Friday, June 11, 2021

Troilus & Cressida
Syracuse Shakespeare-in-the-Park

Price: Free, pay what you will, and premium ($30) seating
Thornden Park Amphitheater
Ostrom Ave., Syracuse

Start with the background of Homer's epic Iliad as Shakespeare puts you in the middle of the Trojan War between Greece and Troy. Because it encompasses so many genres it is the least classifiable Shakespearean play: Is it tragic? heroic? satirical? farcical? comical? or all of them rolled into one play?

Troilus and Cressida is a love story set during conflict. It is a microcosm of reality. Characters aspire to love and value it beyond measure, yet love is put aside in pursuit of survival. People feed their basic instincts over their nobler aspirations. While it is sad and tragic that love does not triumph, the play reminds us that, although we cherish certain values, at times we must put them aside in order to live.