Troilus and Cressida Philosophical Viewpoints Quotes

Troilus is head over heels for Cressida. But, what's weird is that he sees himself as a "merchant" who is embarking on some kind of business venture (with Pandarus as a go-between). What does that make Cressida? A commodity. According to Troilus, she's a "pearl" that he'd be willing to sail across the ocean to get his hands on. Throughout the play, Troilus will use this same kind of marketplace language to describe why women like Cressida and Helen are so "valuable" to men like him and Paris. And Cressida is wise to this. When she calls her uncle Pandarus a "bawd" she points out how she is basically being trafficked to Troilus by a man who is acting like her "pimp."

This is where Cressida explains why she's been playing hard to get with Troilus: she's afraid that he won't value or "prize" her anymore after he's had sex with her. The idea that women lose their "value" after they've had sex with a man is an idea that's repeated throughout the play. (And, uh, in a lot of other places, too.)

Ulysses uses the language of selling and bartering to explain why the Greeks should send Ajax to battle Hector instead of the great Achilles. Basically, he compares himself and the other military leaders to "merchants" or businessmen who are trying to "sell" their products by showing a customer their "foul wares" (a.k.a. Ajax) first so that when they bring out the really good stuff (Achilles), it will look that much better to the consumer. Used car salesman, much?

Hector and his brothers and father spend a whole lot of time arguing about whether or not Helen has any "value" to them and whether or not she's "worth" all the lives that have been sacrificed to the war. Wow, talk about familial love.

Highlighter time, because this passage is super important. Here, Troilus argues that a person's "value" is in the eye of the beholder or, the person doing the valuing. According to Troilus, nothing has an inherent value that is automatically built in from the get-go. It depends on what it's worth to the people who take it upon themselves to assign value to it. In other words, Troilus argues that Helen's "worth" depends on whether or not the Trojans "value" her. (Kind of like a skateboard or a bike that can be won on eBay if you think it's worth more than what other people are willing to bid.) That's a pretty depressing and dangerous thought. This basically explains how and why the Greeks and Trojans can treat people (especially women) like objects that can be stolen, bought, and bartered for.

Here, Troilus compares Helen to some silk fabric that's been stained. The idea is that Helen is like a product in the marketplace that can be bought, sold, and stolen—and ruined by previous owners. The "soil" suggests that her sex life has somehow ruined her.

Okay. Now Helen is an expensive "pearl"? We told you she's portrayed as a product. What's interesting is that Troilus also compares his girl Cressida to a "pearl" earlier in the play. What's up with that? Oh, yeah, these guys are all awful.

When Calchas arranges for his daughter Cressida to be "exchange[d]" for a Trojan prisoner named Antenor, he reconfirms the notion that Cressida is an object that can be simply traded between men. We also want to point out that, in this passage, it's not just a woman who is being treated like merchandise. Antenor is a guy, and it's pretty clear that the Trojans value him because they'd probably give up a prince in exchange for him. Although, we should point out that Cressida is valued for her sexual appeal. That's not the case for Antenor, who is worth something because of his political connections.

Achilles is afraid that he's no longer valued by his fellow Greeks because nobody is giving him props like they used to. In other words, he thinks his value as a person depends on whether or not other people think he's worth something. This is pretty much what Troilus argues earlier in the play when he asks, "What's aught but as 'tis valued?" (2.2.52).

Ulysses wants Achilles to feel worthless so the guy will get back out on the battlefield. That's why he tells him he's reading a book that says a man is only as good as his reputation. (Which, seriously? Achilles falls for this?) If a man doesn't have a lot of friends and admirers to give him props, then he's totally worthless. Clever Ulysses, because this confirms what Achilles already believes.