Troilus and Cressida

Roles

• Troilus - Young Adult (20-35), Adult (36-50), Male

About this piece

Troilus declares his love for Cressida

Summary

The prologue introduces us to the story. The play is about the Trojan War, the mythological war between Troy and several Greek kings led by Menelaus of Sparta. The war starts when Paris of Troy steals the beautiful Helen from Menelaus. In response, the Spartan king gathers 69 princes from several cities in Greece and attacks Troy in order to rescue Helen. The play starts in the middle of the war, that is 7 years after the war started. In the first scene of the play we find Troilus, a prince of Troy and Paris' younger brother, with Pandarus, who is the uncle of Troilus' love interest, Cressida. Right at the beginning of the play Troilus asks Pandarus about Cressida's wherabouts. When Pandarus replies that he saw her the night before and that she looked beautiful, Troilus confesses how much he loves her and how he is suffering because of it.

Tone

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