Troilus and Cressida Act 4, Scene 2 Summary

Read the full text of Troilus and Cressida Act 4 Scene 2 with a side-by-side translation HERE.


  • At Calchas' house, Troilus and Cressida stand at the gate and say goodbye after having spent the night together.
  • They're having a kind of "You hang up." "No, you hang up" kind of conversation. (Sound familiar? It's a lot like what goes down between Romeo and Juliet during the famous balcony scene.)
  • Then Pandarus butts in and destroys all the romance of the moment by asking where all the "maidenheads" (virgins) have gone.
  • Cressida bickers with her annoying uncle and Troilus tries to step in and make peace.
  • Pandarus is all "Gee. Why so grouchy? Didn't you get any sleep last night?"
  • Knock knock! Troilus and Cressida run off while Pandarus opens the door and greets Aeneas, who wants to talk to Troilus.
  • Pandarus pretends Troilus isn't there, but he totally is.
  • Eventually, Troilus emerges to learn that Cressida has been traded to the Greeks for Antenor. This is not good.
  • Troilus runs off to meet with Priam, telling Aeneas keep his lips zipped about seeing him at Cressida's house.
  • Cressida, meanwhile, refuses to go to the Greek camp and says that if she ever betrays Troilus, she hopes her name will be synonymous with "falsehood."
  • She threatens to throw a tantrum, complete with hair pulling, face scratching, shrieking, and crying, and then she stomps off to her room.We'd totally make fun of her for acting like a teenager, expect that we're really on her side with this one.