Troilus and Criseyde

Poetry | Geoffrey Chaucer

What is the significance of Troilus' Boar dream?

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What is the significance of Troilus' Boar dream Dreams play an important role in Troilus and Criseyde Geoffrey Chaucer - uses Troilus s Boar dream to show the dark sign of his coming tragedy It is a dream full of warning It shows love fear loss and fate together in one picture The Dream as a Symbol of Fear When Troilus lies sick in his chamber at Troy he dreams of a boar Chaucer says And that the boor was shewed him in figure And that the boar was shown to him in a vision or symbolic form The image of the wild boar makes Troilus afraid He wakes up full of doubt and sorrow The dream is not just a fantasy it comes from Jove s divine plan It means a divine warning of future loss The Dream as a Symbol of Betrayal The boar in the dream stands

for Diomede He is the Greek warrior who later steals Criseyde s heart Troilus s heart is broken when he gets the brooch he gave Criseyde as a token of his love in Diomedes' coat Chaucer remarks And eek a broche and that was litel nede That Troilus was she yaf this Diomedes And also a brooch though there was little need she gave to Diomede the same brooch that once belonged to Troilus The Dream as the End of Love Troilus laments at the end He says O lady myn Criseyde Wher is your love wher is your trouthe O my lady Criseyde where is your love now Where is your faith and truth that you promised me After that he becomes jealous of Diomedess He wants to kill him But he never hates Criseyde as a loyal lover Troilus dies in battle at the hands of Achilles His soul rises above the stars Thus Troilus s Boar dream is full of tragic prophecy It joins heaven s warning love s weakness and human sorrow Chaucer uses this dream to prepare readers for the final fall of Troilus The fall of a heart that loved too deeply and trusted too much

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