Characterization and Courtly Love in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde

by Anna Stephens

This paper presents an analysis of characterization and the courtly love tradition within Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde. It compares Troilus, an ideal courtly lover who is always faithful and devoted to his beloved, with Pandarus, a pragmatic courtly lover who is committed to playing the game of love. In an examination of both characters and their different perspectives on love, it becomes evident that both a solely pragmatic and an overly idealistic view of courtly love fall short, leading the reader to consider the insufficiency of either approach to love in isolation from the other. This comparison illustrates the necessity of an alternative approach to love, aside from the perspectives which both Troilus and Pandarus present, and leads the reader to a greater understanding of the courtly love tradition.