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Act 5, Scene 5 — Another part of the plain.
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The argument Diomedes sends Troilus's captured horse to Cressida as a trophy. Agamemnon brings a desperate battle report. Nestor describes Hector's devastation of the Greek ranks. Ulysses announces that Achilles is finally arming in fury over Patroclus. Ajax charges off calling Troilus a coward. Achilles enters howling for Hector.
Enter Diomedes and a Servant.
DIOMEDES ≋ verse dialogue

Go, go, my servant, take thou Troilus’ horse;

Present the fair steed to my lady Cressid.

Fellow, commend my service to her beauty;

Tell her I have chastis’d the amorous Trojan,

And am her knight by proof.

Go, go, my servant, take you Troilus’ horse; Present the fair steed to my lady Cressid. Fellow, commend my service to her beauty; Tell her I have chastis’d the amorous Trojan, And am her knight by proof.

go, go, my servant, take you troilus’ horse; present the fair steed to my lady cressid. fellow, commend my service to her beauty; tell her i've chastis’d the amorous trojan, and am her knight by proof.

go, go, my servant, take you troilus’ horse; present the

SERVANT dialogue

I go, my lord.

I go, my lord.

i go, my lord.

i go, my lord.

[_Exit_.]
Enter Agamemnon.
AGAMEMNON ≋ verse dialogue

Renew, renew! The fierce Polydamas

Hath beat down Menon; bastard Margarelon

Hath Doreus prisoner,

And stands colossus-wise, waving his beam,

Upon the pashed corses of the kings

Epistrophus and Cedius. Polixenes is slain;

Amphimacus and Thoas deadly hurt;

Patroclus ta’en, or slain; and Palamedes

Sore hurt and bruis’d. The dreadful Sagittary

Appals our numbers. Haste we, Diomed,

To reinforcement, or we perish all.

Renew, renew! The fierce Polydamas has beat down Menon; bastard Margarelon has Doreus prisoner, And stands colossus-wise, waving his beam, Upon the pashed corses of the kings Epistrophus and Cedius. Polixenes is slain; Amphimacus and Thoas deadly hurt; Patroclus ta’en, or slain; and Palamedes Sore hurt and bruis’d. The dreadful Sagittary Appals our numbers. Haste we, Diomed, To reinforcement, or we perish all.

renew, renew! the fierce polydamas has beat down menon; bastard margarelon has doreus prisoner, and stands colossus-wise, waving his beam, upon the pashed corses of the kings epistrophus and cedius. polixenes is slain; amphimacus and thoas deadly hurt; patroclus ta’en, or slain; and palamedes sore hurt and bruis’d. the dreadful sagittary appals our numbers. haste we, diomed, to reinforcement, or we perish all.

renew, renew! the fierce polydamas has beat down menon;

Enter Nestor.
NESTOR ≋ verse dialogue

Go, bear Patroclus’ body to Achilles,

And bid the snail-pac’d Ajax arm for shame.

There is a thousand Hectors in the field;

Now here he fights on Galathe his horse,

And there lacks work; anon he’s there afoot,

And there they fly or die, like scaled sculls

Before the belching whale; then is he yonder,

And there the strawy Greeks, ripe for his edge,

Fall down before him like the mower’s swath.

Here, there, and everywhere, he leaves and takes;

Dexterity so obeying appetite

That what he will he does, and does so much

That proof is call’d impossibility.

Go, bear Patroclus’ body to Achilles, And bid the snail-pac’d Ajax arm for shame. There is a thousand Hectors in the field; Now here he fights on Galathe his horse, And there lacks work; anon he’s there afoot, And there they fly or die, like scaled sculls Before the belching whale; then is he yonder, And there the strawy Greeks, ripe for his edge, Fall down before him like the mower’s swath. Here, there, and everywhere, he leaves and takes; Dexterity so obeying appetite That what he will he does, and does so much That proof is call’d impossibility.

go, bear patroclus’ body to achilles, and bid the snail-pac’d ajax arm for shame. there is a thousand hectors in the field; now here he fights on galathe his horse, and there lacks work; anon he’s there afoot, and there they fly or die, like scaled sculls before the belching whale; then is he yonder, and there the strawy greeks, ripe for his edge, fall down before him like the mower’s swath. here, there, and everywhere, he leaves and takes; dexterity so obeying appetite that what he will he does, and does so much that proof is call’d impossibility.

go, bear patroclus’ body to achilles, and bid the

Enter Ulysses.
ULYSSES ≋ verse dialogue

O, courage, courage, courage, Princes! Great Achilles

Is arming, weeping, cursing, vowing vengeance.

Patroclus’ wounds have rous’d his drowsy blood,

Together with his mangled Myrmidons,

That noseless, handless, hack’d and chipp’d, come to him,

Crying on Hector. Ajax hath lost a friend

And foams at mouth, and he is arm’d and at it,

Roaring for Troilus; who hath done today

Mad and fantastic execution,

Engaging and redeeming of himself

With such a careless force and forceless care

As if that lust, in very spite of cunning,

Bade him win all.

O, courage, courage, courage, Princes! Great Achilles Is arming, weeping, cursing, vowing vengeance. Patroclus’ wounds have rous’d his drowsy blood, Together with his mangled Myrmidons, That noseless, handless, hack’d and chipp’d, come to him, Crying on Hector. Ajax has lost a friend And foams at mouth, and he is arm’d and at it, Roaring for Troilus; who has done today Mad and fantastic execution, Engaging and redeeming of himself With such a careless force and forceless care As if that lust, in very spite of cunning, Bade him win all.

o, courage, courage, courage, princes! great achilles is arming, weeping, cursing, vowing vengeance. patroclus’ wounds have rous’d his drowsy blood, together with his mangled myrmidons, that noseless, handless, hack’d and chipp’d, come to him, crying on hector. ajax has lost a friend and foams at mouth, and he is arm’d and at it, roaring for troilus; who has done today mad and fantastic execution, engaging and redeeming of himself with such a careless force and forceless care as if that lust, in very spite of cunning, bade him win all.

o, courage, courage, courage, princes! great achilles is

Enter Ajax.
AJAX dialogue

Troilus! thou coward Troilus!

Troilus! you coward Troilus!

troilus! you coward troilus!

troilus! you coward troilus!

[_Exit_.]
DIOMEDES dialogue

Ay, there, there.

Ay, there, there.

ay, there, there.

ay, there, there.

NESTOR dialogue

So, so, we draw together.

So, so, we draw together.

so, so, we draw together.

so, so, we draw together.

[_Exit_.]
Enter Achilles.
ACHILLES ≋ verse dialogue

Where is this Hector?

Come, come, thou boy-queller, show thy face;

Know what it is to meet Achilles angry.

Hector! where’s Hector? I will none but Hector.

Where is this Hector? Come, come, you boy-queller, show your face; Know what it is to meet Achilles angry. Hector! where’s Hector? I will none but Hector.

where is this hector? come, come, you boy-queller, show your face; know what it is to meet achilles angry. hector! where’s hector? i will none but hector.

where is this hector? come, come, you boy-queller, show

[_Exeunt_.]

The Reckoning

The scene is a battlefield dispatch board — a rapid-fire series of messengers and reports conveying the chaos of the day's fighting. Hector is everywhere and unstoppable. Patroclus has been taken or killed, which triggers the crisis: Achilles, roused by grief, is finally arming. Love has been replaced by rage. The horse Diomedes sends to Cressida as a prize crystallizes what has happened to Troilus — he has been defeated not just militarily but in every sense. The battle is becoming personal for everyone.

If this happened today…

After a brutal day of combat, a series of breathless casualty reports flood in. A soldier sends his girlfriend a trophy from a defeated rival. Another soldier, who had refused to fight, arms himself in grief and fury when his closest companion is killed.

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