaze. Her characterization in Shakespeare’s text and in Early Modern, Romantic, and Victorian era prints relies on the men around her both fictional (Pandarus, Troilus, and Diomedes) and real (the men artists who have depicted her in their art).
CHALLENGES:
OW: The biggest challenge I had was the sheer number of images and prints that I had to work with. I had art from the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Royal Trust Collection, the Victoria and Albert Archive, Artvee, Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive, Look and Learn History Picture Archive, and the Met Museum. This was incredibly overwhelming as I could not discuss every single print I found, so picking which ones to include in the podcast was difficult. I also found it difficult to separate the artists’ intentions from, in some cases, the performances they depicted. Many of the prints I found, particularly from the late eighteenth century, clearly stated that they depicted specific performances of Troilus and Cressida (ex: an anonymous artist;s 1709 print Cressida gives Diomedes Troilus’ Love Token).[9] So, it was challenging to differentiate the artists’ beliefs about Cressida when they were depicting a performance of the play, whose director would decide how to portray Cressida. In sum, given the intense concentration on a mere few dozen prints, it caused me to make some wide generalizations/conclusions that may not be accurate in the grander scheme of Early Modern, Romantic, and Victorian era prints of Troilus and Cressida. Though, overall, I am proud of the work I have done and will take these lessons and apply them to future projects that I am a part of.
LOOKING FORWARD/FUTURE QUESTIONS:
OW: One thing that stuck out to me during this project was the gap between the first performance of Troilus and Cressida and the first print I could find of it. Shakespeare’s play was first performed around 1602/1603, yet the first print I found of the play was made in 1709. While I do know theater was banned in England during the Puritan Interregnum (1642 to 1660), I found this 100-year gap curious. I looked in Restoration accounts (covering approximately 1660 to 1730) by writers such as Colley Cibber, Thomas Betterton, and John Downes, and could find no mention of the play being performed. In the future, I would like to analyze the performance history of the play, as I am very curious about why this gap exists. Additionally, I’d like to compare prints of Cressida to other Shakespearean women characters, specifically those are often considered femme fatales. I spent this semester discussing Cressida’s villainization and I’d like to consider how other Shakespearean women who are femme fatales are portrayed. Are they given more agency than Cressida? How much does the male gaze impact their character arc? Some characters I have in mind are Cleopatra from Antony and Cleopatra and Lady Macbeth from Macbeth. At the same time, I’d also like to analyze Shakespearean women characters who are characterized as the innocent, blushing girl (in some aspect or another) to see how their portrayals are similar and different from Cressida. Some I have in mind are Hero from Much Ado About Nothing (though her “innocence” is only proved at the end of the play) and Juliet from Romeo and Juliet.
THANKS:
OW: Thank you to my project advisors, Dr. Tavares and Dr. Jones, for their advice, guidance, and support over the course of this semester. It is much appreciated. Thank you to the institutions listed previously for their public display of images and prints. Thank you to anyone who has read or listened to this project. I hope you enjoyed it.
[1] John Opie, Portrait of a Lady in the Character of Cressida. 1804, Folger Shakespeare, Washington D.C, https://digitalcollections.folger.edu/img27163.
[2] Joseph Kenny Meadows. Troilus & Cressida, act 4, sc. 2, Cressida: Prythee, tarry.—– You men will never tarry, 1846, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington D.C, https://digitalcollections.folger.edu/img27170.
[3] J. Thornwaite, Mrs. Cuyler as Cressida. 1785, Folger Shakespeare, Washington D.C, https://digitalcollections.folger.edu/img21549
[4] Henry Tresham. Troilus and Cressida, Act 4, Scene II, 1794, Artvee, Troilus and Cressida, Act 4, Scene II by Henry Tresham – Artvee AND Joseph Kenny Meadows, Troilus and Cressida, Act III, scene ii, early nineteenth century, Look and Learn History Picture Archive, Troilus and Cressida stock image | Look and Learn
[5]Henry Rolls, Troilus and Cressida, Pandarus: O brave Troilus? Look well upon him, niece, 1800-1850, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington D.C. https://digitalcollections.folger.edu/img27160
[6] Henry Robinson, Troilus and Cressida, act 3, scene 2, 1800-1871, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington D.C. https://digitalcollections.folger.edu/img27165.
[7] J. Coghlan, Troilus and Cressida [IV,2] Pandarus, Cressida, and Troilus, 1800-1830, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington D.C. https://digitalcollections.folger.edu/img34426.
[8] Joseph Kenny Meadows, Troilus and Cressida, 1846, Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive, Troilus and Cressida | Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive. Troilus and Cressida | Victorian Illustrated Shakespeare Archive AND John Gilbert, Troilus & Cressida [act V, scene 2], early nineteenth century, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington D.C., https://digitalcollections.folger.edu/img28273
[9] Michael Vandergucht. Cressida gives Diomedes Troilus’ Love Token, 1709, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1156695/trolius-and-cressida-act-v-print-vandergucht-michael/.
False as Cressid 