Sennet. Enter Agamemnon, Nestor, Ulysses, Diomedes,
Menelaus, with others. AGAMEMNON
Princes, what grief hath set the jaundice o’er your
cheeks?
The ample proposition that hope makes
In all designs begun on Earth below
Fails in the promised largeness. Checks and disasters 5
Grow in the veins of actions highest reared,
As knots, by the conflux of meeting sap,
Infects the sound pine and diverts his grain
Tortive and errant from his course of growth.
Nor, princes, is it matter new to us 10
That we come short of our suppose so far
That after seven years’ siege yet Troy walls stand,
Sith every action that hath gone before,
Whereof we have record, trial did draw
Bias and thwart, not answering the aim 15
And that unbodied figure of the thought
That gave ’t surmisèd shape. Why then, you princes,
Do you with cheeks abashed behold our works
And call them shames, which are indeed naught else
But the protractive trials of great Jove 20
To find persistive constancy in men?
The fineness of which metal is not found
In Fortune’s love; for then the bold and coward,
The wise and fool, the artist and unread,
The hard and soft seem all affined and kin. 25
But in the wind and tempest of her frown,
Distinction, with a broad and powerful fan,
Puffing at all, winnows the light away,
And what hath mass or matter by itself
Lies rich in virtue and unmingled. 30 NESTOR
With due observance of thy godlike seat,
Great Agamemnon, Nestor shall apply
Thy latest words. In the reproof of chance
Lies the true proof of men. The sea being smooth,
How many shallow bauble boats dare sail 35
Upon her patient breast, making their way
With those of nobler bulk!
But let the ruffian Boreas once enrage
The gentle Thetis, and anon behold
The strong-ribbed bark through liquid mountains cut, 40
Bounding between the two moist elements,
Like Perseus’ horse. Where’s then the saucy boat
Whose weak untimbered sides but even now
Corrivaled greatness? Either to harbor fled
Or made a toast for Neptune. Even so 45
Doth valor’s show and valor’s worth divide
In storms of Fortune. For in her ray and brightness
The herd hath more annoyance by the breese
Than by the tiger, but when the splitting wind
Makes flexible the knees of knotted oaks, 50
And flies flee under shade, why, then the thing of
courage,
As roused with rage, with rage doth sympathize,
And with an accent tuned in selfsame key
Retorts to chiding Fortune. 55 | Over at the Greek camp, a bunch of commanders and soldiers hang out in front of Agamemnon's tent. Agamemnon tries to give his guys a pep talk about how, even though the Greeks have come up "short" after seven long years of battle, they shouldn't be bummed because the gods are just trying to test them. After all, greatness comes from adversity and overcoming lengthy "trials." Put that on a motivational poster, why don't you? Nestor chimes in that "Great Agamemnon" is totally right. The Greeks should turn their frowns upside down and get out there and kick some Trojan butt. |
ULYSSES
They tax our policy and call it cowardice,
Count wisdom as no member of the war,
Forestall prescience, and esteem no act
But that of hand. The still and mental parts
That do contrive how many hands shall strike 205
When fitness calls them on and know by measure
Of their observant toil the enemy’s weight—
Why, this hath not a fingers dignity.
They call this bed-work, mapp’ry, closet war;
So that the ram that batters down the wall, 210
For the great swinge and rudeness of his poise,
They place before his hand that made the engine
Or those that with the fineness of their souls
By reason guide his execution. NESTOR
Let this be granted, and Achilles’ horse 215
Makes many Thetis’ sons. Tucket. AGAMEMNON What trumpet? Look, Menelaus. MENELAUS From Troy. Enter Aeneas, with a Trumpeter. AGAMEMNON
What would you ’fore our tent? AENEAS
Is this great Agamemnon’s tent, I pray you? 220 AGAMEMNON Even this. AENEAS
May one that is a herald and a prince
Do a fair message to his kingly eyes? AGAMEMNON
With surety stronger than Achilles’ arm
’Fore all the Greekish host, which with one voice 225
Call Agamemnon head and general. AENEAS
Fair leave and large security. How may
A stranger to those most imperial looks
Know them from eyes of other mortals? AGAMEMNON How? 230 AENEAS
Ay. I ask that I might waken reverence
And bid the cheek be ready with a blush
Modest as morning when she coldly eyes
The youthful Phoebus.
Which is that god in office, guiding men? 235
Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon? AGAMEMNON
This Trojan scorns us, or the men of Troy
Are ceremonious courtiers. AENEAS
Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarmed,
As bending angels—that’s their fame in peace. 240
But when they would seem soldiers, they have galls,
Good arms, strong joints, true swords, and—great
Jove’s accord—
Nothing so full of heart. But peace, Aeneas.
Peace, Trojan. Lay thy finger on thy lips. 245
The worthiness of praise distains his worth
If that the praised himself bring the praise forth.
But what the repining enemy commends,
That breath fame blows; that praise, sole pure,
transcends. 250 AGAMEMNON
Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself Aeneas? AENEAS
Ay, Greek, that is my name. AGAMEMNON What’s your affair, I pray you? AENEAS
Sir, pardon. ’Tis for Agamemnon’s ears. AGAMEMNON
He hears naught privately that comes from Troy. 255 AENEAS
Nor I from Troy come not to whisper with him.
I bring a trumpet to awake his ear,
To set his sense on the attentive bent,
And then to speak. AGAMEMNON Speak frankly as the wind; 260
It is not Agamemnon’s sleeping hour.
That thou shalt know, Trojan, he is awake,
He tells thee so himself. AENEAS
Trumpet, blow loud!
Send thy brass voice through all these lazy tents; 265
And every Greek of mettle, let him know
What Troy means fairly shall be spoke aloud. Sound trumpet. We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy
A prince called Hector—Priam is his father—
Who in this dull and long-continued truce 270
Is resty grown. He bade me take a trumpet
And to this purpose speak: “Kings, princes, lords,
If there be one among the fair’st of Greece
That holds his honor higher than his ease,
That seeks his praise more than he fears his peril, 275
That knows his valor and knows not his fear,
That loves his mistress more than in confession
With truant vows to her own lips he loves
And dare avow her beauty and her worth
In other arms than hers—to him this challenge. 280
Hector, in view of Trojans and of Greeks,
Shall make it good, or do his best to do it,
He hath a lady wiser, fairer, truer
Than ever Greek did couple in his arms
And will tomorrow with his trumpet call, 285
Midway between your tents and walls of Troy,
To rouse a Grecian that is true in love.
If any come, Hector shall honor him;
If none, he’ll say in Troy when he retires
The Grecian dames are sunburnt and not worth 290
The splinter of a lance.” Even so much. AGAMEMNON
This shall be told our lovers, Lord Aeneas.
If none of them have soul in such a kind,
We left them all at home. But we are soldiers,
And may that soldier a mere recreant prove 295
That means not, hath not, or is not in love!
If then one is, or hath, or means to be,
That one meets Hector. If none else, I am he. NESTOR, to Aeneas
Tell him of Nestor, one that was a man
When Hector’s grandsire sucked. He is old now, 300
But if there be not in our Grecian host
A noble man that hath one spark of fire
To answer for his love, tell him from me
I’ll hide my silver beard in a gold beaver
And in my vambrace put my withered brawns 305
And, meeting him, will tell him that my lady
Was fairer than his grandam and as chaste
As may be in the world. His youth in flood,
I’ll prove this troth with my three drops of blood. AENEAS
Now heavens forfend such scarcity of youth! 310 ULYSSES
Amen. AGAMEMNON
Fair Lord Aeneas, let me touch your hand.
To our pavilion shall I lead you, sir.
Achilles shall have word of this intent;
So shall each lord of Greece from tent to tent. 315
Yourself shall feast with us before you go,
And find the welcome of a noble foe. All but Ulysses and Nestor exit. | While the Greek leaders complain about the soldiers' lack of respect for authority, Aeneas shows up from the Trojan camp saying he wants to talk to the "great Agamemnon." (Huh. Looks like the Trojans are more respectful to the Greek leaders than the Greek soldiers are. Score one for the Trojans, we guess.) Aeneas delivers a message from the Trojan warrior Hector, who has issued a throw-down to any Greek warrior who thinks he's got the stones to face him in man-to-man combat. The winner gets to say that his wife is hotter, "wiser," and "truer" than any other woman in the land. (What is it with these guys dragging women into their wars and conflicts? Go to "Themes: Gender" if you want our take on this.) The Greeks say they're up for the challenge and invite Aeneas to stay and party with them that night before he goes back to the Trojan camp. |
ULYSSES
Nestor. NESTOR
What says Ulysses? ULYSSES
I have a young conception in my brain; 320
Be you my time to bring it to some shape. NESTOR
What is ’t? ULYSSES
This ’tis:
Blunt wedges rive hard knots; the seeded pride
That hath to this maturity blown up 325
In rank Achilles must or now be cropped
Or, shedding, breed a nursery of like evil
To overbulk us all. NESTOR
Well, and how? ULYSSES
This challenge that the gallant Hector sends, 330
However it is spread in general name,
Relates in purpose only to Achilles. NESTOR
True. The purpose is perspicuous as substance
Whose grossness little characters sum up;
And, in the publication, make no strain 335
But that Achilles, were his brain as barren
As banks of Libya—though, Apollo knows,
’Tis dry enough—will, with great speed of judgment,
Ay, with celerity, find Hector’s purpose
Pointing on him. 340 ULYSSES
And wake him to the answer, think you? NESTOR
Why, ’tis most meet. Who may you else oppose
That can from Hector bring his honor off
If not Achilles? Though ’t be a sportful combat,
Yet in the trial much opinion dwells, 345
For here the Trojans taste our dear’st repute
With their fin’st palate. And, trust to me, Ulysses,
Our imputation shall be oddly poised
In this vile action. For the success,
Although particular, shall give a scantling 350
Of good or bad unto the general;
And in such indexes, although small pricks
To their subsequent volumes, there is seen
The baby figure of the giant mass
Of things to come at large. It is supposed 355
He that meets Hector issues from our choice;
And choice, being mutual act of all our souls,
Makes merit her election and doth boil,
As ’twere from forth us all, a man distilled
Out of our virtues, who, miscarrying, 360
What heart receives from hence a conquering part
To steel a strong opinion to themselves?—
Which entertained, limbs are his instruments,
In no less working than are swords and bows
Directive by the limbs. 365 ULYSSES
Give pardon to my speech: therefore ’tis meet
Achilles meet not Hector. Let us like merchants
First show foul wares and think perchance they’ll sell;
If not, the luster of the better shall exceed
By showing the worse first. Do not consent 370
That ever Hector and Achilles meet,
For both our honor and our shame in this
Are dogged with two strange followers. NESTOR
I see them not with my old eyes. What are they? ULYSSES
What glory our Achilles shares from Hector, 375
Were he not proud, we all should share with him;
But he already is too insolent,
And it were better parch in Afric sun
Than in the pride and salt scorn of his eyes
Should he scape Hector fair. If he were foiled, 380
Why then we do our main opinion crush
In taint of our best man. No, make a lott’ry,
And, by device, let blockish Ajax draw
The sort to fight with Hector. Among ourselves
Give him allowance for the better man, 385
For that will physic the great Myrmidon,
Who broils in loud applause, and make him fall
His crest that prouder than blue Iris bends.
If the dull brainless Ajax come safe off,
We’ll dress him up in voices; if he fail, 390
Yet go we under our opinion still
That we have better men. But, hit or miss,
Our project’s life this shape of sense assumes:
Ajax employed plucks down Achilles’ plumes. NESTOR
Now, Ulysses, I begin to relish thy advice, 395
And I will give a taste thereof forthwith
To Agamemnon. Go we to him straight.
Two curs shall tame each other; pride alone
Must tar the mastiffs on, as ’twere a bone. They exit. | Ulysses and Nestor are left alone on stage. Cue maniacal laughter. Ulysses says he's got a plan that will get Achilles out of his tent and back on the battlefield. First, it's obvious that Hector issued the throw down challenge because he's looking for a fight with Achilles. But, Ulysses and Nestor don't think it's a good idea for Achilles to fight Hector since it would be totes embarrassing if he lost. Plus, it would really do a number on morale if the other soldiers saw one of their great warriors go down. Ulysses and Nestor decide that, instead, they should get "dull, brainless" Ajax to fight Hector. If Ajax loses, hey, no big whoop. They can just play it off. But if Ajax wins, maybe "proud" Achilles will get jealous and finally come out of his tent to fight in the war. Ulysses says they should rig a fake lottery and then act all surprised and excited when Ajax's name gets picked. No wonder they call the guy "wily Ulysses." |