The works of William Shakespeare have been awarded praise for their universality. They contain themes that everyone is familiar with-love, lust, revenge, glory. Troilus and Cressida is no different than any other of Shakespeare's works in this respect. One of the major themes in Troilus and Cressida is that of desire. Sexual desire, mimetic desire, and the desire for glory are all incorporated in the plot and characters of the play. One character in particular plays the advocate of sexual desire and desire in general. The name of a character is important to the nature of a character. Pandarus is aptly named, as he is a 'panderer.' He lives up to his name. He serves as Cressida's pimp, basically, in bringing Troilus and Cressida together. He ingratiates himself to Helen and makes love to her with words and beguiles with a song of 'love,' and throughout, he stresses his own importance in his 'service' of bringing about love or desire.
             From the outset of the play, Pandarus takes his name seriously. He begins the play by talking up his niece Cressida to Troilus. He speaks of her beauty and intelligence beyond all other women, including Helen. He woos Troilus to Cressida with claims that "she looked yesternight fairer than ever I saw her look, or any woman else."" He even plays up his role as the middle man in their deal, "Gone between and between, but small thanks for my labor." He plays up his importance in Troilus' attempt to woo Cressida.
             In the next scene, Pandarus does the same thing with Cressida. He puffs up Troilus' skills on the battle field and his wit. He throws compliments to Troilus' name, which also emphasizes his importance as the link to Troilus. Pandarus claims that, "Had [he] a sister were a grace, or a daughter a goddess, [Troilus] should take his choice." He claims he "could live and die in the eyes of ...