The Testament of Cresseid Literary Elements

The Testament of Cresseid Literary Elements

Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View

The first-person objective point of view

Form and Meter

Iambic pentameter

Metaphors and Similes

The narrator uses God as a metaphor to imply that he hates blasphemy.

Alliteration and Assonance

Alliteration is in the line, ‘Of God Phebus, direct descending doun.’

Irony

The main irony is that Troilus (Cresseid's ex-lover) accepts her back after her initial rejection. Initially, Cresseid had rejected Troilus and went for Diomedes. The paradox is that Cresseid's beauty is no longer there this time around because she is suffering from leprosy, but Troilus accepts her and gives her everything she needs to recover.

Genre

Narrative poem

Setting

Set in Venus and written in the context of the consequences of blasphemy

Tone

The tone is overwhelming, and the mood is sanguine.

Protagonist and Antagonist

The central character is Cresseid.

Major Conflict

There is a conflict between Cresseid and Diomedes. Diomedes expels Cresseid on the account that she committed blasphemy. On the other hand, Cresseid curses her husband for cruelty.

Climax

The climax comes when Cresseid meets her ex-lover, who acknowledges her despite her distorted appearance.

Foreshadowing

Her sinning foreshadows Cresseid's banishment against her husband.

Understatement

The punishment of blasphemy is understated.

Allusions

The poem alludes to love relationships and the consequences of profanity.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

Venus is used as a metonymy as a point of reference.

Personification

Blasphemy is incarnated as evil.

Hyperbole

N/A

Onomatopoeia

N/A

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