| ACT IV SCENE II | The same. Court of Pandarus' house. | |
| [Enter TROILUS and CRESSIDA] |
| TROILUS | Dear, trouble not yourself: the morn is cold. |
| CRESSIDA | Then, sweet my lord, I'll call mine uncle down; |
| He shall unbolt the gates. |
| TROILUS | Trouble him not; |
| To bed, to bed: sleep kill those pretty eyes, | 5 |
| And give as soft attachment to thy senses |
| As infants' empty of all thought! |
| CRESSIDA | Good morrow, then. |
| TROILUS | I prithee now, to bed. |
| CRESSIDA | Are you a-weary of me? | 10 |
| TROILUS | O Cressida! but that the busy day, |
| Waked by the lark, hath roused the ribald crows, |
| And dreaming night will hide our joys no longer, |
| I would not from thee. |
| CRESSIDA | Night hath been too brief. | 15 |
| TROILUS | Beshrew the witch! with venomous wights she stays |
| As tediously as hell, but flies the grasps of love |
| With wings more momentary-swift than thought. |
| You will catch cold, and curse me. |
| CRESSIDA | Prithee, tarry: | 20 |
| You men will never tarry. |
| O foolish Cressid! I might have still held off, |
| And then you would have tarried. Hark! |
| there's one up. |
| PANDARUS | [Within] What, 's all the doors open here?
| 25 |
| TROILUS | It is your uncle. |
| CRESSIDA | A pestilence on him! now will he be mocking: |
| I shall have such a life! |
| [Enter PANDARUS] |
| PANDARUS | How now, how now! how go maidenheads? Here, you |
| maid! where's my cousin Cressid? | 30 |
| CRESSIDA | Go hang yourself, you naughty mocking uncle! |
| You bring me to do, and then you flout me too. |
| PANDARUS | To do what? to do what? let her say |
| what: what have I brought you to do? |
| CRESSIDA | Come, come, beshrew your heart! you'll ne'er be good, | 35 |
| Nor suffer others. |
| PANDARUS | Ha! ha! Alas, poor wretch! ah, poor capocchia! |
| hast not slept to-night? would he not, a naughty |
| man, let it sleep? a bugbear take him! |
| CRESSIDA | Did not I tell you? Would he were knock'd i' the head! | 40 |
[Knocking within] |
| Who's that at door? good uncle, go and see. |
| My lord, come you again into my chamber: |
| You smile and mock me, as if I meant naughtily. |
| TROILUS | Ha, ha! |
| CRESSIDA | Come, you are deceived, I think of no such thing. | 45 |
[Knocking within] |
| How earnestly they knock! Pray you, come in: |
| I would not for half Troy have you seen here. |
| [Exeunt TROILUS and CRESSIDA] |
| PANDARUS | Who's there? what's the matter? will you beat |
| down the door? How now! what's the matter? |
| [Enter AENEAS] |
| AENEAS | Good morrow, lord, good morrow. | 50 |
| PANDARUS | Who's there? my Lord AEneas! By my troth, |
| I knew you not: what news with you so early? |
| AENEAS | Is not Prince Troilus here? |
| PANDARUS | Here! what should he do here? |
| AENEAS | Come, he is here, my lord; do not deny him: | 55 |
| It doth import him much to speak with me. |
| PANDARUS | Is he here, say you? 'tis more than I know, I'll |
| be sworn: for my own part, I came in late. What |
| should he do here? |
| AENEAS | Who!--nay, then: come, come, you'll do him wrong | 60 |
| ere you're ware: you'll be so true to him, to be |
| false to him: do not you know of him, but yet go |
| fetch him hither; go. |
| [Re-enter TROILUS] |
| TROILUS | How now! what's the matter? |
| AENEAS | My lord, I scarce have leisure to salute you, | 65 |
| My matter is so rash: there is at hand |
| Paris your brother, and Deiphobus, |
| The Grecian Diomed, and our Antenor |
| Deliver'd to us; and for him forthwith, |
| Ere the first sacrifice, within this hour, | 70 |
| We must give up to Diomedes' hand |
| The Lady Cressida. |
| TROILUS | Is it so concluded? |
| AENEAS | By Priam and the general state of Troy: |
| They are at hand and ready to effect it. | 75 |
| TROILUS | How my achievements mock me! |
| I will go meet them: and, my Lord AEneas, |
| We met by chance; you did not find me here. |
| AENEAS | Good, good, my lord; the secrets of nature |
| Have not more gift in taciturnity. | 80 |
| [Exeunt TROILUS and AENEAS] |
| PANDARUS | Is't possible? no sooner got but lost? The devil |
| take Antenor! the young prince will go mad: a |
| plague upon Antenor! I would they had broke 's neck! |
| [Re-enter CRESSIDA] |
| CRESSIDA | How now! what's the matter? who was here? |
| PANDARUS | Ah, ah! | 85 |
| CRESSIDA | Why sigh you so profoundly? where's my lord? gone! |
| Tell me, sweet uncle, what's the matter? |
| PANDARUS | Would I were as deep under the earth as I am above! |
| CRESSIDA | O the gods! what's the matter? |
| PANDARUS | Prithee, get thee in: would thou hadst ne'er been | 90 |
| born! I knew thou wouldst be his death. O, poor |
| gentleman! A plague upon Antenor! |
| CRESSIDA | Good uncle, I beseech you, on my knees! beseech you, |
| what's the matter? |
| PANDARUS | Thou must be gone, wench, thou must be gone; thou | 95 |
| art changed for Antenor: thou must to thy father, |
| and be gone from Troilus: 'twill be his death; |
| 'twill be his bane; he cannot bear it. |
| CRESSIDA | O you immortal gods! I will not go. |
| PANDARUS | Thou must. | 100 |
| CRESSIDA | I will not, uncle: I have forgot my father; |
| I know no touch of consanguinity; |
| No kin no love, no blood, no soul so near me |
| As the sweet Troilus. O you gods divine! |
| Make Cressid's name the very crown of falsehood, | 105 |
| If ever she leave Troilus! Time, force, and death, |
| Do to this body what extremes you can; |
| But the strong base and building of my love |
| Is as the very centre of the earth, |
| Drawing all things to it. I'll go in and weep,-- | 110 |
| PANDARUS | Do, do. |
| CRESSIDA | Tear my bright hair and scratch my praised cheeks, |
| Crack my clear voice with sobs and break my heart |
| With sounding Troilus. I will not go from Troy. |
| [Exeunt] |
Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida: Scenes and Commentary