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Dramatis Personae
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/ Home / Library / Complete Shakespeare / Troilus and Cressida / Act IV Scene II
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Troilus and Cressida: Act 4 Scene 2
Scene II The same. Court of Pandarus' house.
- [Enter TROILUS and CRESSIDA]
- TROILUS
- Dear, trouble not yourself: the morn is cold.
- CRESSIDA
- Then, sweet my lord, I'll call mine uncle down;
- He shall unbolt the gates.
- TROILUS
- Trouble him not;
- To bed, to bed: sleep kill those pretty eyes,
- And give as soft attachment to thy senses
- As infants' empty of all thought!
- CRESSIDA
- Good morrow, then.
- TROILUS
- I prithee now, to bed.
- CRESSIDA
- Are you a-weary of me?
- TROILUS
- O Cressida! but that the busy day,
- Waked by the lark, hath roused the ribald crows,
- And dreaming night will hide our joys no longer,
- I would not from thee.
- CRESSIDA
- Night hath been too brief.
- TROILUS
- Beshrew the witch! with venomous wights she stays
- As tediously as hell, but flies the grasps of love
- With wings more momentary-swift than thought.
- You will catch cold, and curse me.
- CRESSIDA
- Prithee, tarry:
- You men will never tarry.
- O foolish Cressid! I might have still held off,
- And then you would have tarried. Hark!
- there's one up.
- PANDARUS
- [Within] What, 's all the doors open here?
- TROILUS
- It is your uncle.
- CRESSIDA
- A pestilence on him! now will he be mocking:
- I shall have such a life!
- [Enter PANDARUS]
- PANDARUS
- How now, how now! how go maidenheads? Here, you
- maid! where's my cousin Cressid?
- CRESSIDA
- Go hang yourself, you naughty mocking uncle!
- You bring me to do, and then you flout me too.
- PANDARUS
- To do what? to do what? let her say
- what: what have I brought you to do?
- CRESSIDA
- Come, come, beshrew your heart! you'll ne'er be good,
- Nor suffer others.
- PANDARUS
- Ha! ha! Alas, poor wretch! ah, poor capocchia!
- hast not slept to-night? would he not, a naughty
- man, let it sleep? a bugbear take him!
- CRESSIDA
- Did not I tell you? Would he were knock'd i' the head!
- [Knocking within]
- Who's that at door? good uncle, go and see.
- My lord, come you again into my chamber:
- You smile and mock me, as if I meant naughtily.
- TROILUS
- Ha, ha!
- CRESSIDA
- Come, you are deceived, I think of no such thing.
- [Knocking within]
- How earnestly they knock! Pray you, come in:
- I would not for half Troy have you seen here.
- [Exeunt TROILUS and CRESSIDA]
- PANDARUS
- Who's there? what's the matter? will you beat
- down the door? How now! what's the matter?
- [Enter AENEAS]
- AENEAS
- Good morrow, lord, good morrow.
- PANDARUS
- Who's there? my Lord AEneas! By my troth,
- I knew you not: what news with you so early?
- AENEAS
- Is not Prince Troilus here?
- PANDARUS
- Here! what should he do here?
- AENEAS
- Come, he is here, my lord; do not deny him:
- It doth import him much to speak with me.
- PANDARUS
- Is he here, say you? 'tis more than I know, I'll
- be sworn: for my own part, I came in late. What
- should he do here?
- AENEAS
- Who!--nay, then: come, come, you'll do him wrong
- ere you're ware: you'll be so true to him, to be
- false to him: do not you know of him, but yet go
- fetch him hither; go.
- [Re-enter TROILUS]
- TROILUS
- How now! what's the matter?
- AENEAS
- My lord, I scarce have leisure to salute you,
- My matter is so rash: there is at hand
- Paris your brother, and Deiphobus,
- The Grecian Diomed, and our Antenor
- Deliver'd to us; and for him forthwith,
- Ere the first sacrifice, within this hour,
- We must give up to Diomedes' hand
- The Lady Cressida.
- TROILUS
- Is it so concluded?
- AENEAS
- By Priam and the general state of Troy:
- They are at hand and ready to effect it.
- TROILUS
- How my achievements mock me!
- I will go meet them: and, my Lord AEneas,
- We met by chance; you did not find me here.
- AENEAS
- Good, good, my lord; the secrets of nature
- Have not more gift in taciturnity.
- [Exeunt TROILUS and AENEAS]
- PANDARUS
- Is't possible? no sooner got but lost? The devil
- take Antenor! the young prince will go mad: a
- plague upon Antenor! I would they had broke 's neck!
- [Re-enter CRESSIDA]
- CRESSIDA
- How now! what's the matter? who was here?
- PANDARUS
- Ah, ah!
- CRESSIDA
- Why sigh you so profoundly? where's my lord? gone!
- Tell me, sweet uncle, what's the matter?
- PANDARUS
- Would I were as deep under the earth as I am above!
- CRESSIDA
- O the gods! what's the matter?
- PANDARUS
- Prithee, get thee in: would thou hadst ne'er been
- born! I knew thou wouldst be his death. O, poor
- gentleman! A plague upon Antenor!
- CRESSIDA
- Good uncle, I beseech you, on my knees! beseech you,
- what's the matter?
- PANDARUS
- Thou must be gone, wench, thou must be gone; thou
- art changed for Antenor: thou must to thy father,
- and be gone from Troilus: 'twill be his death;
- 'twill be his bane; he cannot bear it.
- CRESSIDA
- O you immortal gods! I will not go.
- PANDARUS
- Thou must.
- CRESSIDA
- I will not, uncle: I have forgot my father;
- I know no touch of consanguinity;
- No kin no love, no blood, no soul so near me
- As the sweet Troilus. O you gods divine!
- Make Cressid's name the very crown of falsehood,
- If ever she leave Troilus! Time, force, and death,
- Do to this body what extremes you can;
- But the strong base and building of my love
- Is as the very centre of the earth,
- Drawing all things to it. I'll go in and weep,--
- PANDARUS
- Do, do.
- CRESSIDA
- Tear my bright hair and scratch my praised cheeks,
- Crack my clear voice with sobs and break my heart
- With sounding Troilus. I will not go from Troy.
- [Exeunt]
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