SCENE II. The same. Court of Pandarus' house. Troilus and Cressida  Shakespeare homepage  |  Troiles and Cressida  | Act 4, Scene 2 

 Previous scene  |  Next scene  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  Shakespeare homepage  |  Troiles and Cressida  | Act 4, Scene 2 

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