Troilus and Cressida: Act 5, Scene 6 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 6 of Troilus and Cressida from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Ajax. AJAX Troilus, thou coward Troilus, show thy head! Enter Diomedes. DIOMEDES Troilus, I say! Where’s Troilus? AJAX What wouldst thou? DIOMEDES I would correct him. AJAX Were I the General, thou shouldst have my office 5 Ere that correction.—Troilus, I say! What, Troilus! Enter Troilus. TROILUS O traitor Diomed! Turn thy false face, thou traitor, And pay the life thou owest me for my horse! DIOMEDES Ha! Art thou there? AJAX I’ll fight with him alone. Stand, Diomed. 10 DIOMEDES He is my prize. I will not look upon. TROILUS Come, both you cogging Greeks. Have at you both! Enter Hector. Troilus exits, fighting Diomedes and Ajax. HECTOR Yea, Troilus? O, well fought, my youngest brother! Enter Achilles. ACHILLES Now do I see thee. Ha! Have at thee, Hector! They fight. HECTOR Pause if thou wilt. 15 ACHILLES I do disdain thy courtesy, proud Trojan. Be happy that my arms are out of use. My rest and negligence befriends thee now, But thou anon shalt hear of me again; Till when, go seek thy fortune. 20 HECTOR Fare thee well. I would have been much more a fresher man Had I expected thee. Enter Troilus. How now, my brother? TROILUS Ajax hath ta’en Aeneas. Shall it be? 25 No, by the flame of yonder glorious heaven, He shall not carry him. I’ll be ta’en too Or bring him off. Fate, hear me what I say! I reck not though I end my life today. He exits. Enter one in Greek armor. HECTOR Stand, stand, thou Greek! Thou art a goodly mark. 30 No? Wilt thou not? I like thy armor well. I’ll frush it and unlock the rivets all, But I’ll be master of it. The Greek exits. Wilt thou not, beast, abide? Why then, fly on. I’ll hunt thee for thy hide. 35 He exits.	Ajax and Diomedes run around calling out for Troilus to show his face. So they can smash it in. They bicker about who gets to fight him, until Troilus gets fed up and says that he'll take them both on at the same time. Seriously? Maybe not a good move, dude. They fight their way off the stage as Achilles and Hector show up, going at it with their swords. Hector is getting the better of Achilles and offers to let the guy take a break. This is such a weird battle, you guys. Achilles talks some trash and says something like "I'll be back" as he runs off. Troilus runs back on stage and says that Ajax has captured Aeneas. He promises to rescue him and runs off. Next, an armored Greek soldier shows up, takes one look at Hector, and hightails it out of there. Hector says he really likes the guy's armor and wouldn't mind having it in his trophy case. Then he runs after the shiny trophy.

Original Text

Translated Text

Source: Folger Shakespeare Library

Enter Ajax.

AJAX
Troilus, thou coward Troilus, show thy head!

Enter Diomedes.

DIOMEDES Troilus, I say! Where’s Troilus?

AJAX What wouldst thou?

DIOMEDES
I would correct him.

AJAX
Were I the General, thou shouldst have my office 5
Ere that correction.—Troilus, I say! What, Troilus!

Enter Troilus.

TROILUS
O traitor Diomed! Turn thy false face, thou traitor,
And pay the life thou owest me for my horse!

DIOMEDES Ha! Art thou there?

AJAX
I’ll fight with him alone. Stand, Diomed. 10

DIOMEDES
He is my prize. I will not look upon.

TROILUS
Come, both you cogging Greeks. Have at you both!

Enter Hector.

Troilus exits, fighting Diomedes and Ajax.

HECTOR
Yea, Troilus? O, well fought, my youngest brother!

Enter Achilles.

ACHILLES
Now do I see thee. Ha! Have at thee, Hector!

They fight.

HECTOR
Pause if thou wilt. 15

ACHILLES
I do disdain thy courtesy, proud Trojan.
Be happy that my arms are out of use.
My rest and negligence befriends thee now,
But thou anon shalt hear of me again;
Till when, go seek thy fortune. 20

HECTOR
Fare thee well.
I would have been much more a fresher man
Had I expected thee.

Enter Troilus.

How now, my brother?

TROILUS
Ajax hath ta’en Aeneas. Shall it be? 25
No, by the flame of yonder glorious heaven,
He shall not carry him. I’ll be ta’en too
Or bring him off. Fate, hear me what I say!
I reck not though I end my life today.

He exits.

Enter one in Greek armor.

HECTOR
Stand, stand, thou Greek! Thou art a goodly mark. 30
No? Wilt thou not? I like thy armor well.
I’ll frush it and unlock the rivets all,
But I’ll be master of it.

The Greek exits.

Wilt thou not, beast, abide?
Why then, fly on. I’ll hunt thee for thy hide. 35

He exits.

Ajax and Diomedes run around calling out for Troilus to show his face. So they can smash it in.

They bicker about who gets to fight him, until Troilus gets fed up and says that he'll take them both on at the same time. Seriously?

Maybe not a good move, dude. They fight their way off the stage as Achilles and Hector show up, going at it with their swords.

Hector is getting the better of Achilles and offers to let the guy take a break. This is such a weird battle, you guys.

Achilles talks some trash and says something like "I'll be back" as he runs off.

Troilus runs back on stage and says that Ajax has captured Aeneas. He promises to rescue him and runs off.

Next, an armored Greek soldier shows up, takes one look at Hector, and hightails it out of there.

Hector says he really likes the guy's armor and wouldn't mind having it in his trophy case. Then he runs after the shiny trophy.

Troilus and Cressida: Act 5, Scene 6 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 6 of Troilus and Cressida from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

Tired of ads?