Goodman, Jenifer R.. “Nature as destiny in ‘Troilus and Criseyde’.” Style 31(1997): 413
(15).
In the fourteenth century there were many intellectual complications that are difficult for the modern reader to grasp. Many of the debates of the day are within Chaucer’s text. He was very well informed, and had acquired a wide range of old and new ideas. Our perspective today is quite different from that of Chaucer’s. In Chaucer’s day one person might agree with liberal ideas and radical ideas at the same time. Today we are more one minded. Goodman says, “Whether we consider Chaucer a humanist, an early modern scientist, a feminist or male chauvinist, or a proto-Puritan predestinarian moralist, we misinterpret him by pulling him too far in our direction.”
Chaucer and his contemporaries had the option to choose which beliefs they had, unlike us who are locked into one side or the other. They were likewise very free thinkers. A notion that was important to the day was the tradition of Aristotelian physics. It emphasized “natural motion and natural place, (which) underlies the structure of Troilus and explains the movement and interaction of the main characters.” Chaucer believed that the stars were important in understanding the human character, aiding in medical practice, and a manner in which to predict the future. During this time “‘Nature,’ ‘Fortune,’ ‘Divine Providence,’ and the forces they represented were all still regarded by most thinkers as real and formidable powers, not myths, mental constructs, or conventions.”
The modern reader is predisposed to see nature as unkind in Troilus. We should not confuse the medieval sense of nature with fortune or evil. Goodman says, “Nature remains a power for good in Chaucer’s universe, an agent of God representing the force of generation and the order of creation. Nature is seen of a force of God, a power that has purpose and design. Everything in the world, such as people, stones, sounds, etc. has its own natural destination, or destiny.
The nature of Troilus’s tragedy is continually under question. The main question is whether it is a tragedy of fate or of character. To an Aristotelian natural philosopher, Troilus’s story is both. When Troilus realizes that he has lost Criseyde, he realizes that it is his fate for his life to end. He no longer has purpose on earth, and therefore his natural destiny must occur. Between Troilus and Criseyde, Criseyde can be viewed as the more tragic character, “if we are determined to find tragedy in a natural world.” Throughout the text Troilus ascends, while Criseyde descends. Chaucer describes Criseyde as ‘tendre herted, slydying of corage.’ He is describing her natural motion that is sliding downward.
Criseyde slides from one protector to another, constantly looking for security. At the beginning of the text she turns towards Hector because she has lost her father due to defection. She eventually turns to Pandarus, then Troilus, and eventually Diomede as protectors. This is her predestined path that nature has set for her. In contrast, Troilus sees himself as extremely stable.
At the beginning of the text Troilus looks down upon love, and sees himself permanently fixed in his place. He quickly loses his stronghold when he first sees Criseyde. He can barely think for himself, and therefore requires Pandarus to help him win Criseyde’s love. When Criseyde is traded for Antenor, Troilus does not know what to do. He considers following Criseyde, but he must remain in his natural place, Troy, as his name suggests. Critics view this decision to remain in Troy quite differently. He is thought of as weak by some, and by others his immobility is seen as admirable.
Throughout the text the lovers are continuously pulled together by nature. Criseyde cannot help but gravitate to Troilus, due to Pandarus pushing her, and her draw towards Troilus’s stability. Troilus cannot help but feel attracted to Criseyde; her beauty overpowers him. Criseyde wishes to stay in a constant state, but she is not granted this. She is continually wavering in all her decisions, especially whether or not to love Troilus. Criseyde’s changeability has condemned her for all time. Both characters are “a natural entity, a body in motion, irresistibly drawn toward some ‘kyndely stede,’ its ultimate resting place.”
Chaucer’s Aristotelian philosophy is at the center of his text. At the end of the text Troilus is in the eighth sphere, happily looking upon the rest of the world. Chaucer advises his readers to turn towards God for love, instead of humankind. Chaucer sees “God as the natural place and ultimate destiny of creatures made in his image.” Chaucer’s final lesson for the reader is to look towards God. Even though he consistently used pagan imagery throughout his text, Chaucer was a devoted Christian.
The text of Troilus and Criseyde makes more sense once the modern day reader looks back and makes an effort to understand Chaucer’s beliefs. Troilus and Criseyde’s fates had long been determined, and they are only following their intended path. The tragedy that befalls them was altogether unavoidable. In the end, unquestionable trust and true love can only be found in God, and not in a mate on earth.
Cassia Herndon 12/06
