Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare
Act 5 - Scene 3
Troy. Before Priam’s palace.
Andromache : When was my lord so much ungently temper'd,
[p]To stop his ears
against admonishment?
[p]Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day.
Hector : You train me to offend you; get you in:
[p]By all the everlasting
gods, I'll go!
Andromache : My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to the day.
Hector : No more, I say.
Cassandra : Where is my brother Hector?
Andromache : Here, sister; arm'd, and bloody in intent.
[p]Consort with me in loud
and dear petition,
[p]Pursue we him on knees; for I have dream'd
[p]Of
bloody turbulence, and this whole night
[p]Hath nothing been but
shapes and forms of slaughter.
Cassandra : O, 'tis true.
Hector : Ho! bid my trumpet sound!
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:
[p]They are polluted
offerings, more abhorr'd
[p]Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.
Andromache : O, be persuaded! do not count it holy
[p]To hurt by being just: it is
as lawful,
[p]For we would give much, to use violent thefts,
[p]And
rob in the behalf of charity.
Cassandra : It is the purpose that makes strong the vow;
[p]But vows to every
purpose must not hold:
[p]Unarm, sweet Hector.
Hector : Hold you still, I say;
[p]Mine honour keeps the weather of my
fate:
[p]Lie every man holds dear; but the brave man
[p]Holds honour
far more precious-dear than life.
[p][Enter TROILUS]
[p]How now, young
man! mean'st thou to fight to-day?
Andromache : Cassandra, call my father to persuade.
Hector : No, faith, young Troilus; doff thy harness, youth;
[p]I am to-day i'
the vein of chivalry:
[p]Let grow thy sinews till their knots be
strong,
[p]And tempt not yet the brushes of the war.
[p]Unarm thee,
go, and doubt thou not, brave boy,
[p]I'll stand to-day for thee and
me and Troy.
Troilus : Brother, you have a vice of mercy in you,
[p]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,
[p]Even in the fan and wind
of your fair sword,
[p]You bid them rise, and live.
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,
[p]Let's leave the hermit pity with our
mothers,
[p]And when we have our armours buckled on,
[p]The venom'd
vengeance ride upon our swords,
[p]Spur them to ruthful work, rein
them from ruth.
Hector : Fie, savage, fie!
Troilus : Hector, then 'tis wars.
Hector : Troilus, I would not have you fight to-day.
Troilus : Who should withhold me?
[p]Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of
Mars
[p]Beckoning with fiery truncheon my retire;
[p]Not Priamus and
Hecuba on knees,
[p]Their eyes o'ergalled with recourse of
tears;
[p]Not you, my brother, with your true sword drawn,
[p]Opposed
to hinder me, should stop my way,
[p]But by my ruin.
Cassandra : Lay hold upon him, Priam, hold him fast:
[p]He is thy crutch; now if
thou lose thy stay,
[p]Thou on him leaning, and all Troy on
thee,
[p]Fall all together.
Priam : Come, Hector, come, go back:
[p]Thy wife hath dream'd; thy mother hath
had visions;
[p]Cassandra doth foresee; and I myself
[p]Am like a
prophet suddenly enrapt
[p]To tell thee that this day is
ominous:
[p]Therefore, come back.
Hector : AEneas is a-field;
[p]And I do stand engaged to many Greeks,
[p]Even
in the faith of valour, to appear
[p]This morning to them.
Priam : Ay, but thou shalt not go.
Hector : I must not break my faith.
[p]You know me dutiful; therefore, dear
sir,
[p]Let me not shame respect; but give me leave
[p]To take that
course by your consent and voice,
[p]Which you do here forbid me,
royal Priam.
Cassandra : O Priam, yield not to him!
Andromache : Do not, dear father.
Hector : Andromache, I am offended with you:
[p]Upon the love you bear me, get
you in.
Troilus : This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl
[p]Makes all these
bodements.
Cassandra : O, farewell, dear Hector!
[p]Look, how thou diest! look, how thy eye
turns pale!
[p]Look, how thy wounds do bleed at many vents!
[p]Hark,
how Troy roars! how Hecuba cries out!
[p]How poor Andromache shrills
her dolours forth!
[p]Behold, distraction, frenzy and
amazement,
[p]Like witless antics, one another meet,
[p]And all cry,
Hector! Hector's dead! O Hector!
Troilus : Away! away!
Cassandra : Farewell: yet, soft! Hector! take my leave:
[p]Thou dost thyself and
all our Troy deceive.
Hector : You are amazed, my liege, at her exclaim:
[p]Go in and cheer the town:
we'll forth and fight,
[p]Do deeds worth praise and tell you them at
night.
Priam : Farewell: the gods with safety stand about thee!
Troilus : They are at it, hark! Proud Diomed, believe,
[p]I come to lose my arm,
or win my sleeve.
Pandarus : Do you hear, my lord? do you hear?
Troilus : What now?
Pandarus : Here's a letter come from yond poor girl.
Troilus : Let me read.
Pandarus : A whoreson tisick, a whoreson rascally tisick so
[p]troubles me, and
the foolish fortune of this girl;
[p]and what one thing, what another,
that I shall
[p]leave you one o' these days: and I have a rheum
[p]in
mine eyes too, and such an ache in my bones
[p]that, unless a man were
cursed, I cannot tell what
[p]to think on't. What says she there?
Troilus : Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart:
[p]The effect doth
operate another way.
[p][Tearing the letter]
[p]Go, wind, to wind,
there turn and change together.
[p]My love with words and errors still
she feeds;
[p]But edifies another with her deeds.
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Next: Act 5 - Scene 4
