Speeches (Lines) for Aeneas
in "Troilus and Cressida"
Total: 44

1

I,1,136

(stage directions). [Alarum. Enter AENEAS]

Aeneas. How now, Prince Troilus! wherefore not afield?

2

I,1,140

Troilus. Because not there: this woman's answer sorts,
For womanish it is to be from thence.
What news, AEneas, from the field to-day?

Aeneas. That Paris is returned home and hurt.

3

I,1,142

Troilus. By whom, AEneas?

Aeneas. Troilus, by Menelaus.

4

I,1,146

(stage directions). [Alarum]

Aeneas. Hark, what good sport is out of town to-day!

5

I,1,149

Troilus. Better at home, if 'would I might' were 'may.'
But to the sport abroad: are you bound thither?

Aeneas. In all swift haste.

6

I,3,671

Agamemnon. What would you 'fore our tent?

Aeneas. Is this great Agamemnon's tent, I pray you?

7

I,3,673

Agamemnon. Even this.

Aeneas. May one, that is a herald and a prince,
Do a fair message to his kingly ears?

8

I,3,678

Agamemnon. With surety stronger than Achilles' arm
'Fore all the Greekish heads, which with one voice
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?

9

I,3,682

Agamemnon. How!

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?
Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon?

10

I,3,691

Agamemnon. This Trojan scorns us; or the men of Troy
Are ceremonious courtiers.

Aeneas. Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarm'd,
As bending angels; that's their fame in peace:
But when they would seem soldiers, they have galls,
Good arms, strong joints, true swords; and,
Jove's accord,
Nothing so full of heart. But peace, AEneas,
Peace, Trojan; lay thy finger on thy lips!
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 sure,
transcends.

11

I,3,704

Agamemnon. Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself AEneas?

Aeneas. Ay, Greek, that is my name.

12

I,3,706

Agamemnon. What's your affair I pray you?

Aeneas. Sir, pardon; 'tis for Agamemnon's ears.

13

I,3,708

Agamemnon. He hears naught privately that comes from Troy.

Aeneas. Nor I from Troy come not to whisper him:
I bring a trumpet to awake his ear,
To set his sense on the attentive bent,
And then to speak.

14

I,3,716

Agamemnon. Speak frankly as the wind;
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;
And every Greek of mettle, let him know,
What Troy means fairly shall be spoke aloud.
[Trumpet sounds]
We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy
A prince call'd Hector,—Priam is his father,—
Who in this dull and long-continued truce
Is rusty 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 honour higher than his ease,
That seeks his praise more than he fears his peril,
That knows his valour, 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.
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 compass in his arms,
And will to-morrow with his trumpet call
Midway between your tents and walls of Troy,
To rouse a Grecian that is true in love:
If any come, Hector shall honour him;
If none, he'll say in Troy when he retires,
The Grecian dames are sunburnt and not worth
The splinter of a lance. Even so much.

15

I,3,763

Nestor. Tell him of Nestor, one that was a man
When Hector's grandsire suck'd: he is old now;
But if there be not in our Grecian host
One 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 vantbrace put this wither'd brawn,
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 truth with my three drops of blood.

Aeneas. Now heavens forbid such scarcity of youth!

16

IV,1,2201

Deiphobus. It is the Lord AEneas.

Aeneas. Is the prince there in person?
Had I so good occasion to lie long
As you, prince Paris, nothing but heavenly business
Should rob my bed-mate of my company.

17

IV,1,2210

Paris. A valiant Greek, AEneas,—take his hand,—
Witness the process of your speech, wherein
You told how Diomed, a whole week by days,
Did haunt you in the field.

Aeneas. Health to you, valiant sir,
During all question of the gentle truce;
But when I meet you arm'd, as black defiance
As heart can think or courage execute.

18

IV,1,2219

Diomedes. The one and other Diomed embraces.
Our bloods are now in calm; and, so long, health!
But when contention and occasion meet,
By Jove, I'll play the hunter for thy life
With all my force, pursuit and policy.

Aeneas. And thou shalt hunt a lion, that will fly
With his face backward. In humane gentleness,
Welcome to Troy! now, by Anchises' life,
Welcome, indeed! By Venus' hand I swear,
No man alive can love in such a sort
The thing he means to kill more excellently.

19

IV,1,2230

Diomedes. We sympathize: Jove, let AEneas live,
If to my sword his fate be not the glory,
A thousand complete courses of the sun!
But, in mine emulous honour, let him die,
With every joint a wound, and that to-morrow!

Aeneas. We know each other well.

20

IV,1,2235

Paris. This is the most despiteful gentle greeting,
The noblest hateful love, that e'er I heard of.
What business, lord, so early?

Aeneas. I was sent for to the king; but why, I know not.

21

IV,1,2246

Paris. His purpose meets you: 'twas to bring this Greek
To Calchas' house, and there to render him,
For the enfreed Antenor, the fair Cressid:
Let's have your company, or, if you please,
Haste there before us: I constantly do think—
Or rather, call my thought a certain knowledge—
My brother Troilus lodges there to-night:
Rouse him and give him note of our approach.
With the whole quality wherefore: I fear
We shall be much unwelcome.

Aeneas. That I assure you:
Troilus had rather Troy were borne to Greece
Than Cressid borne from Troy.

22

IV,1,2252

Paris. There is no help;
The bitter disposition of the time
Will have it so. On, lord; we'll follow you.

Aeneas. Good morrow, all.

23

IV,2,2340

(stage directions). [Enter AENEAS]

Aeneas. Good morrow, lord, good morrow.

24

IV,2,2343

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?

25

IV,2,2345

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.

26

IV,2,2350

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.

27

IV,2,2356

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.

28

IV,2,2365

Troilus. Is it so concluded?

Aeneas. By Priam and the general state of Troy:
They are at hand and ready to effect it.

29

IV,2,2370

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.

30

IV,4,2479

Troilus. And suddenly; where injury of chance
Puts back leave-taking, justles roughly by
All time of pause, rudely beguiles our lips
Of all rejoindure, forcibly prevents
Our lock'd embrasures, strangles our dear vows
Even in the birth of our own labouring breath:
We two, that with so many thousand sighs
Did buy each other, must poorly sell ourselves
With the rude brevity and discharge of one.
Injurious time now with a robber's haste
Crams his rich thievery up, he knows not how:
As many farewells as be stars in heaven,
With distinct breath and consign'd kisses to them,
He fumbles up into a lose adieu,
And scants us with a single famish'd kiss,
Distasted with the salt of broken tears.

Aeneas. [Within] My lord, is the lady ready?

31

IV,4,2532

Troilus. No.
But something may be done that we will not:
And sometimes we are devils to ourselves,
When we will tempt the frailty of our powers,
Presuming on their changeful potency.

Aeneas. [Within] Nay, good my lord,—

32

IV,4,2583

Paris. Hark! Hector's trumpet.

Aeneas. How have we spent this morning!
The prince must think me tardy and remiss,
That sore to ride before him to the field.

33

IV,4,2588

Deiphobus. Let us make ready straight.

Aeneas. Yea, with a bridegroom's fresh alacrity,
Let us address to tend on Hector's heels:
The glory of our Troy doth this day lie
On his fair worth and single chivalry.

34

IV,5,2675

Agamemnon. Yonder comes the troop.
[Enter HECTOR, armed; AENEAS, TROILUS, and other]
Trojans, with Attendants]

Aeneas. Hail, all you state of Greece! what shall be done
To him that victory commands? or do you purpose
A victor shall be known? will you the knights
Shall to the edge of all extremity
Pursue each other, or shall be divided
By any voice or order of the field?
Hector bade ask.

35

IV,5,2683

Agamemnon. Which way would Hector have it?

Aeneas. He cares not; he'll obey conditions.

36

IV,5,2687

Achilles. 'Tis done like Hector; but securely done,
A little proudly, and great deal misprizing
The knight opposed.

Aeneas. If not Achilles, sir,
What is your name?

37

IV,5,2690

Achilles. If not Achilles, nothing.

Aeneas. Therefore Achilles: but, whate'er, know this:
In the extremity of great and little,
Valour and pride excel themselves in Hector;
The one almost as infinite as all,
The other blank as nothing. Weigh him well,
And that which looks like pride is courtesy.
This Ajax is half made of Hector's blood:
In love whereof, half Hector stays at home;
Half heart, half hand, half Hector comes to seek
This blended knight, half Trojan and half Greek.

38

IV,5,2736

(stage directions). [Trumpets cease]

Aeneas. Princes, enough, so please you.

39

IV,5,2767

Hector. Not Neoptolemus so mirable,
On whose bright crest Fame with her loud'st Oyes
Cries 'This is he,' could promise to himself
A thought of added honour torn from Hector.

Aeneas. There is expectance here from both the sides,
What further you will do.

40

IV,5,2800

Hector. Who must we answer?

Aeneas. The noble Menelaus.

41

IV,5,2825

Nestor. I have, thou gallant Trojan, seen thee oft
Labouring for destiny make cruel way
Through ranks of Greekish youth, and I have seen thee,
As hot as Perseus, spur thy Phrygian steed,
Despising many forfeits and subduements,
When thou hast hung thy advanced sword i' the air,
Not letting it decline on the declined,
That I have said to some my standers by
'Lo, Jupiter is yonder, dealing life!'
And I have seen thee pause and take thy breath,
When that a ring of Greeks have hemm'd thee in,
Like an Olympian wrestling: this have I seen;
But this thy countenance, still lock'd in steel,
I never saw till now. I knew thy grandsire,
And once fought with him: he was a soldier good;
But, by great Mars, the captain of us all,
Never saw like thee. Let an old man embrace thee;
And, worthy warrior, welcome to our tents.

Aeneas. 'Tis the old Nestor.

42

V,2,3258

(stage directions). [Enter AENEAS]

Aeneas. I have been seeking you this hour, my lord:
Hector, by this, is arming him in Troy;
Ajax, your guard, stays to conduct you home.

43

V,10,3632

(stage directions). [Enter AENEAS and Trojans]

Aeneas. Stand, ho! yet are we masters of the field:
Never go home; here starve we out the night.

44

V,10,3643

Troilus. He's dead; and at the murderer's horse's tail,
In beastly sort, dragg'd through the shameful field.
Frown on, you heavens, effect your rage with speed!
Sit, gods, upon your thrones, and smile at Troy!
I say, at once let your brief plagues be mercy,
And linger not our sure destructions on!

Aeneas. My lord, you do discomfort all the host!