Under hire nekke, and at the laste hire kyste. Have here a swerd and smyteth of myn hed!’ With the shete, and wax for shame al reed Īnd seyde, ‘Nece, if that I shal be ded, O, whoso seeth yow knoweth yow ful lite.’ Trowe I,’ quod she, ‘for al youre wordes white. That som of us, I trowe, hire hedes ake.’Īnd ner he com, and seyde, ‘How stant it now Ĭriseyde answerde, ‘Nevere the bet for yow,įox that ye ben! God yeve youre herte kare! Seyde, ‘Al this nyght so reyned it, allas, Īl nyght,’ quod he, ‘hath reyn so do me wake, In swich a plit, she dorste make hym cheere. His gentilesse, and how she with hym mette, His worthynesse, his lust, his dedes wise, Throughout this website 'How to' guides refer to this passage (Bk III.1548-1582). Simon Horobin, ‘Vocabulary’, in his Chaucer’s Language (Basingstoke, 2007), pp.68-93. This contrast is not present in Chaucer’s source, Il Filostrato, where Criseida is simply described as rejoicing in her lover. While Troilus’s assessment of Criseyde as ‘a thousand fold…worth more than he wende’ (III.1540) rests on her speech and looks, it is unclear here whether Criseyde is pleased more by his private behaviour or his public standing. Her thinking on such qualities reminds us of her earlier assessment in Book 2 of his higher status – ‘he is the worthieste, / Save only Ector’ (II.739-40) – and the role that had in making her more warmly disposed towards him. Criseyde’s meditation on Troilus thus encompasses the qualities and virtues not just of a courtly lover, but those aspects that make him an admired public figure. ‘Gentilesse’ implies nobility, but also has connotations of gentleness, graciousness and kindness. ‘Lust’ here means vigor or energy, rather than desire. ‘Worthynesse’ implies a range of qualities that might make Troilus a deserved object of Criseyde’s love, including moral value, nobility, and military prowess. Although these words seem familiar, their meaning has shifted from Chaucer’s time.
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