Troilus and Cressida Principles Quotes

We just love it when Shakespeare's characters gossip, because it makes our job so much easier. Here, we find out that the great Hector flipped out on his way to the battlefield and yelled at his wife... after he smacked around the guy who helps him arm for battle. Why does this matter? Well, in classic literature like The Iliad, Hector is the poster boy of "virtue" because he's the ultimate family man / honorable warrior. In this play? Not so much.

When Alexander gives Ajax props for being the poster boy for manly independence and heroic self-sufficiency, Cressida cracks a joke that undermines the whole idea of heroism. Standing alone? A 12-month-old can do it.

Uh, oh. This doesn't sound good at all, Shmoopers. Here, we find out that the "great Achilles" (the dude who eats Trojan soldiers for breakfast in Homer's Iliad) has got a big head and thinks he's too awesome for his own good. Not only that, but the guy spends the "livelong day" in a "lazy bed" with his lover Patroclus instead of going out to the battlefield to fight. And he doesn't even bother to give the military leaders a good excuse. That doesn't sound like heroic behavior, does it?

Mere moments after Ulysses delivers a big, fancy speech about the importance of social hierarchy and respect for authority (1.3.75-137), he hatches a scheme to trick Achilles back onto the battlefield by making him jealous of Ajax, who is being sent to fight Hector in man-to-man combat despite the fact that Achilles is the better man. We know that Ulysses has got a literary rep for being all crafty (especially in the Iliad), but Shakespeare makes the dude downright hypocritical in this play.

When Paris argues that the Trojans should never give Helen back to the Greeks, he doesn't exactly sound like an honorable guy, does he? Here, he acknowledges the fact that the kidnapping ("rape") of "fair" Helen has brought about some kind of dishonor ("soil"). But, he thinks that if he can keep her, it will somehow erase the dishonor he caused when he captured her in the first place. That's some pretty fuzzy logic.

Troilus thinks that defending the Trojans' right to keep Helen will bring "honor" and "fame." Here, he looks to the future and insists that the war will memorialize ("canonize") the Trojans as heroes. This is pretty ironic. Shakespeare is memorializing the Trojans, all right, but there's nothing "valiant and magnanimous" about the way he's portraying them.

Up until now, Hector has been arguing pretty fiercely with his brothers that they should send Helen back to Greece ASAP. But here, he gives in and agrees to keep fighting, despite the million and one reasons he listed for ending the terrible war. Hector may be the most respected of all the Trojans, but that isn't really saying much. Shakespeare shows us over and over that Hector is a hypocrite no better than anyone else (which means, he's pretty bad).

Despite Troilus' chivalric declarations of his "love" for Cressida, Pandarus always reduces the relationship to the mere sex. Instead of letting the lovers talk to each other, he rushes them off to the bedroom. You'd almost think he was the one about to enjoy Cressida's honey.

When Troilus and Diomedes engage in man-to-man combat, Thersites doesn't see anything noble or chivalric about it. He insists that both men are simply fighting over a "whore" as he eggs them on. And guess what? We think Shakespeare probably agrees with him.

Moments after killing a Greek soldier for his shiny armor, Hector unarms and takes a break from battle. That's when Achilles shows up with his gang of Myrmidons. Everyone knows there's nothing honorable about killing a guy who's "unarm'd" on the battlefield, but Achilles doesn't actually care at this point. So, when Achilles goes after Hector here, it's the ultimate dishonorable action. But wait. It gets worse.

After Hector is slaughtered, Achilles orders his body tied to a horse and dragged around the battlefield. This is majorly dishonorable, guys. Troilus uses the word "beastly" to describe what happens, although we don't think any animals could be so spiteful. Except maybe cats.