Original: Peace, you ungracious clamours! peace, rude sounds!
Modern: Be quiet, you graceless noise! Silence, you harsh sounds!

Original: Fools on both sides! Helen must needs be fair,
Modern: Idiots on both sides! Helen must be incredibly beautiful,

Original: When with your blood you daily paint her thus.
Modern: Since you paint her with your blood every single day.

Original: I cannot fight upon this argument;
Modern: I can’t fight over this reason;

Original: It is too starved a subject for my sword.
Modern: It’s too weak a cause for me to use my sword.

Original: But Pandarus,—O gods, how do you plague me!
Modern: But Pandarus—oh gods, how you torture me!

Original: I cannot come to Cressid but by Pandar;
Modern: I can only get to Cressida through Pandar;

Original: And he’s as tetchy to be woo’d to woo.
Modern: And he’s as irritable about being persuaded to help me court her

Original: As she is stubborn-chaste against all suit.
Modern: As she is stubbornly virtuous against all romantic advances.

Original: Tell me, Apollo, for thy Daphne’s love,
Modern: Tell me, Apollo, by your love for Daphne,

Original: What Cressid is, what Pandar, and what we?
Modern: What is Cressida, what is Pandar, and what are we?

Original: Her bed is India; there she lies, a pearl:
Modern: Her bed is like India; and she lies there, a precious pearl:

Original: Between our Ilium and where she resides,
Modern: Between our Troy and where she lives,

Original: Let it be call’d the wild and wandering flood,
Modern: Let it be called the wild and unpredictable ocean,

Original: Ourself the merchant, and this sailing Pandar
Modern: I am the merchant, and this sailing Pandarus

Original: Our doubtful hope, our convoy and our bark.
Modern: Is our uncertain hope, our escort and our ship.

In Act I, Scene i of “Troilus and Cressida,” the scene opens with Troilus speaking to Pandarus about his consuming love for Cressida, Pandarus’s niece. Troilus expresses his anguish at being unable to fight in the Trojan War because he is so distracted by his passion for Cressida. He describes himself as being wounded by love more severely than any warrior wounded in battle, and reveals his frustration at being unable to win her affections. Pandarus attempts to counsel his lovesick friend, suggesting that Troilus should be patient and that he will help facilitate a meeting between the young lovers.

The conversation continues with Pandarus praising Cressida’s beauty and virtues while simultaneously teasing Troilus about his infatuation. Pandarus positions himself as a go-between, promising to speak favorably of Troilus to his niece. The scene establishes the central romantic plot of the play, with Troilus desperately in love and Pandarus eager to play matchmaker. As they talk, sounds of battle can be heard in the distance, reminding both characters and the audience that this love story unfolds against the backdrop of the ongoing siege of Troy. The scene ends with Pandarus departing to seek out Cressida on Troilus’s behalf.

Troilus and Cressida is set during the Trojan War and follows two interconnected storylines. The first centers on the tragic love affair between Troilus, a young Trojan prince, and Cressida, daughter of the Trojan priest Calchas who has defected to the Greeks. With the help of Cressida’s uncle Pandarus, the lovers are brought together and consummate their relationship, pledging eternal fidelity to one another.

Meanwhile, the Greek camp is plagued by dissension and a breakdown in military hierarchy. The war has dragged on for seven years with little progress. Agamemnon and Nestor struggle to maintain order while Achilles sulks in his tent, refusing to fight. The Greeks attempt to provoke Achilles by having Ajax challenge the Trojan hero Hector to single combat, but this strategy fails to rouse Achilles to action.

The two plots converge when the Greeks and Trojans arrange a prisoner exchange: Cressida is to be traded to the Greek camp in return for the Trojan commander Antenor. Despite their vows of love, Cressida is forced to leave Troy. Once in the Greek camp, she quickly becomes involved with the Greek warrior Diomedes. Troilus witnesses her apparent betrayal during a nighttime encounter and is devastated by her inconstancy.

The play concludes with renewed fighting between the two armies. Hector, despite ominous warnings, enters battle and is treacherously killed by Achilles and his Myrmidons. Troilus, consumed with grief and rage over both Cressida’s betrayal and Hector’s death, vows revenge against the Greeks. The play ends without resolution, as the war continues with both sides having suffered significant losses.