| ACT V SCENE X | Another part of the plains. | |
| [Enter AENEAS and Trojans] |
| AENEAS | Stand, ho! yet are we masters of the field: |
| Never go home; here starve we out the night. |
| [Enter TROILUS] |
| TROILUS | Hector is slain. |
| ALL | Hector! the gods forbid! |
| TROILUS | He's dead; and at the murderer's horse's tail, | 5 |
| In beastly sort, dragg'd through the shameful field. |
| Frown on, you heavens, effect your rage with speed! |
| Sit, gods, upon your thrones, and smile at Troy! |
| I say, at once let your brief plagues be mercy, |
| And linger not our sure destructions on! | 10 |
| AENEAS | My lord, you do discomfort all the host! |
| TROILUS | You understand me not that tell me so: |
| I do not speak of flight, of fear, of death, |
| But dare all imminence that gods and men |
| Address their dangers in. Hector is gone: | 15 |
| Who shall tell Priam so, or Hecuba? |
| Let him that will a screech-owl aye be call'd, |
| Go in to Troy, and say there, Hector's dead: |
| There is a word will Priam turn to stone; |
| Make wells and Niobes of the maids and wives, | 20 |
| Cold statues of the youth, and, in a word, |
| Scare Troy out of itself. But, march away: |
| Hector is dead; there is no more to say. |
| Stay yet. You vile abominable tents, |
| Thus proudly pight upon our Phrygian plains, | 25 |
| Let Titan rise as early as he dare, |
| I'll through and through you! and, thou great-sized coward, |
| No space of earth shall sunder our two hates: |
| I'll haunt thee like a wicked conscience still, |
| That mouldeth goblins swift as frenzy's thoughts. | 30 |
| Strike a free march to Troy! with comfort go: |
| Hope of revenge shall hide our inward woe. |
| [Exeunt AENEAS and Trojans] |
| [
As TROILUS is going out, enter, from the other
side, PANDARUS
] |
| PANDARUS | But hear you, hear you! |
| TROILUS | Hence, broker-lackey! ignomy and shame |
| Pursue thy life, and live aye with thy name! | 35 |
| [Exit] |
| PANDARUS | A goodly medicine for my aching bones! O world! |
| world! world! thus is the poor agent despised! |
| O traitors and bawds, how earnestly are you set |
| a-work, and how ill requited! why should our |
| endeavour be so loved and the performance so loathed? | 40 |
| what verse for it? what instance for it? Let me see: |
| Full merrily the humble-bee doth sing, |
| Till he hath lost his honey and his sting; |
| And being once subdued in armed tail, |
| Sweet honey and sweet notes together fail. | 45 |
| Good traders in the flesh, set this in your |
| painted cloths. |
| As many as be here of pander's hall, |
| Your eyes, half out, weep out at Pandar's fall; |
| Or if you cannot weep, yet give some groans, | 50 |
| Though not for me, yet for your aching bones. |
| Brethren and sisters of the hold-door trade, |
| Some two months hence my will shall here be made: |
| It should be now, but that my fear is this, |
| Some galled goose of Winchester would hiss: | 55 |
| Till then I'll sweat and seek about for eases, |
| And at that time bequeathe you my diseases. |
| [Exit] |
Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida: Scenes and Commentary