Troilus and Cressida Compared to Much Ado About Nothing Both by Shakespeare

¶ … Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing" is a witty comedy. It subscribes to all the conventions of a Shakespeare comedy, being witty in language and plot. It also ends well for all who deserve it, and badly for all those who do not. In "Cressida and Troilus" however, both the plot and theme seem somewhat dark for a comedy. However, this play has been classified as one of Shakespeare's comedies. It is doubtful however that it is one of his wittiest, or indeed in the same category as "Much Ado about Nothing." These two plays will then be compared in terms of character, plot, theme and dramatic structure in order to determine the similarities between the two.

Character

In both plays, three characters drive the main plot. In "Troilus and Cressida," the backdrop of the Trojan War divides the characters into the Trojans and the Greeks. Troilus and Cressida, the unfortunate lovers, are both from Troy. Troilus, the youngest son of King Priam, is hopelessly in love with Cressida, even to the point of blindness. While he can at times see his own faults, he is entirely blind to those of Cressida. Cressida is not at all worthy of Troilus' love. She has many lovers, and even after promising to remain true to Troilus appears to be unable to stop herself from breaking her vows. At the Greek camp, she enters a sexual relationship with the Greek, Diomedes. The third character driving the main action is Pandarus, Cressida's uncle. His role is to live through the often illicit trysts of others, as he is retired and can no longer himself enjoy a sensual lifestyle. For the purpose of the play he then acts as a go-between between Troilus and his niece.

Royalty and war also go hand-in-hand for the characters in "Much Ado about Nothing." Don Pedro is for example the Prince of Arragon, just returning from battle as the play opens. Claudio, one of the main characters, is one of the companions returning with him. Don Pedro plays the parallel role to that of Pandarus, as he helps Claudio and Hero with their connection. Claudio is a lord of Florence who falls in love with Hero. Hero is engaged to be married to Claudio. In contrast to Cressida, Hero keeps is always true to her promise. However, Don John and his companions are plotting to destroy her relationship with Claudio out of jealousy. In this way a parallel can be seen between the warring groups of characters in the two plays. The Trojans and Greeks are then paralleled by Don Pedro and his companions who are the victims of the plot by Don John and his team.

Plot

The plot of both plays revolves around the romantic relationships of the main characters. In "Troilus and Cressida" however, the plot and outcome are somewhat darker than in the mostly light-hearted "Much Ado about Nothing." Whereas there is the parallel of alleged sexual indiscretion for both Cressida and Hero, the former proves guilty, while the latter has been framed.

Both plays also feature a parallel love theme besides the relationships of the main characters. The parallel love theme with Troilus and Cressida's relationship is that of Helen and Paris. Helen in this play proves as sexually intense as Cressida. The same parallelism is found in the case of Claudio and Hero. Beatrice and Benedick share a pure and true love, even though both swear never to marry.

"Much Ado about Nothing" ends with joy, as Hero's name has been cleared. Those guilty of the plot against her and Claudio are duly punished, thus providing and ending that is fitting and traditional for a Shakespearean comedy. Troilus and Cressida's ending is not a happy one, as already known by an audience versed in the history of the Trojan period. This is also suggested by the rest of the plot. The play ends with Pandarus lamenting the situation, whereas "Much Ado about Nothing" ends with a celebration.

Theme

As mentioned above, the theme in both plays revolves around love, or indeed then the romantic connections between the main characters and their parallels. In "Troilus and Cressida" the initial theme of true love is undermined by both Cressida and her uncle, who is supposed to help her. The same happens to Hero, although Don Pedro makes a mistake in his observation. The latter acts as the promoter of the love between Hero and Claudio, but this is undermined by Don Pedro's hasty conclusion on the basis of deception. What finally unites both sets of lovers is the fact that their love for each other is authentic. It is stronger than any deception.

This is not the case with Troilus and Cressida. The former's passion is based upon no more than infatuation, while the latter is filled with a perpetual sexual hunger that cannot be satisfied by a man who is away at war. This inability of Cressida to honor her promise or Troilus's feelings for her is what defeats their relationship.

At the foundation of this destruction lies the theme of time. The backdrop of the war destroys the value that may be found in more personal emotions and passions. Time, like war, destroys and renders groundless everything except the destruction itself. In contrast, time has a healing effect for Claudio and Hero's lives. Hero pretends to be dead until time has proved her innocence. In the case of Cressida, time proves her unfaithful and permanently separates the lovers. In this play the themes of love and time work together to destroy what might have matured into something beautiful had Troilus and Cressida not been separated by circumstances. In this way Cressida could be seen as a victim not only of her circumstances, but also of her society. In the same way Hero is a victim of those who plot against her. She is however a conventionally pure woman and is victimized only by deceit and not by her own inability to remain faithful to her vows.

Dramatic Structure

"Much Ado about Nothing" is structurally stronger than "Troilus and Cressida," and also fits better the requirements of the Shakespearean comedy. The celebration at the end for example is the usual end for one of these comedies. The latter play, on the other hand, is filled with a dark kind of satire, which ends badly. The structure is also somewhat disjointed. The political and love themes, especially during the initial stages of the play, do not seem to have a unifying effect in the play and therefore tend to be confusing. The war also interferes with the success of all the major romantic relationships in the play.