Speeches (Lines) for Achilles
in "Troilus and Cressida"
Total: 74

1

II,1,912

Why, how now, Ajax! wherefore do you thus? How now,
Thersites! what's the matter, man?

2

II,1,915

Ay; what's the matter?

3

II,1,917

So I do: what's the matter?

4

II,1,919

'Well!' why, I do so.

5

II,1,922

I know that, fool.

6

II,1,933

What?

7

II,1,936

Nay, good Ajax.

8

II,1,938

Nay, I must hold you.

9

II,1,941

Peace, fool!

10

II,1,945

Will you set your wit to a fool's?

11

II,1,948

What's the quarrel?

12

II,1,954

Your last service was sufferance, 'twas not
voluntary: no man is beaten voluntary: Ajax was
here the voluntary, and you as under an impress.

13

II,1,961

What, with me too, Thersites?

14

II,1,965

What, what?

15

II,1,972

There's for you, Patroclus.

16

II,1,978

Marry, this, sir, is proclaim'd through all our host:
That Hector, by the fifth hour of the sun,
Will with a trumpet 'twixt our tents and Troy
To-morrow morning call some knight to arms
That hath a stomach; and such a one that dare
Maintain—I know not what: 'tis trash. Farewell.

17

II,1,985

I know not: 'tis put to lottery; otherwise
He knew his man.

18

II,3,1252

Who's there?

19

II,3,1254

Where, where? Art thou come? why, my cheese, my
digestion, why hast thou not served thyself in to
my table so many meals? Come, what's Agamemnon?

20

II,3,1264

O, tell, tell.

21

II,3,1270

He is a privileged man. Proceed, Thersites.

22

II,3,1273

Derive this; come.

23

II,3,1281

Patroclus, I'll speak with nobody.
Come in with me, Thersites.

24

III,3,1923

What, comes the general to speak with me?
You know my mind, I'll fight no more 'gainst Troy.

25

III,3,1927

No.

26

III,3,1931

Good day, good day.

27

III,3,1934

What, does the cuckold scorn me?

28

III,3,1936

Good morrow, Ajax.

29

III,3,1938

Good morrow.

30

III,3,1941

What mean these fellows? Know they not Achilles?

31

III,3,1946

What, am I poor of late?
'Tis certain, greatness, once fall'n out with fortune,
Must fall out with men too: what the declined is
He shall as soon read in the eyes of others
As feel in his own fall; for men, like butterflies,
Show not their mealy wings but to the summer,
And not a man, for being simply man,
Hath any honour, but honour for those honours
That are without him, as place, riches, favour,
Prizes of accident as oft as merit:
Which when they fall, as being slippery standers,
The love that lean'd on them as slippery too,
Do one pluck down another and together
Die in the fall. But 'tis not so with me:
Fortune and I are friends: I do enjoy
At ample point all that I did possess,
Save these men's looks; who do, methinks, find out
Something not worth in me such rich beholding
As they have often given. Here is Ulysses;
I'll interrupt his reading.
How now Ulysses!

32

III,3,1968

What are you reading?

33

III,3,1977

This is not strange, Ulysses.
The beauty that is borne here in the face
The bearer knows not, but commends itself
To others' eyes; nor doth the eye itself,
That most pure spirit of sense, behold itself,
Not going from itself; but eye to eye opposed
Salutes each other with each other's form;
For speculation turns not to itself,
Till it hath travell'd and is mirror'd there
Where it may see itself. This is not strange at all.

34

III,3,2018

I do believe it; for they pass'd by me
As misers do by beggars, neither gave to me
Good word nor look: what, are my deeds forgot?

35

III,3,2068

Of this my privacy
I have strong reasons.

36

III,3,2074

Ha! known!

37

III,3,2107

Shall Ajax fight with Hector?

38

III,3,2109

I see my reputation is at stake
My fame is shrewdly gored.

39

III,3,2117

Go call Thersites hither, sweet Patroclus:
I'll send the fool to Ajax and desire him
To invite the Trojan lords after the combat
To see us here unarm'd: I have a woman's longing,
An appetite that I am sick withal,
To see great Hector in his weeds of peace,
To talk with him and to behold his visage,
Even to my full of view.
[Enter THERSITES]
A labour saved!

40

III,3,2128

What?

41

III,3,2130

How so?

42

III,3,2134

How can that be?

43

III,3,2150

Thou must be my ambassador to him, Thersites.

44

III,3,2156

To him, Patroclus; tell him I humbly desire the
valiant Ajax to invite the most valorous Hector
to come unarmed to my tent, and to procure
safe-conduct for his person of the magnanimous
and most illustrious six-or-seven-times-honoured
captain-general of the Grecian army, Agamemnon,
et cetera. Do this.

45

III,3,2181

Why, but he is not in this tune, is he?

46

III,3,2186

Come, thou shalt bear a letter to him straight.

47

III,3,2189

My mind is troubled, like a fountain stirr'd;
And I myself see not the bottom of it.

48

IV,5,2609

'Tis but early days.

49

IV,5,2623

I'll take what winter from your lips, fair lady:
Achilles bids you welcome.

50

IV,5,2684

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

51

IV,5,2689

If not Achilles, nothing.

52

IV,5,2700

A maiden battle, then? O, I perceive you.

53

IV,5,2856

I shall forestall thee, Lord Ulysses, thou!
Now, Hector, I have fed mine eyes on thee;
I have with exact view perused thee, Hector,
And quoted joint by joint.

54

IV,5,2861

I am Achilles.

55

IV,5,2863

Behold thy fill.

56

IV,5,2865

Thou art too brief: I will the second time,
As I would buy thee, view thee limb by limb.

57

IV,5,2870

Tell me, you heavens, in which part of his body
Shall I destroy him? whether there, or there, or there?
That I may give the local wound a name
And make distinct the very breach whereout
Hector's great spirit flew: answer me, heavens!

58

IV,5,2880

I tell thee, yea.

59

IV,5,2899

Dost thou entreat me, Hector?
To-morrow do I meet thee, fell as death;
To-night all friends.

60

V,1,2930

I'll heat his blood with Greekish wine to-night,
Which with my scimitar I'll cool to-morrow.
Patroclus, let us feast him to the height.

61

V,1,2935

How now, thou core of envy!
Thou crusty batch of nature, what's the news?

62

V,1,2939

From whence, fragment?

63

V,1,2967

My sweet Patroclus, I am thwarted quite
From my great purpose in to-morrow's battle.
Here is a letter from Queen Hecuba,
A token from her daughter, my fair love,
Both taxing me and gaging me to keep
An oath that I have sworn. I will not break it:
Fall Greeks; fail fame; honour or go or stay;
My major vow lies here, this I'll obey.
Come, come, Thersites, help to trim my tent:
This night in banqueting must all be spent.
Away, Patroclus!

64

V,1,3008

Welcome, brave Hector; welcome, princes all.

65

V,1,3016

Good night and welcome, both at once, to those
That go or tarry.

66

V,1,3020

Old Nestor tarries; and you too, Diomed,
Keep Hector company an hour or two.

67

V,1,3031

Come, come, enter my tent.

68

V,5,3506

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.

69

V,6,3530

Now do I see thee, ha! have at thee, Hector!

70

V,6,3532

I do disdain thy courtesy, proud Trojan:
Be happy that my arms are out of use:
My rest and negligence befriends thee now,
But thou anon shalt hear of me again;
Till when, go seek thy fortune.

71

V,7,3557

Come here about me, you my Myrmidons;
Mark what I say. Attend me where I wheel:
Strike not a stroke, but keep yourselves in breath:
And when I have the bloody Hector found,
Empale him with your weapons round about;
In fellest manner execute your aims.
Follow me, sirs, and my proceedings eye:
It is decreed Hector the great must die.
[Exeunt]
[Enter MENELAUS and PARIS, fighting:]
then THERSITES]

72

V,8,3595

Look, Hector, how the sun begins to set;
How ugly night comes breathing at his heels:
Even with the vail and darking of the sun,
To close the day up, Hector's life is done.

73

V,8,3600

Strike, fellows, strike; this is the man I seek.
[HECTOR falls]
So, Ilion, fall thou next! now, Troy, sink down!
Here lies thy heart, thy sinews, and thy bone.
On, Myrmidons, and cry you all amain,
'Achilles hath the mighty Hector slain.'
[A retreat sounded]
Hark! a retire upon our Grecian part.

74

V,8,3609

The dragon wing of night o'erspreads the earth,
And, stickler-like, the armies separates.
My half-supp'd sword, that frankly would have fed,
Pleased with this dainty bait, thus goes to bed.
[Sheathes his sword]
Come, tie his body to my horse's tail;
Along the field I will the Trojan trail.