Troilus and Cressida is a tragicomedy set during the Trojan War. The play opens with the Greek and Trojan armies at a stalemate. Troilus, a Trojan prince, is in love with Cressida, the daughter of a Trojan priest who has defected to the Greeks. With the help of Cressida’s uncle Pandarus, Troilus and Cressida confess their love and consummate their relationship. However, Cressida is soon traded to the Greeks in exchange for a captured Trojan warrior.

In the Greek camp, Cressida quickly succumbs to the advances of Diomedes, breaking Troilus’s heart. Meanwhile, the Greek heroes—Agamemnon, Ulysses, and Nestor—attempt to inspire Achilles, their strongest warrior, to return to battle. They use Patroclus and Ajax to manipulate Achilles, who remains indifferent. Hector, Troilus’s brother and Troy’s noblest warrior, challenges the Greeks, leading to a brutal battle.

The play climaxes with Hector’s death at the hands of Achilles, who ambushes him unfairly. Troilus becomes disillusioned by love and war, mourning Hector’s death and Cressida’s betrayal. The play ends ambiguously, without resolution, highlighting themes of betrayal, the futility of war, and the corruption of ideals, standing out as one of Shakespeare’s most cynical and morally complex works.

Trojans:

• Troilus – A young Trojan prince and son of Priam. He is passionately in love with Cressida but is ultimately disillusioned by love and war.

• Cressida – Daughter of Calchas, she initially returns Troilus’s love but betrays him after being handed over to the Greeks.

• Pandarus – Cressida’s uncle and a bawdy go-between who facilitates the romance between Troilus and Cressida.

• Priam – King of Troy and father to Troilus, Hector, Paris, and others. He appears as a ruler struggling to keep the city’s honor in war.

• Hector – Eldest and noblest of Priam’s sons; a brave warrior who dies after being dishonorably ambushed by Achilles.

• Paris – Priam’s son whose abduction of Helen started the war; portrayed as shallow and somewhat ineffective.

• Cassandra – Daughter of Priam and a prophetess who warns against fighting and the doom awaiting Troy.

• Aeneas – A Trojan commander who negotiates with the Greeks and represents Troy’s political interests.

• Deiphobus – Another son of Priam, often seen alongside his brothers in council and battle.

Greeks:

• Cressida (again) – Once handed over, she enters a romantic entanglement with Diomedes, demonstrating her fickle nature.

• Calchas – Cressida’s father, a Trojan priest who has defected to the Greeks and demands his daughter be exchanged to him.

• Agamemnon – Commander of the Greek forces; a leader more concerned with order and pride than the war’s outcome.

• Ulysses – The wily strategist who manipulates other Greek warriors, particularly in the subplot involving Achilles.

• Nestor – An aged Greek counselor who speaks at length but contributes little strategic insight.

• Achilles – The Greeks' greatest warrior, proud and petulant. He refuses to fight until provoked by Patroclus’s death.

• Patroclus – Achilles’ close companion, often mocked for his soft demeanor; his death spurs Achilles back into action.

• Ajax – A strong but dim Greek warrior manipulated into confronting Hector to shame Achilles.

• Diomedes – A Greek warrior who seduces Cressida after she arrives in the Greek camp.

• Menelaus – Husband of Helen, largely passive in the play.

• Thersites – A cynical, foul-mouthed Greek servant who mocks everyone and acts as a chorus of sorts, exposing the hypocrisy and corruption of both sides.

 

"Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, 
Wherein he puts alms for oblivion, 
A great-sized monster of ingratitudes: 
Those scraps are good deeds past; which are devoured 
As fast as they are made, forgot as soon 
As done. ",

Ulysses, Act 3, Scene 3

This quote reflects on how time forgets even great deeds, emphasizing the fleeting nature of fame and the disregard history has for past glories.

 

"Take but degree away, untune that string, / And, hark, what discord follows!",

Ulysses, Act 1, Scene 3

Here Ulysses argues for the importance of hierarchy and order in society, warning that without rank and structure, chaos ensues.

 

"Things won are done, joy's soul lies in the doing. 
That she beloved knows nought that knows nought this: 
Men prize the thing ungained more than it is."

Cressida, Act 1, Scene 2

Cressida reflects on how the anticipation of love is more exciting than its fulfillment, a cynical view on desire and satisfaction.

 

"This is the monstrosity in love, lady, that the will is infinite and the execution confined"

Troilus, Act 3, Scene 2

Troilus laments the disparity between passionate desire and the limits of reality, revealing his idealistic and tragic view of love.

 

"The common curse of mankind,—folly and ignorance"

Thersites, Act 2, Scene 3

Thersites delivers a bitter commentary on human nature, reducing the human condition to stupidity and lack of understanding.

 

"Lechery, lechery; still wars and lechery; nothing else holds fashion"

Thersites, Act 5, Scene 2

Thersites satirically sums up the motivations behind both love and war, mocking their supposed nobility as mere lust and brutality.

 

 

Act 1

In Troy, Troilus is lovesick for Cressida and confides in her uncle Pandarus, who promises to help unite them. Meanwhile in the Greek camp, commanders Agamemnon and Ulysses discuss the low morale and disunity of their army. Achilles refuses to fight, spending time with his companion Patroclus, which frustrates the other leaders. Ulysses devises a plan to manipulate Achilles’ pride by elevating Ajax to prominence.

Act 2

In Troy, Priam and his sons debate whether to return Helen to the Greeks to end the war. Hector initially supports this but is swayed by his brothers to continue fighting. Cressida converses with Pandarus, revealing her love for Troilus. In the Greek camp, Ajax is praised to provoke Achilles, while the sarcastic servant Thersites mocks everyone.

Act 3

Pandarus finally brings Troilus and Cressida together, and they consummate their love. However, Cressida's father, Calchas, a defector to the Greeks, requests her in exchange for a captured Trojan, Antenor. The Trojans agree to the exchange, devastating Troilus. Ulysses and others continue their manipulation of Achilles, who remains aloof.

Act 4

Cressida is handed over to the Greeks, where Diomedes begins courting her. Troilus, in disguise, secretly witnesses Cressida give Diomedes a token of love, confirming her betrayal. Meanwhile, Hector challenges the Greeks to single combat. Ajax is chosen to fight him, and although they duel, they part without real conflict due to mutual respect.

Act 5

Hector ignores warnings from his wife Andromache and sister Cassandra not to fight. During the battle, Patroclus is killed, prompting Achilles to finally rejoin the fight. Achilles ambushes and kills Hector dishonorably. Troilus, crushed by both Cressida’s unfaithfulness and Hector’s death, becomes embittered. The play ends without closure, leaving themes of love, honor, and war unresolved.