Act V, Scene iii:
Troy. Before PRIAM'S palace

[Enter HECTOR and ANDROMACHE.]

ANDROMACHE.:

When was my lord so much ungently temper'd

To stop his ears against admonishment?

Unarm, unarm, and do not fight to-day.

HECTOR.:

You train me to offend you; get you in.

By all the everlasting gods, I'll go.

ANDROMACHE.:

My dreams will, sure, prove ominous to the day.

HECTOR.:

No more, I say.

[Enter CASSANDRA.]

CASSANDRA.:

Where is my brother Hector?

ANDROMACHE.:

Here, sister, arm'd, and bloody in intent.

Consort with me in loud and dear petition,

Pursue we him on knees; for I have dreamt

Of bloody turbulence, and this whole night

Hath nothing been but shapes and forms of slaughter.

CASSANDRA.:

O, 'tis true!

HECTOR.:

Ho! bid my trumpet sound.

CASSANDRA.:

No notes of sally, for the heavens, sweet brother!

HECTOR.:

Be gone, I say. The gods have heard me swear.

CASSANDRA.:

The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows;

They are polluted off'rings, more abhorr'd

Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.

ANDROMACHE.:

O, be persuaded! Do not count it holy

To hurt by being just. It is as lawful,

For we would give much, to use violent thefts

And rob in the behalf of charity.

CASSANDRA.:

It is the purpose that makes strong the vow;

But vows to every purpose must not hold.

Unarm, sweet Hector.

HECTOR.:

Hold you still, I say.

Mine honour keeps the weather of my fate.

Life every man holds dear; but the dear man

Holds honour far more precious dear than life.

[Enter TROILUS.]

How now, young man! Mean'st thou to fight to-day?

ANDROMACHE.:

Cassandra, call my father to persuade.

[Exit CASSANDRA.]

HECTOR.:

No, faith, young Troilus; doff thy harness, youth;

I am to-day i' the vein of chivalry.

Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong,

And tempt not yet the brushes of the war.

Unarm thee, go; and doubt thou not, brave boy,

I'll stand to-day for thee and me and Troy.

TROILUS.:

Brother, you have a vice of mercy in you

Which better fits a lion than a man.

HECTOR.:

What vice is that, good Troilus?

Chide me for it.

TROILUS.:

When many times the captive Grecian falls,

Even in the fan and wind of your fair sword,

You bid them rise and live.

HECTOR.:

O, 'tis fair play!

TROILUS.:

Fool's play, by heaven, Hector.

HECTOR.:

How now! how now!

TROILUS.:

For th' love of all the gods,

Let's leave the hermit Pity with our mothers;

And when we have our armours buckled on,

The venom'd vengeance ride upon our swords,

Spur them to ruthful work, rein them from ruth!

HECTOR.:

Fie, savage, fie!

TROILUS.:

Hector, then 'tis wars.

HECTOR.:

Troilus, I would not have you fight to-day.

TROILUS.:

Who should withhold me?

Not fate, obedience, nor the hand of Mars

Beckoning with fiery truncheon my retire;

Not Priamus and Hecuba on knees,

Their eyes o'ergalled with recourse of tears;

Nor you, my brother, with your true sword drawn,

Oppos'd to hinder me, should stop my way,

But by my ruin.

[Re-enter CASSANDRA, with PRIAM.]

CASSANDRA.:

Lay hold upon him, Priam, hold him fast;

He is thy crutch; now if thou lose thy stay,

Thou on him leaning, and all Troy on thee,

Fall all together.

PRIAM.:

Come, Hector, come, go back.

Thy wife hath dreamt; thy mother hath had visions;

Cassandra doth foresee; and I myself

Am like a prophet suddenly enrapt

To tell thee that this day is ominous.

Therefore, come back.

HECTOR.:

Aeneas is a-field;

And I do stand engag'd to many Greeks,

Even in the faith of valour, to appear

This morning to them.

PRIAM.:

Ay, but thou shalt not go.

HECTOR.:

I must not break my faith.

You know me dutiful; therefore, dear sir,

Let me not shame respect; but give me leave

To take that course by your consent and voice

Which you do here forbid me, royal Priam.

CASSANDRA.:

O Priam, yield not to him!

ANDROMACHE.:

Do not, dear father.

HECTOR.:

Andromache, I am offended with you.

Upon the love you bear me, get you in.

[Exit ANDROMACHE.]

TROILUS.:

This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl

Makes all these bodements.

CASSANDRA.:

O, farewell, dear Hector!

Look how thou diest. Look how thy eye turns pale.

Look how thy wounds do bleed at many vents.

Hark how Troy roars; how Hecuba cries out;

How poor Andromache shrills her dolours forth;

Behold distraction, frenzy, and amazement,

Like witless antics, one another meet,

And all cry, Hector! Hector's dead! O Hector!

TROILUS.:

Away, away!

CASSANDRA.:

Farewell! yet, soft! Hector, I take my leave.

Thou dost thyself and all our Troy deceive.

[Exit.]

HECTOR.:

You are amaz'd, my liege, at her exclaim.

Go in, and cheer the town; we'll forth, and fight,

Do deeds worth praise and tell you them at night.

PRIAM.:

Farewell. The gods with safety stand about thee!

[Exeunt severally PRIAM and HECTOR. Alarums.]

TROILUS.:

They are at it, hark! Proud Diomed, believe,

I come to lose my arm or win my sleeve.

[Enter PANDARUS.]

PANDARUS.:

Do you hear, my lord? Do you hear?

TROILUS.:

What now?

PANDARUS.:

Here's a letter come from yond poor girl.

TROILUS.:

Let me read.

PANDARUS.:

A whoreson tisick, a whoreson rascally tisick so troubles

me, and the foolish fortune of this girl, and what one thing,

what another, that I shall leave you one o' these days; and I

have a rheum in mine eyes too, and such an ache in my bones that

unless a man were curs'd I cannot tell what to think on't. What

says she there?

TROILUS.:

Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart;

Th' effect doth operate another way.

[Tearing the letter.]

Go, wind, to wind, there turn and change together.

My love with words and errors still she feeds,

But edifies another with her deeds.

[Exeunt severally.]