n nor may,/For al this world, withinne myn herte fynde/To unloven yow a quarter of a day!/In corsed tyme I born was, weilaway,/That yow, that doon me al this wo endure,/Yet love I best of any creature!" (Chaucer 305).By claiming this, Troilus proves he is the epitome of courtly love, by holding a love that cannot be banished by the betrayal of Criseyde, which makes it an everlasting love. Thus the character of Troilus can be defined as ideal, virtuous, and noble in his love Criseyde, making him the soul of tenderness. However at the same time, by exemplifying the hero, Chaucer shows how ridiculous and pathetic the courtly lover is, especially at his most romantic moment.In contrast to Troilus, Criseyde plays the part of the courtly lady, but Chaucer makes her a more humanly figure. Because of her realistic qualities, Gordon argues that the real tragedy belonged to Criseyde. She states"To have developed the latent tragedy of her situation, her brightness and beauty dwindling as soon as she leaves Troy, her moment of self-realization in the presence of the crude Diomed, when she acknowledges her weakness, her feeble effort to recover as she slides backward, would have made a different poem" (157).Gordon also claims that Criseydes treachery was a direct result of her fathers traitorous actions and her uncles dishonorable actions. When Criseyde is first introduced, she is dressed in widows garb, mourning. She has all the honorable intentions that get pushed aside with Pandarus help. However, upon her first speech with Pandarus, readers gather a rather conflicting opinions of Criseyde. Despite her explicable anger over Pandarus proposition, Criseyde fears for Troilus life, believing he will actually commit suicide over her. Her fear leads her to agree to Pandarus deceit, making readers interpret her actions as flirting. Chaucer seems to support this by portraying Criseyde as a timid person:"Criseyde, which that wel neigh starf for...
