Troilus and Cressida: Prologue Translation

A side-by-side translation of Prologue of Troilus and Cressida from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter the Prologue in armor. PROLOGUE In Troy there lies the scene. From isles of Greece The princes orgulous, their high blood chafed, Have to the port of Athens sent their ships Fraught with the ministers and instruments Of cruel war. Sixty and nine, that wore 5 Their crownets regal, from th’ Athenian bay Put forth toward Phrygia, and their vow is made To ransack Troy, within whose strong immures The ravished Helen, Menelaus’ queen, With wanton Paris sleeps; and that’s the quarrel. 10 To Tenedos they come, And the deep-drawing barks do there disgorge Their warlike fraughtage. Now on Dardan plains The fresh and yet unbruisèd Greeks do pitch Their brave pavilions. Priam’s six-gated city— 15 Dardan and Timbria, Helias, Chetas, Troien, And Antenorides—with massy staples And corresponsive and fulfilling bolts, Spar up the sons of Troy. Now expectation, tickling skittish spirits 20 On one and other side, Trojan and Greek, Sets all on hazard. And hither am I come, A prologue armed, but not in confidence Of author’s pen or actor’s voice, but suited In like conditions as our argument, 25 To tell you, fair beholders, that our play Leaps o’er the vaunt and firstlings of those broils, Beginning in the middle, starting thence away To what may be digested in a play. Like, or find fault; do as your pleasures are. 30 Now, good or bad, ’tis but the chance of war. Prologue exits.	An actor dressed in armor comes out and welcomes us to ancient Troy, where the Greeks and Trojans have been going at it on the Trojan battlefields for the last...get this...7 years. Since we're starting out "in the middle" of all the action, the Prologue quickly catches us up—you know, just in case we've never heard of a little old thing called the Trojan War. Here are the deets: the Greeks have sailed across the "Athenian Bay" to "ransack" Troy because a Trojan Prince named Paris stole Helen from the Greek King Menelaus and has been sleeping with her ever since. Simple as that. Next, the Prologue warns us that we might not like the play because nothing good ever really happens in times of "war." Um...okay. The Prologue isn't exactly selling us on the drama here, but we'll go with it—even though the Prologue says absolutely NOTHING about Troilus and Cressida, the two characters the play is named after. What's up with that?

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter the Prologue in armor.

PROLOGUE
In Troy there lies the scene. From isles of Greece
The princes orgulous, their high blood chafed,
Have to the port of Athens sent their ships
Fraught with the ministers and instruments
Of cruel war. Sixty and nine, that wore 5
Their crownets regal, from th’ Athenian bay
Put forth toward Phrygia, and their vow is made
To ransack Troy, within whose strong immures
The ravished Helen, Menelaus’ queen,
With wanton Paris sleeps; and that’s the quarrel. 10
To Tenedos they come,
And the deep-drawing barks do there disgorge
Their warlike fraughtage. Now on Dardan plains
The fresh and yet unbruisèd Greeks do pitch
Their brave pavilions. Priam’s six-gated city— 15
Dardan and Timbria, Helias, Chetas, Troien,
And Antenorides—with massy staples
And corresponsive and fulfilling bolts,
Spar up the sons of Troy.
Now expectation, tickling skittish spirits 20
On one and other side, Trojan and Greek,
Sets all on hazard. And hither am I come,
A prologue armed, but not in confidence
Of author’s pen or actor’s voice, but suited
In like conditions as our argument, 25
To tell you, fair beholders, that our play
Leaps o’er the vaunt and firstlings of those broils,
Beginning in the middle, starting thence away
To what may be digested in a play.
Like, or find fault; do as your pleasures are. 30
Now, good or bad, ’tis but the chance of war.

Prologue exits.

An actor dressed in armor comes out and welcomes us to ancient Troy, where the Greeks and Trojans have been going at it on the Trojan battlefields for the last...get this...7 years.

Since we're starting out "in the middle" of all the action, the Prologue quickly catches us up—you know, just in case we've never heard of a little old thing called the Trojan War.

Here are the deets: the Greeks have sailed across the "Athenian Bay" to "ransack" Troy because a Trojan Prince named Paris stole Helen from the Greek King Menelaus and has been sleeping with her ever since. Simple as that.

Next, the Prologue warns us that we might not like the play because nothing good ever really happens in times of "war." Um...okay.

The Prologue isn't exactly selling us on the drama here, but we'll go with it—even though the Prologue says absolutely NOTHING about Troilus and Cressida, the two characters the play is named after. What's up with that?

Troilus and Cressida: Prologue Translation

A side-by-side translation of Prologue of Troilus and Cressida from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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