troilus and criseyde

accesse

fever - troilus’s love-sickness

siklych

sickly - describing troilus

preied

prayed - Deiphebus over Troilus’s sickness

wood man to runne

madman to run - describing Troilus

al innocent of this

Criseyde’s supposed innocence

leche

doctor - Criseyde helps Troilus

‘my lord, my brother’

Helen addressing Troilus; social codes and male authority

hire glorifie

(Criseyde) be proud of herself, despite being ‘al innocent’

prees

crowd; Pandarus wants privacy for T and C

tong affile

sharpen his tongue - Pandarus preparing to speak

swych a man

perhaps the criminal King Thaos, taken prisoner

Deiphebus gan this lettre for t’onfolde

Deiphebus and Helen read the letter with Troilus; narrator then moves on to Pandarus

lords tweyne

describing Troilus and Deiphebus

humbely

humbly - Pandarus commanding Criseyde to standards of propriety

vertu of corones tweyne

meaning obscure - Pandarus is perhaps playfully confusing

titeringe

hesitation, also the sense of useless chatter

denobaire

grace of air - description of Venus

whos clerk I am

scholar of lovers - the narrator asks Venus’s advice in presenting love

Calliope

muse of epic poetry - narrator asks for guidance on form

natal jove’s feast

feast of Jupiter

synge a fool in mass

flatter deceptively - Troilus isn’t overly bold with how he flatters

malapert

presumptuous

wommanliche wif

womanly woman - Criseyde is the ideal woman

manly sorwe

somewhat paradoxical, representing how Troilus is feminised by love

verray, humble, trewe

Troilus’s pledges to Criseyde

fyn of his entente

object of his intent - Criseyde is all Troilus wants

receyven hym fully to my servyse

receive him in my service - Criseyde accepts Troilus’s submission

ich here ech belle sowne

i hear every bell ringing - Pandarus is delighted at T and C kissing; conventional sign of joy

myn alderlevest lord, and brother deere

my beloved lord and dear brother - Pandarus positions himself as brother to Troilus

halwed

hallowed - Pandarus represents Criseyde’s Maddona-like reputation, despite it actually being quite poor

myn engyn

contrivance - Pandarus’s skill at devising

a thousand olde stories thee allegge

ancient proverbs of women ruined by being false - foreshadowing, and playing into Eve-like stereotypes

cruel kyng agamenoun

king of the Greek army in the Trojan war, King of Mycenae, enemy of Troy - Troilus references the broader context

i have my fair suster Polixene, Cassandre, Eleyne

Troilus offers his sisters to Pandarus as thanks

bauderye

pandering - Troilus laments his own uncontrolled emotion, aims to be more restrained

geste

poem about heroic deeds

it semed hire he wiste what she thoughte

it seemed he could read her mind - Criseyde is silenced and interpreted

she koude he hym governe in swich servyse

she could control him - idea of Criseyde’s power in the relationship

cler was in the wynd

safe from discovery - Troilus and Criseyde’s secret meetings

answered of Apollo for to be

Troilus prays to Apollo - God of music, poetry, prophecy

as his nece, obeyed as hir oughte

as Pandarus’s neice she must obey

with Pluto kynh as depe ben in helle as Tantalus

Pluto = god of hell, Tantalus punished in hell

thorought a litel wyndow in a stewe

watching from a small closet - Troilus watches Criseyde, Antigone and their maidens

tale of Wade

classical hero

Saturn and Jove in Cancro

combination of the cancer planets assumed to cause the rain

O Venus ful of myrthe, aspectes badde of Mars or of Saturne

Mars and Saturn have an evil influence, lessening Venus’s ability

Jove for the love of faire Europe

Jove transforms into a white bull and kidnaps Europa

Mars for love of Cirpris

Mars loved Venus

Mercurie for love of Hierse

Mercury falls in love with Herse

fatal sustren

the Fates

Dian

Diana, the moon, goddess of virgins - Troilus invoking her to take Criseyde’s virginity

Horaste

Chaucer’s invention, name taken from Orestes -

But O thow wikkid serpent jealousy

links Criseyde’s jealousy to Eve and the fallen state of man

but fle we now prolixitee best is

it is best we now avoid longwindedness - conscious narration

varien

otherwise

mowen

to be able

don

to make/cause

highten

promised

loketh

think/consider

which that hym thar nought

which he need not

werne

deny

iyolden

submissive

yo bygon ben hertes trewe!

loyal hearts are beset with sorrow!

fresshly newe

unfailing

werne

refuse

lette

delay

wende

depart

mede

reward

brought to preve

put to the test

ich it forbar to seye

i refrained from telling it

loth

reluctant

prest

ready

wayten

expect

soonde

message

endite

write

availle

be of use

no lenger don hym after hire to cape

nor make him seek after her any longer

wrie

concealed/hidden

bleve

remain

travers

screen/curtains dividing the room

koude good

good sense

devyne

make conjectures

angwissous

painful

if ich al nyght wolde hym in sorwe se

if i would keep him in sorrow all night

bereth hym

carry to him

lade

load

leyd

in bed

neighen gan

approach

homly

informally

leere

teach

oon

one person

reise

exult

do yow wete

let you know

eft-sonys

later

throwe

short time

o fyn

purpose

rewe

regret

highte

was called

tarien

delay

lite

small