| ACT V SCENE III | Troy. Before Priam's palace. | |
| [Enter HECTOR and ANDROMACHE] |
| ANDROMACHE | When was my lord so much ungently temper'd, |
| To stop his ears against admonishment? |
| Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day. |
| HECTOR | You train me to offend you; get you in: |
| By all the everlasting gods, I'll go! | 5 |
| ANDROMACHE | My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to the day. |
| HECTOR | No more, I say. |
| [Enter CASSANDRA] |
| CASSANDRA | Where is my brother Hector? |
| ANDROMACHE | Here, sister; arm'd, and bloody in intent. |
| Consort with me in loud and dear petition, | 10 |
| Pursue we him on knees; for I have dream'd |
| Of bloody turbulence, and this whole night |
| Hath nothing been but shapes and forms of slaughter. |
| CASSANDRA | O, 'tis true. |
| HECTOR | Ho! bid my trumpet sound! | 15 |
| CASSANDRA | No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet brother. |
| HECTOR | Be gone, I say: the gods have heard me swear. |
| CASSANDRA | The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows: |
| They are polluted offerings, more abhorr'd |
| Than spotted livers in the sacrifice. | 20 |
| ANDROMACHE | O, be persuaded! do not count it holy |
| To hurt by being just: it is as lawful, |
| For we would give much, to use violent thefts, |
| And rob in the behalf of charity. |
| CASSANDRA | It is the purpose that makes strong the vow; | 25 |
| But vows to every purpose must not hold: |
| Unarm, sweet Hector. |
| HECTOR | Hold you still, I say; |
| Mine honour keeps the weather of my fate: |
| Lie every man holds dear; but the brave man | 30 |
| Holds honour far more precious-dear than life. |
[Enter TROILUS] |
| How now, young man! mean'st thou to fight to-day? |
| ANDROMACHE | Cassandra, call my father to persuade. |
| [Exit CASSANDRA] |
| HECTOR | No, faith, young Troilus; doff thy harness, youth; |
| I am to-day i' the vein of chivalry: | 35 |
| Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong, |
| And tempt not yet the brushes of the war. |
| Unarm thee, go, and doubt thou not, brave boy, |
| I'll stand to-day for thee and me and Troy. |
| TROILUS | Brother, you have a vice of mercy in you, | 40 |
| Which better fits a lion than a man. |
| HECTOR | What vice is that, good Troilus? chide me for it. |
| TROILUS | When many times the captive Grecian falls, |
| Even in the fan and wind of your fair sword, |
| You bid them rise, and live. | 45 |
| HECTOR | O,'tis fair play. |
| TROILUS | Fool's play, by heaven, Hector. |
| HECTOR | How now! how now! |
| TROILUS | For the love of all the gods, |
| Let's leave the hermit pity with our mothers, | 50 |
| And when we have our armours buckled on, |
| The venom'd vengeance ride upon our swords, |
| Spur them to ruthful work, rein them from ruth. |
| HECTOR | Fie, savage, fie! |
| TROILUS | Hector, then 'tis wars. | 55 |
| HECTOR | Troilus, I would not have you fight to-day. |
| TROILUS | Who should withhold me? |
| Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars |
| Beckoning with fiery truncheon my retire; |
| Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees, | 60 |
| Their eyes o'ergalled with recourse of tears; |
| Not you, my brother, with your true sword drawn, |
| Opposed to hinder me, should stop my way, |
| But by my ruin. |
| [Re-enter CASSANDRA, with PRIAM] |
| CASSANDRA | Lay hold upon him, Priam, hold him fast: | 65 |
| He is thy crutch; now if thou lose thy stay, |
| Thou on him leaning, and all Troy on thee, |
| Fall all together. |
| PRIAM | Come, Hector, come, go back: |
| Thy wife hath dream'd; thy mother hath had visions; | 70 |
| Cassandra doth foresee; and I myself |
| Am like a prophet suddenly enrapt |
| To tell thee that this day is ominous: |
| Therefore, come back. |
| HECTOR | AEneas is a-field; | 75 |
| And I do stand engaged to many Greeks, |
| Even in the faith of valour, to appear |
| This morning to them. |
| PRIAM | Ay, but thou shalt not go. |
| HECTOR | I must not break my faith. | 80 |
| You know me dutiful; therefore, dear sir, |
| Let me not shame respect; but give me leave |
| To take that course by your consent and voice, |
| Which you do here forbid me, royal Priam. |
| CASSANDRA | O Priam, yield not to him! | 85 |
| ANDROMACHE | Do not, dear father. |
| HECTOR | Andromache, I am offended with you: |
| Upon the love you bear me, get you in. |
| [Exit ANDROMACHE] |
| TROILUS | This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl |
| Makes all these bodements. | 90 |
| CASSANDRA | O, farewell, dear Hector! |
| Look, how thou diest! look, how thy eye turns pale! |
| Look, how thy wounds do bleed at many vents! |
| Hark, how Troy roars! how Hecuba cries out! |
| How poor Andromache shrills her dolours forth! | 95 |
| Behold, distraction, frenzy and amazement, |
| Like witless antics, one another meet, |
| And all cry, Hector! Hector's dead! O Hector! |
| TROILUS | Away! away! |
| CASSANDRA | Farewell: yet, soft! Hector! take my leave: | 100 |
| Thou dost thyself and all our Troy deceive. |
| [Exit] |
| HECTOR | You are amazed, my liege, at her exclaim: |
| Go in and cheer the town: we'll forth and fight, |
| Do deeds worth praise and tell you them at night. |
| PRIAM | Farewell: the gods with safety stand about thee! | 105 |
| [Exeunt severally PRIAM and HECTOR. Alarums] |
| TROILUS | They are at it, hark! Proud Diomed, believe, |
| I come to lose my arm, or win my sleeve. |
| [Enter PANDARUS] |
| PANDARUS | Do you hear, my lord? do you hear? |
| TROILUS | What now? |
| PANDARUS | Here's a letter come from yond poor girl. | 110 |
| TROILUS | Let me read. |
| PANDARUS | A whoreson tisick, a whoreson rascally tisick so |
| troubles me, and the foolish fortune of this girl; |
| and what one thing, what another, that I shall |
| leave you one o' these days: and I have a rheum | 115 |
| in mine eyes too, and such an ache in my bones |
| that, unless a man were cursed, I cannot tell what |
| to think on't. What says she there? |
| TROILUS | Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart: |
| The effect doth operate another way. | 120 |
[Tearing the letter] |
| Go, wind, to wind, there turn and change together. |
| My love with words and errors still she feeds; |
| But edifies another with her deeds. |
| [Exeunt severally] |
Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida: Scenes and Commentary