Troilus and Cressida: Act 5, Scene 10 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 10 of Troilus and Cressida from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Scene 10 Sound retreat. Enter Agamemnon, Ajax, Menelaus, Nestor, Diomedes, and the rest, marching to the beat of drums. Shout within. AGAMEMNON Hark, hark, what shout is this? NESTOR Peace, drums! The drums cease. SOLDIERS, within Achilles! Achilles! Hector’s slain! Achilles! DIOMEDES The bruit is Hector’s slain, and by Achilles. AJAX If it be so, yet bragless let it be. 5 Great Hector was as good a man as he. AGAMEMNON March patiently along. Let one be sent To pray Achilles see us at our tent. If in his death the gods have us befriended, Great Troy is ours, and our sharp wars are ended. 10 They exit, marching.	A bunch of soldiers announce to the Greek leaders that Achilles has killed the Trojan Hector. Ajax says that Hector was a "good" man and that his death should be "bragless." (Read: Achilles and the rest of the Greeks shouldn't be bragging about it. Whoops. Too late.) Agamemnon says if Hector's dead, then Troy is totally about to fall.
Scene 11 Enter Aeneas, Paris, Antenor, Deiphobus, and Trojan soldiers. 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, dragged through the shameful field. Frown on, you heavens; effect your rage with speed. Sit, gods, upon your thrones, and smite 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 called Go into Troy and say their 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 pitched 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, 30 That moldeth goblins swift as frenzy’s thoughts. Strike a free march to Troy! With comfort go. Hope of revenge shall hide our inward woe.	As Troilus tells Aeneas, Hector really is dead. Not only that, but a horse is dragging his body around the "shameful field." Troilus prays to the gods and asks for them to "smile at Troy." He says that when they go back home and tell Hector's family about his death, Priam will cry himself to "stone" and all of Troy will be devastated. Troilus vows to get revenge on Achilles.
Enter Pandarus. PANDARUS But hear you, hear you! TROILUS Hence, broker, lackey! Ignomy and shame 35 Pursue thy life, and live aye with thy name! All but Pandarus 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 40 our endeavor be so loved and the performance so loathed? 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; 45 And being once subdued in armèd tail, Sweet honey and sweet notes together fail. Good traders in the flesh, set this in your painted cloths: As many as be here of panders’ hall, 50 Your eyes, half out, weep out at Pandar’s fall; Or if you cannot weep, yet give some groans, 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. 55 It should be now, but that my fear is this: Some gallèd goose of Winchester would hiss. Till then I’ll sweat and seek about for eases, And at that time bequeath you my diseases. He exits.	When Pandarus shows up, Troilus smacks him around and tells him to scram. He calls him a "broker, lackey" (pimp and a slave) and says Pandarus has to live with himself for what he's done. Alone on stage, Pandarus delivers a bitter speech to the audience. He complains about his diseased body, and how poorly he thinks he's been treated. Then he gives a shout-out to all the members of the audience involved in the sex industry. Brain snack: playhouses were in the same neighborhoods as brothels so it's highly likely that Pandarus's speech didn't fall on deaf ears. He tells us that he's dying and says he hopes there aren't any prostitutes in the audience that boo and "hiss" at him or the play. Finally, he says that when he dies (which is going to be soon), he's going to leave us all his sexually transmitted diseases in his will. The End. Yeah. We know you want more. Head over to "What's Up With the Ending" for the dirt on Pandarus's speech.

Original Text

Translated Text

Scene 10

Sound retreat. Enter Agamemnon, Ajax, Menelaus,
Nestor, Diomedes, and the rest, marching to the beat of
drums. Shout within.

AGAMEMNON
Hark, hark, what shout is this?

NESTOR
Peace, drums! The drums cease.

SOLDIERS, within
Achilles! Achilles! Hector’s slain! Achilles!

DIOMEDES
The bruit is Hector’s slain, and by Achilles.

AJAX
If it be so, yet bragless let it be. 5
Great Hector was as good a man as he.

AGAMEMNON
March patiently along. Let one be sent
To pray Achilles see us at our tent.
If in his death the gods have us befriended,
Great Troy is ours, and our sharp wars are ended. 10

They exit, marching.

A bunch of soldiers announce to the Greek leaders that Achilles has killed the Trojan Hector.

Ajax says that Hector was a "good" man and that his death should be "bragless." (Read: Achilles and the rest of the Greeks shouldn't be bragging about it. Whoops. Too late.)

Agamemnon says if Hector's dead, then Troy is totally about to fall.

Scene 11

Enter Aeneas, Paris, Antenor, Deiphobus, and Trojan
soldiers.

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, dragged through the shameful field.
Frown on, you heavens; effect your rage with speed.
Sit, gods, upon your thrones, and smite 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 called
Go into Troy and say their 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 pitched 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, 30
That moldeth goblins swift as frenzy’s thoughts.
Strike a free march to Troy! With comfort go.
Hope of revenge shall hide our inward woe.

As Troilus tells Aeneas, Hector really is dead. Not only that, but a horse is dragging his body around the "shameful field."

Troilus prays to the gods and asks for them to "smile at Troy."

He says that when they go back home and tell Hector's family about his death, Priam will cry himself to "stone" and all of Troy will be devastated.

Troilus vows to get revenge on Achilles.

Enter Pandarus.

PANDARUS
But hear you, hear you!

TROILUS
Hence, broker, lackey! Ignomy and shame 35
Pursue thy life, and live aye with thy name!

All but Pandarus 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 40
our endeavor be so loved and the performance so
loathed? 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; 45
And being once subdued in armèd tail,
Sweet honey and sweet notes together fail.
Good traders in the flesh, set this in your painted
cloths:
As many as be here of panders’ hall, 50
Your eyes, half out, weep out at Pandar’s fall;
Or if you cannot weep, yet give some groans,
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. 55
It should be now, but that my fear is this:
Some gallèd goose of Winchester would hiss.
Till then I’ll sweat and seek about for eases,
And at that time bequeath you my diseases.

He exits.

When Pandarus shows up, Troilus smacks him around and tells him to scram. He calls him a "broker, lackey" (pimp and a slave) and says Pandarus has to live with himself for what he's done.

Alone on stage, Pandarus delivers a bitter speech to the audience.

He complains about his diseased body, and how poorly he thinks he's been treated. Then he gives a shout-out to all the members of the audience involved in the sex industry.

Brain snack: playhouses were in the same neighborhoods as brothels so it's highly likely that Pandarus's speech didn't fall on deaf ears.

He tells us that he's dying and says he hopes there aren't any prostitutes in the audience that boo and "hiss" at him or the play.

Finally, he says that when he dies (which is going to be soon), he's going to leave us all his sexually transmitted diseases in his will.

The End.

Yeah. We know you want more. Head over to "What's Up With the Ending" for the dirt on Pandarus's speech.