To be a woman is to be frivolous and fickle. This is the position taken by Geoffrey Chaucer in his love poem "Troilus and Criseyde". The beautiful Criseyde, with whom Troilus falls madly in love, is the embodiment of frivolity and inconstancy, in her actions as in her thoughts. Criseyde's own uncle, in reference to the woman's wavering heart, says that "to keep it is as difficult as to earn it" (book 3.verse 234). Chaucer also uses symbolism: the moon parallels Criseyde's actions; it’s constantly evolving, like a woman’s prerogative. Chaucer also reflects on the role of Fortune, who, having a feminine character, is constantly subject to fancies and change. Chaucer's negative view towards the female gender is clearly visible throughout this story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Criseyde is the most significant example of Chaucer's view, and by far the simplest. She promises Troilus with many sincere words that she will always be faithful to him, swearing before God that she will never go astray: "For thine am I, by God and by this true oath" (3.216). She makes these vows with honesty in her heart: "Everything she said was said with good intentions, / ... she said exactly what she meant" (4.203). Although this may seem to prove that she is not cheating on her love when she leaves him for Diomedes, in reality it only shows how fickle and frivolous a woman can be. When Criseyde chooses to leave her “love,” Troilus, it is for very superficial reasons. She does not leave Troilus because she loves another: The words of this sudden Diomedes, His high position and the sinking city... [which] thus began to reproduce The reason why... she made her intention to stay (5.147) Criseyde chooses not to return to her beloved, as she has promised many times. Criseyde is portrayed as being quite petty; she leaves Troilus for extremely superficial reasons. To make matters worse, rather than immediately feeling sorrow towards Troilus or remorse for what she did to him, she complains about what her actions will mean for her own well-being. She tells herself that "nothing good for me, until the end of the world, / will ever be written, said or sung /... alas that I should suffer such a fall" (5.152). Chaucer extracts any pity one might feel towards Criseyde by emphasizing her vanity and inconstancy. She causes Troilus, a character whom Chaucer has given readers no reason to hate, such pain that he is “defeated and so wretched” (5.175). Troilus remains faithful to his promise of love until his death, while Criseyde's feelings change radically. Chaucer uses lunar imagery to foreshadow that Criseyde's heart will indeed change. The moon appears frequently in Chaucer's poem, and most often in a context parallel to Criseyde's decision. He uses phrases such as "change of the moon" (3.79) and "the moon was bent" (3.90) to incorporate the idea that the moon is in a constant state of flux. He connects it to Criseyde's actions in order to show that she is also constantly transforming. Troilus "...every night rose to see the moon/to say 'Moon again, the night when your horns are renewed/I will be happy - if all the world is true'" (5.93). He watches the moon to know when Criseyde might return to him, but as the moon changes, so does the spirit of his beloved. Chaucer alludes to this when he writes: "In heaven one could.