Reviews

Troilus and Cressida: The Oxford Shakespeare by William Shakespeare

lucysnowy's review against another edition

4.0

this was a really interesting one. for the first few scenes i was really lacking any interest or connection with any of the characters.

but there was a turnaround in the scene that depicts the confession of love between troilus and cressida. it was emotionally charged, brilliant.

cressida is such a powerful character. she knows her own mind and is unwilling to hold her tongue, even when confronted with a camp full of greek soldiers, all of whom feel that they deserve a kiss from her. she is passed from the man she loves to one she hardly knows with no choice in the matter. its brutal.

initially the love plot had much more appeal to me, the war plot being an endless set of agons about nothing, but the pace soon picks up. the final sequence of scenes in act 5 was brilliant, the pace relentless.

even the foolish characters, pandarus and thersites, managed to grow on me. all of pandarus' meddling into troilus and cressida's relationship is so funny to read, as is his treatment of helen.

very interesting to see shakespeare tackle this era of history. and much enjoyed, once the flow of the play really kicked in.

acherry913's review against another edition

3.75

Romeo and Juliet for Cat Boys with Anime Cosplay girlfriends? I jest but another silly enthralling Shakespeare. It's too bad I don't do violence because the romance was lovely. 

Perfect to ashamedly listen to a radio production of while walking your dog, intermittently rewinding 10 seconds to engorge yourself more on the prose

kathryn_muchnick's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

martine3's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

leah24601's review against another edition

challenging sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

sara2213's review against another edition

3.0

For a play about Troilus and Cressida, there was not a lot of Troilus and Cressida, and that's a shame

sezinserficeli's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

3.0

locke_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

rainbow1218's review against another edition

challenging fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

travelinglibrary's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.0