Troilus and Cressida

Roles

• Ulysses - Adult (36-50), Senior (>50), Male

About this piece

Ulysses analyses the problems of the Greek army

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 two scenes we are introduced to the main characters in the Trojan side and Troilus' love for Cressida. In the third scene we are in the Greek camp. After Agamemnon, a Greek general, and Nestor, a commander, urge other kings and commanders to keep fighting the war even if they have been fighting for seven years and are encountering many obstacles, Ulysses, one of the most respected commanders in the Greek army, gives a speech where he analyses the problems of the Greek army. In this political speech, Ulysses acknowledges what Agamemnon and Nestor have pointed out but he argues that the main problem with their army is that there is no respect for "degree", that is authority, and that's why there is anarchy in their army. One of the reasons of this is that Achilles, their greatest warrior, refuses to fight and just stays in his tent with his friend Patroclus who makes fun of Greek commanders.

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