'Bitraised Thorugh False Folk': Criseyde, the Siege, and the Threat of Treason

Author / Editor
Martin, Carl Grey.

Title
'Bitraised Thorugh False Folk': Criseyde, the Siege, and the Threat of Treason

Published
Chaucer Review 37: 219-33, 2003.

Description
The romance "The Siege of Thebes" being read by Criseyde at the beginning of the poem prepares us for her preoccupation with "siege" throughout the work. Pandarus persuades her to conceptualize Troilus as an antidote for the siege's danger, while Troy depends on the expense of the war effort. Traded to the Greeks, Criseyde becomes an outsider, joining the ranks of expatriates and exiles incessantly shifting around her.

Chaucer Subjects
Troilus and Criseyde.