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Troilus and Criseyde is a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer which re-tells in Middle
English the tragic story of the lovers Troilus and Criseyde set against a
backdrop of war in the Siege of Troy. It was composed using rime royale and
probably completed during the mid 1380s. Many Chaucer scholars regard it as
the poet's finest work. As a finished long poem it is certainly more self-
contained than the better known but ultimately uncompleted Canterbury Tales.
Criseyde, the daughter of the seer Calchas, lives alone in Troy after her father
abandons the Trojans to help the Greeks. Eventually she catches the eye of
Troilus, a man who had previously scoffed at love, and becomes the object of
his overwhelming desire. With the help of Criseyde's uncle Pandarus he wins
her love but soon loses it when the Greeks and the Trojans conduct an
exchange of prisoners. Calchas, who knows of Troy's imminent destruction,
persuades the Greeks to exchange Antenor for his daughter and thus saves her
from the doomed city. Criseyde promises Troilus that she'll return to him after
ten days but once she's back in the care of her father she realizes the
impossibility of her promise. Resigned to her fate, Criseyde yields to the
flirtations of Diomedes, and her love for Troilus fades. When Deiphobus wins
the armor of Diomedes, Troilus discovers a brooch he gave Criseyde upon her
departure pinned to it. Heartbroken, he tries to find Diomedes and take his
revenge during battle but after slaying many is in his turn killed by Achilles. As
his spirit goes to heaven he reflects on the absurdity of all life itself. (Summary
by Wikipedia)

Read by Kevin Johnson. Total running time: 7:47:23

This recording is in the public domain and may be reproduced, distributed, or modified
without permission. For more information or to volunteer, visit librivox.org.
Cover picture illumination Chaucer reading poem. Copyright expired in U.S., Canada, EU. and
all countries with author's life +70 yrs laws. Cover design by Annise. This design is in the
public domain.

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