Below you'll find the questions you asked about the play with my answers, as best as I can come up with them. Perhaps you’ll find something useful here…

1. Why was Achilles black? I doubt the color has any significance in this play. This particular actor was a founding member of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST). He’s a powerful man with a powerful voice and a commanding presence who just happens to be black. The CST often does inter-racial casting and no significance should necessarily be attached to the actors’ race.

2. Why were the costumes so flamboyant? One thing that occurred to me is that the director contrasts the two societies through their costumes. The Trojans are pictured as cultured and civilized. They get massages, take baths, engage in civil discussions. The Greeks, by contrast, are barbarians, animals, dirty (rust colored costumes). It could also be the director’s way of saying that the Greeks have been in the field for a very long time. They don’t have the luxury of taking baths and getting massages.

3. Is Achilles homosexual? Yup. That’s what Shakespeare seems to indicate. You remember that Thersites says that Patroclus is Achilles’ male varlet. Varlet can mean servant, but it can have other connotations, and conveniently it rhymes with another word that means the same thing. Gaines emphasizes Achilles’ homosexuality, perhaps as a way of calling into question his manhood since there is the stereotype that homosexuals are less masculine somehow.

4. Did Cressida love Troilus? I don’t know. I think she thinks she does, but it seems that love in this play has more to do with lust. Any time you see someone vowing love for another, it’s in the context of sexual activity or the potential for such.

5. Why did Diomede and Aeneas shake hands with their left hands when they met? Possibly no reason at all, possibly because in some cultures it’s polite not to shake hands with the hand you eat with, possibly because it’s to keep the fighting hand free in case it’s needed? I really don’t know, and I didn’t notice this, but it’s an interesting thought.

6. What happened to the top of the obelisk and why? What was the significance of that? The obelisk, as we mentioned in class, is a symbol of war and valor in combat. We have our own Washington Monument, a tribute to George Washington as the victor of the Revolutionary War. The fact that this obelisk is covered suggests that the Trojans are building it as a monument to their victory which they resume will happen. They’re wrong, as we know. So, the broken top is suggestive that the victory will not happen. Obelisks are also traditionally phallic symbols, the sign of manhood. This “phallus” is incomplete; it lacks its head and is, therefore, useless; Gaines may be trying to suggest that Hector, the symbol of Troy’s vigor and strength, is dead and the city is doomed.

7. Why were the large wood-like planks in the ceiling? Why were they lit at times when the set was being changed? I have no clue. I’ve asked others who went to see the play, including colleagues in the English department, and no one has any ideas. It could just be part of the set like the back wall that emphasizes that we are in a city. I tried to see when in the play it was lighted, but I couldn’t tell that the timing was significant.

8. I couldn’t tell whether Cressida had a choice in accepting Diomede or if it was pushed on her, it wasn’t clear because she almost seemed sad about it. It would have been her fault then? I guess the way you answer this question depends on whether you feel sympathy for Cressida or you think the director does or whether you agree with the director’s sympathies. Cressida promises Troilus that she’ll be true and she isn’t. She doesn’t seem to resist Diomede very much, in fact she even seems to flirt with him, so my first impulse is to say that she’s just what the Greeks claim she is, a whore. On the other hand, I think Jackie is right (I believe it was Jackie) when she said that Cressida is not stupid; she’s just gotten herself, through no fault of her own, into a dangerous situation. She’s been sexually assaulted, raped, certainly repeatedly molested and she’s powerless, as women often are, to defend herself. In this scene comes Diomede who seems to offer some protection, so naturally she will cling to it. The fact that she plays a bit with Menelaus by refusing to kiss him seems to suggest that she’s not entirely helpless, but for the most part there is little she can do, right? She’s using the only weapon she has available, her sexuality, to bargain with Diomede. If she shows him favor, grants him what he wants, he may protect her. For me this scene is ambiguous. Cressida doesn’t seem helpless, and then again she is. My inclination is to see her as having “given in” too easily, but that’s probably my own “maleness” showing.

9. What was the purpose of the zombie like people in the beginning and the end? That’s just what they were, zombies, the ghosts of soldiers of war. Their appearance on stage sets the tone for the play; here are these formerly strong, virile soldiers, all gone and useless except as reminders of how silly it is to go to war. They appear at the beginning to set the tone of the play, and at the end to remind us that we have death to look forward to, and by going to war we bring ourselves to early deaths.

10. Did you think it was necessary for the director to show bisexual attitudes? For me, no. But if the director intends to be faithful to the script, she has to at least admit that these attitudes are there because they’re in the script. It could be the director’s way of accommodating a more diverse audience that is likely to watch the play. There may be other reasons that I haven’t though of. But I didn’t see the necessity of stressing the bisexual attitudes, except to show that these characters may not be fully “male”.

11. I thought Cresssida was younger; why didn’t they use a younger version of her for the play? The director casts based on who auditions, so perhaps who plays the role is due partly to who is available. But it’s also possible that by casting an older woman to play the role, the director may be suggesting that youthful lust isn’t the issue here. This is a story about older and presumably more responsible adults who behave in ways that violate expectations. You expect responsibility from adults, not from kids. Casting an older woman in this role may highlight her unfaithfulness or her immorality.

12. What was the significance of the soldiers in the opening of the play? I assume you mean the dead soldiers that open the play. See above.

13. Why is Troilus so adamant about fighting for Helen? Does he like her? Do they have any “history”? I don’t think Troilus “likes” Helen or has any prior “history” with her. I think he’s just youthfully idealistic. He is not experienced in war and isn’t familiar with its atrocities. For him fighting for Helen is a noble concept, not a dire reality. He’ll find out soon enough. Don’t you notice that sometimes you have grand ideas about how things should be, but then, once you get into them, you find out that they’re not what you thought they’d be. The reality is often much less than the idea.

14. Why was Pandarus sick at the end of the play? And what was he sick with? He says at the end of the play that he is bequeathing us, the viewers, with his diseases. According to the notes from the play, he’s got syphilis, the disease of the degenerate. I think Shakespeare is trying to suggest that we, the viewers, suffer from his dilemma, figuratively, when we buy into the senselessness of war. We have our own illnesses, and they pertain to fighting useless wars. You may be able to think of other “ills” that might be implied. I think that Barbara Gaines uses his deteriorating costume to highlight the depths to which Pandarus falls. He’s the first and last character we see, so in a way, we see the play through his eyes. We start the play idealistically, but by the end of the play, we’ve come to see that we too are degenerate, diseased.

15. Why did Helen seem so stupid? Let me suggest that one theme of the play as Barbara Gaines directs it, is that war is pointless and countries go to war for the stupidest reasons. This is one of the interesting things about this play. It isn’t often performed, but when it is, it’s often during a time when the country is at war somewhere in the world. We’re at war in Iraq and Afghanistan at present. Perhaps this is the director’s way of making a comment about the war. If Helen were a sympathetic character—if we liked her and supported Paris and Troilus as they argue to continue the fight, it would distract from Gaines’ theme. By making Helen “stupid” Gaines reinforces the fact that these men are fighting for something that is not worth the blood and the loss of life. The characters in the play notice this, some of them, but just to make sure that you, the audience, get it, Gaines makes Helen stupid.

16. Why did Paris look so girly? Interesting question. I thought about this too. Most of the soldiers (Agamemnon, Achilles, Ulysses, Hector, Diomede are clearly “men.” They are strong, virile, dangerous. By contrast, Paris seems effeminate, girly, as you say, perhaps to suggest that he will not be successful in keeping Helen, that he can’t defend her against the enemy he faces, and his cause is a hopeless one, as are most situations where men must go to war and kill each other. Perhaps this is one way that Shakespeare stresses the pointlessness of war, at least in this play.

17. What’s up with the Tarzan apparel? Greek warriors fought nude and with shaved heads. There’s less advantage to your opponent because there is nothing to hold on to. (Well, almost nothing…) As I understand it, women weren’t allowed in the Olympics because men competed naked. It wasn’t considered proper for women to be there. I think that reality is shown in our play.

18. What was the purpose of the very loud scream at the end of the play? I’m not sure, except that the effect was shocking, so that’s probably one reason. The director wanted you to leave the theater disturbed and shocked.

19. Why did some of the fight scenes lack the violence that can be seen in today’s movies? I guess I’d say that movies allow fights to seem more realistic. You probably noticed that the sword fighting in this play wasn’t as realistic as what you may have seen in a film. That’s because sword fighting is highly dangerous and has to be worked out carefully. In a drama, it will seem less realistic because of the danger factor. In films, directors can use various cuts and camera angles to make the violence more violent.

20. Was the “blackout” intentional? I don’t think so. I think the lighting engineer goofed

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21. Why did Cressida’s dress become soiled after her meeting with Diomedes and what was the director trying to tell the audience? I think can be two things. First, it suggests that Diomede’s camp is out doors on the ground, so Cressida will get dirty. But it’s also symbolic. Cressida has promised to be faithful and she isn’t. In a way, her honor has been soiled, as her person has been soiled. She has already given herself to Troilus, and now she’s taken by another man, so she isn’t “pure.” The dirty dress symbolizes this reality.

22. Why don’t they use actual sets during the play? They mostly used props? Perhaps because more is left to the audience’s imagination. I think this is the main reason. It’s cheaper than building a more elaborate set, of course, but I think the starkness of the set forces the audience to focus on the meaning of the play, not the appearance of the play. In many ways, a minimal set makes the play more powerful.

23. What there a curtain over the tower and why was some of the curtain taken away before the second half? Perhaps to heighten suspense. You don’t see any of the tower, then you see part of it, then you see it all. I’m not sure what other reason there might be.

24. Did Troilus every kill Diomede? I don’t recall if there is a line from the play to suggest that he does. I’d have to go back and re-read the play to see if Shakespeare actually says that this happened.

25. Why did Cressida lie to Troilus? I’m not sure that she lied in the conventional sense. I think she meant to be true to him before going to Diomede, but found it impossible. For me, a lie is what happens when someone says something they know to be untrue with the purpose of making someone believe that it is true. I don’t think that happened here.

26. Why did Cressida betray Troilus? I think she did it for one of two reasons. Either she had the sort of personality that was unfaithful, so we should have never expected her to remain true to Troilus. Or, the circumstances forced her to be untrue. She found herself in a difficult situation. What was she supposed to do? She had to protect herself.

27. What happens with Troilus and Cressida since he killed her captor? The play doesn’t say, as far as I remember. We don’t know what happened to Troilus.

28. Were the bedroom scenes the way Shakespeare would have done it or was it the director’s choice of making it the way it was? I’d suspect director’s choice. Shakespeare could/would have had some suggestive scenes, but I suspect they would have occurred more through language than actions. Our society is more permissive of suggestive actions now, so I think the sexuality was the director’s choice. See the note below.

29. What was the reason for Thersites coming from under the stage? Perhaps to show that he’s so dirty and disgusting that he climbs out of holes in the ground.

30. Did Hector really let Achilles live in the play onto to be killed by Achilles while bathing? I know that Achilles killed Hector while unarmed, but did Hector every show mercy on Achilles during Shakespeare’s play as he did in the play we watched? Hector is portrayed as being fair and considerate. He’s not the sort to take advantage of someone else. If they are unarmed, he’ll wait for them to find a sword. We see that Achilles, far from being the hero of the classical stories, is very unheroic. The fact that Hector is taking a bath (how can he be any more unarmed that that?) shows him to be a base character. I think that’s what the director wants us to understand about him. He’s low down, mean, unfair. He doesn’t even do the dirty work himself but orders his men to kill Hector, then he takes credit for the deed.

31. What was Helen portrayed as a bimbo? See comment 15 above.

32. Why did they have to show sexual scenes in detail like that? Although it is part of the play, does it have to be necessary to go into detail that way? Mr. Hansen had an interesting comment that answers this question: This play starts with an act of sexuality and lust: Paris’s stealing of Helen. The rest of the play hinges on continuing this theme. Troilus and Cressida don’t have a “true love” relationship; their relationship is based entirely on lust. When Cressida is taken by the Greeks, she is essentially raped. We saw from the opening of the play that this is what the Greeks were like. The prostitute in the camp reinforces this idea. In an age that is as saturated by sex as our time is, the director probably feels that in order to shock the audience, she has to have her characters over-play the scene, making it even more obvious, more violent than it has to be in order to make the point. We, coming from our more sheltered environment, may not need that much sex, but other audiences have harder skins. They need more to shock them, and I think it’s clear that the director wanted the scene where Cressida is taken by the Greeks to shock the audience.