ABSTRACT
Troilus and Cressida is a breathtakingly original play that it has been awarded little critical esteem until the last 25 years. Clearly Troilus and Cressida is unique in the Shakespearian canon even though it shares significant affinities with All’s Well and Measure for Measure. Cressida, is a symbol of division and forms a significant part of the kinship web. Troilus is dedicated to both Cressida and the war but his failure to join his mental faculties with his passion ensures the annihilation of his love and his city. Appetite is a central concern in Troilus and Cressida: both honour and sexual gratification are greedily sought. In the 1985 Stratford production of Troilus and Cressida Juliet Stevenson played Cressida as a victim of war, being manhandled by the Greeks on entering their camp and only gradually acquiring the facility to stand up to them.
