Troilus is the true lover, Cressida is the unfaithful
siren, Hector is the brave soldier, and Achilles is the spoiled child. Read Homer’s version, Chaucer’s, or Shakespeare’s—you
can argue that these are the ways to characterize the four figures that
appear in the tale of The Trojan wars. Write
your school essays textually supporting these type casts, and you’ll earn your
B.
But the
word “typecasting,” primarily used to refer to how actors can be assigned the
same type of role over and over—as Jack Nicholson is most often cast as a maniac—is
also a word meaning ‘to stereotyping’—same-old, been-there, filled with conventional
prejudices attributions.
There
are, of course, a myriad of character types.
In the Character chapter of How to Enjoy Shakespeare, Robert
Thomas Fallon cites these:
- Smart-talking servant
- Court fop
- World-wise nurse or handmaid
- Braggart soldier
- Dim-witted dupe
- Fool
- Motiveless villain
He also identifies family relations:
- Father
- Mother
- Sisters
- Brothers
We can add:
- Lover
- Thief
- King
- Child
- Prophet
- Trickster
- Predator
- Victim
And so on.
Pick
a character, assign a type, and you will find ample evidence to argue that your
assignment is compelling. And earn your predictable
B.
But just
as stereotyping a person is limiting, prejudicial, and potentially dangerous, stereotyping
literary is boring, predictable, and validates daily prejudices. To be original, grow; to be fascinated with
literature—question the stock assignment of type to character.
Is
Troilus the true lover? We can argue,
usually textual evidence, that once his conquest for Cressida is secured, he
abandons her by allowing her to be traded for Antenor, the commander. Paris and the whole of Troy are willing to
wage war for Helen—but Troilus is complacent when it comes to relinquishing
Cressida to the Greeks.
Is
Cressida the unfaithful siren? Picture
this—she is sent to the Greeks opposing the Trojans as a trade for Antenor, the
commander, he was captured by the Greeks. “You are a pawn,” this says
to her. “You are a mere plaything of
war.” Thanks a lot! She is under the guard of Diomedes. According to the gender dynamics in
Shakespeare’s play, you must have a male champion. Pandarus, Cressida’s uncle, is her guardian
(or not—we can argue that Pandarus is not that character type). Then Troilus becomes her “champion," who acquiesces to her trade. She’s left with her father Calchas, who absconded
from Troy to the Greeks, because he saw that they were losing—and abandons her in Troy, where he strongly believes she is danger.
And she now she has Diomedes, who is her warden.
At
one point, when Troilus eavesdrop Cressida and Diomedes, he reverts to conquest
mode—How can another man have her? and interprets her whispering to
Diomedes as a sexual gesture. But here’s
Cressida, having to find her way in an enemy camp, abandoned and desperate. Is she plying sexual favors? Or is she seducing Diomedes into
getting her back to Troilus? Will she kill Diomedes, when he comes to her bed? Or is she promising some military advantage, if she and Troilus are reunited? If you
will sneak me back to Troy… Is she aware that Troilus is lurking in the bushes, and purposely rousing his to envy so she will fight for her? We never get to know. Bur do we take the stock response and malign her as unfaithful, or entertain
another point of view? Is Cressida the unfaithful siren, or is she the faithful
lover fighting to return to her lover?
Is
Romeo the true lover or the spoiled child?
Is King Lear the father or the braggart soldier? Is
Paulina the wife or lesbian lover?
Resist
stereotyping—entertain assigning original roles for characters and enliven your
understanding of your own life. You will find evidence in the text—always—for,
as deconstructionists have shown, all things made of words contain their
opposites. And if your instructor is not married to predictable interpretations—his—then
here comes your A++!
© Susanna Rich, 2020
Cover Art:
Because I Can Teach:
First Words First: https://becauseicanteach.blogspot.com/2018/02/first-words-first.html
Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteI was unaware that there was a word for casting a specific role repeatedly. I remember when I was younger I used to always think how Disney shows would always have a smart character, a cool character, and a not-so-intelligent character. This occured in shows like That’s So Raven, Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Hannah Montana, etc. As a child and young teen I realized this but never evaluated it being a term in the English world. Like you said there is always an opposite in reading and I feel that depending on the reader, the interpretation can always be different. I liked the other view of Cressida whispering in Diomedes ear as a way to save herself or protect her loved ones. The tone that is set for the audience is that Troilus is this helpless romantic, so in return we can not help but feel bad for him when Cressida is not faithful. However, if I was Cressida, I may have done whatever I could so that I could be brought back safely to home. Troilus does not assume that she is working her magic to help, he already presumed she was not going to be loyal even before she was taken.
-Janaya ENG3215
When it comes to type casting, I think that some people just think of character archetypes as immediately bad. After all, having a character that is just a shallow character type is not only lazy but it leaves the audience with a bundle of cliche elements they have definitely heard before. That being said, just because character archetypes are bad on their own does not mean that they are terrible in general. In fact, using them as a starting point to build a character can be helpful as starting with something familiar can help settle new readers in before then adding layers to the character. Most readers do not hate the archetypes so long as that is not the only thing that is interesting about a character. There is a reason why archetypes are used over and over again and that reason is archetypes are a compelling foundation for a character to be built off of. There are certain elements of character types that people can identify with, hence how they became so popular. On top of this, a writer can use type casting and familiar tropes as a way to subvert the audiences' expectations. They settle in for a familiar story to kill time like a sword and sorcery novel and with some well placed subtle foreshadowing, the author can leave their audience with a twist they will not soon forget. Overall, it can be overstated how important literary archetypes can be in stories. After all, a story without a good foundation is much like a house; it will collapse.
ReplyDeleteMatthew Ponte
No uncertainty, a new, innovative and revelatory concept, Dr. Rich, regarding typical stereotyping. Moreover, as I am fresh to the idea of reversal typecasting, it appears answering questions verses proclaiming a mere statement one can embark upon fundamental roles to enliven one's understanding of Shakespeare's characters relative to one's own life. In which I cannot fault an instructor for what he or she has no knowledge and chooses to follow traditional guidelines of interpretations.
ReplyDeleteHowever, upon relishing yet another astonishing piece of Shakespeare's poetry, "Troilus and Cressida," I immediately envision a favorite bible passage regard to who's the greatest? The question becomes, amongst the sibling rivalry between the brothers Troilus and Hector, who views themselves as the greatest one of all? In other words, is Troilus higher than Hector? Wherein, there is much talk about Troilus's and Hector's characters that it made me wonder what constructs each of them grandest, so unusual if you will, then the other. We inevitably find out and discover the answer to this and more within the assigned paper.
In the meantime, being number five of seven siblings birthed from my Mother's children, I would say that my life story is certainly not typed cast, but as original has my DNA. Deep inside the sibling bloodline, just as the characters of Troilus and Hector, I can see without a shadow of a doubt, who merits the noblest complex of higher achievement. Similar in ways, yes, but scales quite the opposite in character, which by the way, like most, creates an exciting storyline and not typical stereotyping.
To follow Matthew, "after all, a good life story without a suitable foundation is much like a house; it will collapse." I indeed find this statement as an astound conclusion to the matter of resisting typecasting. For a house that stands against itself will not just fall but shatter.