Troilus and Criseyde Audiobook By Geoffrey Chaucer, Nevill Coghill - translator cover art

Troilus and Criseyde

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Troilus and Criseyde

By: Geoffrey Chaucer, Nevill Coghill - translator
Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
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Set during the fierce Trojan War, Troilus and Criseyde is the poignant tale of love won and lost. The beautiful Criseyde becomes the object of desire for Troilus, the son of King Priam, and he is able to win her affection through the machinations of his uncle, Pandarus. They experience a brief time of bliss together, but despite their vows of faithfulness, they are soon separated by the fortunes of war.

Nevill Coghill's matchless translation skilfully transmits the genius and vigor of Chaucer's 14th-century romantic poem, widely regarded as his finest achievement. Listen as probably the greatest love poem of the Middle Ages comes alive, combining elements of comedy and tragedy to form an exquisite tale of romantic love and human frailty.

©1971 Nevill Coghill (P)2011 Audio Connoisseur Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature European Poetry World Literature Royalty
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The reading wasn't flat or boring, I just disagreed with the interpretation of the reader. I interpret Pandarus as a witty but silly matchmaker, another example of Chaucer's self-satiricial characters, who pushes Criseyde too hard for various interesting reasons. The narrator reads Pandarus as if it's the part of Mufasa from the Lion King. Pandarus comes off as evil, which also means Criseyde comes off as victim rather than an intellectual equal, which then throws off the dynamics of the ending...

The narrator often speaks in an ironic sing-song voice. Anyway, while I'd prefer a different narrator, he isn't terrible, and there's no denying that this is an excellent book.

Problematic reading

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The story and the poem are matchless -- who am I to review Chaucer? The narration I found somewhat problematic. For some reason the narrator found it appropriate to use a tongue-in-cheek, almost mocking tone throughout; I would have preferred if he had played it straight up. The Rhyme Royal in which the poem is written lends itself to a sort of rollicking, sing-song cadence, which could have been minimized had the narrator not paused at the end of the enjambed lines. Thanks to Audible for making this classic available in an audio format.

Love Won and Lost, in Rhyme Royal

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Love has not much changed since the 1500s. The many voices of Twitter have merely replaced the single voice of Pandarus. Oh yeah, but then Twitter is equivalent to a Greek chorus.

Love has not much changed since the 1500s.

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