Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index


  • Record Number: 8539
  • Author(s)/Creator(s): Sadlek , Gregory M.
  • Contributor(s):
  • Title: Love, Labor, and Sloth in Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde" [The author argues that Troilus' tendencies towards both the erotic and Christian sin of "acedia" (sloth) are the most important aspects of his character]
  • Source: Chaucer Review 26, 4 ( 1992): Pages 350 - 367.
  • Description:
  • Article Type: Journal Article
  • Subject (See Also): Chaucer, Geoffrey, Poet- Troilus and Criseyde Courtly Love Literature- Verse Male Sexuality in Literature Sins in Literature Sloth, Image of Troilus (Literary Figure)
  • Award Note:
  • Geographic Area: British Isles
  • Century: 14
  • Primary Evidence:
  • Illustrations:
  • Table:
  • Abstract: Chaucer changes Troilus from his counterpart in the "Filostrato," both making Troilus a greater courtly lover and increasing his slothfulness ("acedia"). Chaucer so develops Troilus's "acedia" that Troilus becomes a complex parody of a courtly lover. Publicly, of course, Troilus is a great warrior; privately his sloth is revealed. Sloth is necessary to love, and though Troilus thinks of love as work, he does not seem to do much of it. In the beginning, Troilus boasts that he has avoided laboring. He also shows fear, forgetfulness, and sorrow. This behavior contrasts with that of Pandarus and Diomede, both of whom labor courageously. Perceiving Troilus this way makes him more responsible for the failure of his and Criseyde's love, and suggests that Chaucer wants him to share the blame for the failure of their romance [Reproduced by permission of Peter G. Beidler and Martha A Kalnin Diede, editors of "The Chaucer Review: An Indexed Bibliography."].
  • Related Resources:
  • Author's Affiliation: University of Nebraska, Omaha
  • Conference Info: - , -
  • Year of Publication: 1992.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN/ISBN: 00092002