Troilus and Cressida Act 5, Scene 4 Summary & Analysis

A bloodthirsty and eager Thersites watches the battle unfold. He’s no more anxious for the success of the Greek warriors (whom he hates to a man) than the Trojans. But he is excited when he sees Troilus and Diomedes clashing on the field. Interested to see what the outcome will be as the two men fight over Cressida, whom Thersites casually brands a “whore,” he becomes distracted. This allows Hector to sneak up behind him. When Thersites pleads that he is but a worthless knave, Hector lets him live.

The play has invited the audience to adopt Thersites’s views about the ignoble motivations of the Greek and Trojan elites. And its de-romanticization of love certainly aligns with his characterization of Cressida. But if she is what he says she is, so is Helen, meaning that the entire war is little more than a cancerous expression of Menelaus’s shame and anger. Hector shows himself to be an honorable man by showing mercy to Thersites, something all the more notable given is rarity in the play.

Active Themes

Troilus and Cressida: Act 5, Scene 4 Summary & Analysis