Troilus and Cressida Act Two – “The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue!”

Troilus and Cressida Act Two – “The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue!”

 If Act One of ‘Troilus and Cressida’ gives a sense of the war and gives us intricate insights into the relationships between people on the Trojan side, most of the action in Act Two takes place in the Greek camp, and gives us a sense of how Achilles’ arrogance and pride undermines the Greek cause and their ability to act effectively.

 We start with Ajax who orders his slave Thersites to find out what the proclamation which has been put up states. Not only does Thersites refuse to obey his master, but he throws curses at Ajax until Achilles and Patroclus enter and he curses them too. Thersites is dismissed and Achilles reveals the nature of Hector's proclamation and challenge and reveals that the Greek challenger will be selected by a lottery. Achilles also arrogantly states that if there was not a lottery that he would have been the only choice.

 We cross over the walls into the city of Troy, where we hear the Trojan’s having some second thoughts about continuing the war. King Priam and his sons wonder if it would be better just to return Helen to the Greeks. Hector, states that taking Helen may have been bold and brave initially but he questions whether the Trojans should continue to pay the price in blood. Then Cassandra (Priam’s daughter and fraternal twin to Prince Helenus) enters and, seeming almost mad in her behaviour, prophesizes that:

“Cry, Trojans, cry! practise your eyes with tears!

Troy must not be, nor goodly lion stand;

Our firebrand brother, Paris, burns us all.

Cry. Trojans, cry! A Helen and a woe:

Cry, cry! Troy burns, or else let Helen go."

When Cassandra exits, Troilus and others cast off her premonitions as madness and start to argue that the war is now a matter of Trojan honour. Paris supports this (he would of course) while Hector retorts that young men are not subject to reason but are too much driven by "…the hot passion of distempered blood...” Eventually Troilus reinforces the notion that this war is now no longer about Helen but about Trojan honour. Hector concedes and talks of the proclamation and challenge that he sent out that should draw Achilles into combat and the battlefield.

 We cross back over the wall to the Greek encampment where Thersites rails against the arrogance and pretension of Achilles and Ajax. The entrance of Patroclus and Achilles is met by more distain as he calls them fools. Achilles is able to contain Patroclusand stop him from attacking Thersites. When Achilles sees Agamemnon, Ulysses, Nestor, Diomedes and Ajax entering, he retires into his tent.

Agamemnon has by now, lost patience with Achilles and refuses to believe Achilles is ill and asks Ulysses to bring Achilles out to fight the Trojans. Ulysses sees this as an insult to Ajax (who is a very good fighter and ready to fight for the cause) and Ulysses proceeds to praise Ajax upholding him as the best of their Greek soldiers. They leave Achilles inside his tent and decide that Ajax will be their challenger to Hector.Then other Greek commanders, praises Ajax profusely, saying that he is the best of their warriors. They agree to leave Achilles in his tent, and decide that Ajax will be their champion face Hector the next day although Agamemnon’s final words reveal his sense that all will not run smoothly:

"...Let Achilles sleep:

Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw deep."