Original: Trumpet, blow loud,
Modern: Trumpet player, blow your trumpet loudly,

Original: Send thy brass voice through all these lazy tents;
Modern: Send your brass sound through all these idle military camps;

Original: And every Greek of mettle, let him know,
Modern: And let every brave Greek soldier hear,

Original: What Troy means fairly shall be spoke aloud.
Modern: What Troy honestly intends will be announced out loud.

Original: We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy
Modern: We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy

Original: A prince call’d Hector,—Priam is his father,—
Modern: A prince named Hector—Priam is his father—

Original: Who in this dull and long-continued truce
Modern: Who during this boring and lengthy ceasefire

Original: Is rusty grown: he bade me take a trumpet,
Modern: Has grown rusty from inaction: he told me to take a trumpet,

Original: And to this purpose speak. Kings, princes, lords!
Modern: And to speak for this reason. Kings, princes, lords!

Original: If there be one among the fair’st of Greece
Modern: If there is one among the noblest men of Greece

Original: That holds his honour higher than his ease,
Modern: Who values his honor more than his comfort,

Original: That seeks his praise more than he fears his peril,
Modern: Who wants glory more than he fears danger,

Original: That knows his valour, and knows not his fear,
Modern: Who knows his own courage and doesn’t know fear,

Original: That loves his mistress more than in confession,
Modern: Who loves his lady more than just in words,

Original: With truant vows to her own lips he loves,
Modern: With false promises spoken only to her lips,

Original: And dare avow her beauty and her worth
Modern: And dares to proclaim her beauty and her value

Original: In other arms than hers,—to him this challenge.
Modern: In combat with other warriors—to him goes this challenge.

Original: Hector, in view of Trojans and of Greeks,
Modern: Hector, in front of both Trojans and Greeks,

Original: Shall make it good, or do his best to do it,
Modern: Will prove it true, or do his very best to prove it,

Original: He hath a lady, wiser, fairer, truer,
Modern: He has a lady who is wiser, more beautiful, more faithful,

Original: Than ever Greek did compass in his arms,
Modern: Than any lady a Greek ever held in his arms,

Original: And will to-morrow with his trumpet call
Modern: And tomorrow with his trumpet’s call

Original: Midway between your tents and walls of Troy,
Modern: Halfway between your camps and the walls of Troy,

Original: To rouse a Grecian that is true in love:
Modern: To wake up a Greek who is truly in love:

Original: If any come, Hector shall honour him;
Modern: If anyone comes, Hector will honor him;

Original: If none, he’ll say in Troy when he retires,
Modern: If no one comes, he’ll say in Troy when he returns,

Original: The Grecian dames are sunburnt and not worth
Modern: The Greek ladies are ugly and not worth

Original: The splinter of a lance. Even so much.
Modern: Even a broken piece of a spear. That is all.

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.