Troilus and Cressida

Given the wealth of formal debate contained in this tragedy, Troilus and Cressida was probably written in 1602 for a performance at one of the Inns of Court. Shakespeare's treatment of the age-old tale of love and betrayal is based on many sources, from Homer and Ovid to Chaucer and Shakespeare's near-contemporary Robert Greene. In the introduction, the various problems connected with the play—its performance and publication—are considered succinctly; its multiple sources are discussed in detail, together with its peculiar stage history and its renewed popularity in recent years.