Pandarus The Pimp: Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida"

  Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida:  Pandarus's Escort Service

    "'She's making her ready. She'll come straight / You must be witty now. She does so blush, and fetches her wind so / short as is she were frayed with a spirit. I'll fetch her'" (3.2 Ln. 27-30)

     Like many other Shakespearean plays that reduce women to a simple means of exchange, Troilus and Cressida is no exception. Women are used as war-prizes and as insults among men. In the case of Cressida and Troilus it appears as if Pandarus is the sole force behind the two getting together. Even though Cressida seems to have some interest in Troilus, it seems insincere because her feelings develop through coercion by Pandarus, who plays Cressida's uncle, and as it seems at this point, her pimp?   It seems a little unfair that Cressida is named unfaithful when she is not in control of her own life decisions, and at the same time the men around her never attributed her any wealth in the first place. Helen too is reduced to a bargaining chip and a symbol of male pride and prestige. Later on In Act 3 we get to see Troilus and Cressida meet and confess their mutual love. During this scene Pandarus is in attendance facilitating the coupling. This to me seems strange and off from the duties of a typical uncle. When Pandarus walks in on Troilus and Cressida around line 92 of 3.2 he interrupts the two and says, "'What, blushing still? Have you not done talking yet?'"  skip to line 130, and in the same area after Cressida begs to leave, it is Pandarus that says, "'Leave? An you take leave till tomorrow morning--'" This exchange makes it clear that at some level this is a meeting between two people that are genuinely in love, but it is obvious that Pandarus in soliciting his niece to Troilus. Hard to make a case for love and fidelity if Cressida is simply a pawn. 

     Pandarus's behavior reminds me of Z idler from the film Moulin Rouge (2001). In this popular Baz Luhrmann musical Nicole Kidman's character of Satine plays a courtesan who entertains at Moulin Rouge under the management of Harold Z idler (Jim Broadbent ). Even though Moulin Rouge is a brothel and Ewan McGregor's character knows she is a courtesan he eventually becomes jealous and believes at one point that Satine is unfaithful with little provocation. This is similar to Troilus's automatic condemnation of Cressida later on in the play. When Z idler is under the impression that McGregor is a wealthy duke, he readily solicits Satine as incentive for an investment from the Duke , and the real Duke himself has designs on Satine as well, and considers her property. Both the play and the film pay little attention to what the women actually want, and when they do try, it ends badly.