Excerpt

Excerpt from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, by William Shakespeare

HECTOR.
But value dwells not in particular will:
It holds his estimate and dignity
As well wherein ’tis precious of itself
As in the prizer. ’Tis mad idolatry
To make the service greater than the god,
And the will dotes that is attributive
To what infectiously itself affects,
Without some image of th’affected merit.

TROILUS.
I take today a wife, and my election
Is led on in the conduct of my will;
My will enkindled by mine eyes and ears,
Two traded pilots ’twixt the dangerous shores
Of will and judgement: how may I avoid,
Although my will distaste what it elected,
The wife I chose? There can be no evasion
To blench from this and to stand firm by honour.
We turn not back the silks upon the merchant
When we have soil’d them; nor the remainder viands
We do not throw in unrespective sieve,
Because we now are full. It was thought meet
Paris should do some vengeance on the Greeks;
Your breath with full consent bellied his sails;
The seas and winds, old wranglers, took a truce,
And did him service. He touch’d the ports desir’d;
And for an old aunt whom the Greeks held captive
He brought a Grecian queen, whose youth and freshness
Wrinkles Apollo’s, and makes stale the morning.
Why keep we her? The Grecians keep our aunt.
Is she worth keeping? Why, she is a pearl
Whose price hath launch’d above a thousand ships,
And turn’d crown’d kings to merchants.
If you’ll avouch ’twas wisdom Paris went—
As you must needs, for you all cried ‘Go, go’—
If you’ll confess he brought home worthy prize—
As you must needs, for you all clapp’d your hands,
And cried ‘Inestimable!’—why do you now
The issue of your proper wisdoms rate,
And do a deed that never Fortune did—
Beggar the estimation which you priz’d
Richer than sea and land? O theft most base,
That we have stol’n what we do fear to keep!
But thieves unworthy of a thing so stol’n
That in their country did them that disgrace
We fear to warrant in our native place!

CASSANDRA.
[Within.] Cry, Trojans, cry.

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Explanation

Detailed Analysis of the Excerpt from Troilus and Cressida (Act 2, Scene 2)

Source & Context: This passage is from William Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida (c. 1601–1602), a tragedy (or "problem play") set during the Trojan War. The play explores themes of love, honor, war, and the corruption of values, blending satirical humor with dark cynicism. Unlike Shakespeare’s more idealized romances (Romeo and Juliet) or heroic epics (Henry V), Troilus and Cressida deconstructs notions of chivalry, love, and glory, presenting characters as flawed, hypocritical, and driven by base desires.

The excerpt occurs in Act 2, Scene 2, where Hector, Troilus, and other Trojan leaders debate whether to keep Helen (the abducted wife of Menelaus, whose theft sparked the war) or return her to the Greeks to end the conflict. Troilus, the young, lovesick prince, argues for keeping Helen, while Hector (the noble but pragmatic warrior) questions the wisdom of the war. Cassandra, the doomed prophetess, interrupts with her ominous warnings (which, as always, go unheeded).

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Themes

1. The Illusion of Value & Idolatry

   • Hector argues that value is intrinsic, not determined by subjective desire. He accuses the Trojans of idolizing Helen—elevating her above her true worth—just as they idolize the war itself.
   • "’Tis mad idolatry / To make the service greater than the god" → The Trojans are worshipping the idea of Helen (and the war fought for her) more than her actual worth.

2. Will vs. Judgment (Reason vs. Desire)

   • Troilus admits his will (desire) is guided by his senses ("eyes and ears"), not reason. He compares his will and judgment to "two traded pilots" steering a ship between dangerous shores—one leads to passion, the other to logic.
   • His speech reveals cognitive dissonance: He knows keeping Helen may be foolish, but he cannot back down without dishonor.

3. Honor & Hypocrisy

   • Troilus uses mercantile metaphors ("silks upon the merchant," "viands") to argue that once a choice is made, one must stand by it, even if it’s a mistake.
   • He accuses the Trojans of hypocrisy: They cheered Paris for stealing Helen, calling her "inestimable," but now question her worth.
   • "We have stol’n what we do fear to keep" → The Trojans act like thieves who regret their theft but are too proud to return it.

4. The Corruption of War

   • The play satirizes the Trojan War, portraying it as a senseless conflict fueled by lust (Paris), pride (Troilus), and greed (the kings).
   • Troilus’s argument that Helen is "a pearl / Whose price hath launch’d above a thousand ships" is ironic—her "value" is measured in destruction, not beauty.

5. Fate & Prophecy (Cassandra’s Role)

   • Cassandra’s cry ("Cry, Trojans, cry") foreshadows Troy’s fall. Her prophecies are always true but ignored, symbolizing human blindness to consequences.

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Literary Devices

1. Metaphor & Extended Metaphor

   • "Two traded pilots ’twixt the dangerous shores / Of will and judgement" → Troilus’s internal conflict is likened to a ship navigated by two competing pilots (desire vs. reason).
   • "We turn not back the silks upon the merchant / When we have soil’d them" → Commitment as a stained purchase—once a choice is made, it cannot be undone without loss.
   • "A pearl / Whose price hath launch’d above a thousand ships" → Helen’s beauty as a destructive commodity.

2. Irony & Paradox

   • Dramatic Irony: The audience knows Helen is not worth the war, but the Trojans persist in their delusion.
   • "The issue of your proper wisdoms rate" → The Trojans once praised Paris’s wisdom but now doubt it, exposing their inconsistency.
   • "Beggar the estimation which you priz’d / Richer than sea and land" → They devalue what they once treasured, a paradox of human nature.

3. Allusion & Classical Reference

   • "Wrinkles Apollo’s, and makes stale the morning" → Helen’s beauty outshines the sun god (Apollo), a hyperbole emphasizing her mythic allure.
   • The Trojan War itself is a classical allusion, but Shakespeare subverts its heroic tradition by showing the characters as petty and flawed.

4. Rhetorical Questions & Persuasion

   • Troilus uses rhetorical questions ("Why keep we her? Is she worth keeping?") to manipulate the Trojans, appealing to their pride and past decisions.
   • "If you’ll avouch ’twas wisdom Paris went— / As you must needs..." → He traps them in their own logic, forcing them to defend their earlier support.

5. Imagery

   • Nautical Imagery: "bellied his sails," "touch’d the ports desir’d" → Paris’s abduction of Helen is framed as a voyage, suggesting fate and adventure, but also recklessness.
   • Commercial Imagery: "kings to merchants," "silks," "viands" → Reduces war and honor to transactions, stripping them of nobility.

6. Foreshadowing (Cassandra’s Cry)

   • Cassandra’s offstage wail ("Cry, Trojans, cry") foreshadows Troy’s destruction, reinforcing the theme of inevitable doom.

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Significance & Interpretation

1. Deconstruction of Heroism

   • Unlike The Iliad, where Hector is the noble hero, Shakespeare’s Hector is pragmatic but powerless against the folly of others.
   • Troilus, the romantic idealist, is blind to reality, valuing honor over logic—a critique of chivalric codes.

2. The Futility of War

   • The debate over Helen exposes the absurdity of the war: A single woman’s abduction has led to years of bloodshed, yet no one can justify why.
   • Shakespeare mocks the idea of "glorious war" by showing leaders arguing like merchants over a stolen good.

3. Human Nature & Self-Deception

   • The Trojans rationalize their mistakes rather than correct them, a universal flaw in decision-making.
   • Troilus’s speech reveals how desire clouds judgment, a theme relevant to politics, love, and conflict.

4. Feminine Agency & Objectification

   • Helen is reduced to an object—a "pearl," a "prize," a "queen" whose value is debated by men.
   • Cassandra, the only truthful voice, is ignored, highlighting how women’s wisdom is dismissed in patriarchal societies.

5. Shakespeare’s Cynicism

   • Unlike his tragedies (Macbeth, Hamlet), where moral lessons emerge, Troilus and Cressida offers no redemption.
   • The play suggests that human motives are selfish, honor is performative, and war is pointless—a darkly modern perspective for its time.

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Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This exchange captures the essence of Troilus and Cressida—a play that challenges idealized notions of love, war, and heroism. Through Hector’s logic, Troilus’s passion, and Cassandra’s despair, Shakespeare exposes the contradictions in human behavior:

• We praise what we later regret.
• We fight for causes we don’t understand.
• We ignore truth when it inconveniences us.

The passage remains relevant today in discussions of war propaganda, political hypocrisy, and the dangers of unchecked desire. It asks: When do we cling to mistakes out of pride? When does "honor" become an excuse for folly? Shakespeare leaves the answer uncomfortably open.