Troilus and Cressida: Act 5, Scene 8 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 8 of Troilus and Cressida from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Thersites; then Menelaus fighting Paris. THERSITES The cuckold and the cuckold-maker are at it. Now, bull! Now, dog! Loo, Paris, loo! Now, my double-horned Spartan! Loo, Paris, loo! The bull has the game. Ware horns, ho! Paris and Menelaus exit, fighting. Enter Bastard. BASTARD Turn, slave, and fight. 5 THERSITES What art thou? BASTARD A bastard son of Priam’s. THERSITES I am a bastard too. I love bastards. I am bastard begot, bastard instructed, bastard in mind, bastard in valor, in everything illegitimate. One 10 bear will not bite another, and wherefore should one bastard? Take heed: the quarrel’s most ominous to us. If the son of a whore fight for a whore, he tempts judgment. Farewell, bastard. He exits. BASTARD The devil take thee, coward! 15 He exits.	Next, Menelaus and Paris battle their way across the stage. Thersites follows and yells out stuff like "Hey, it's the 'cuckold' and 'the cuckold maker' going at it. Get him Paris! Get him!" Then a guy—okay, a Bastard—shows up and challenges Thersites to fight. Thersites asks who he is, and the guy says he's a bastard son of Priam's. Then Thersites says that, hey, he loves "bastards," being one himself. In fact, "bastards" should really try to stick together and stay out of this nasty war." Thersites runs away. Are you shocked? Yeah. So's the Bastard. But he chases after him.

Original Text

Translated Text

Enter Thersites; then Menelaus fighting Paris.

THERSITES
The cuckold and the cuckold-maker are at
it. Now, bull! Now, dog! Loo, Paris, loo! Now, my
double-horned Spartan! Loo, Paris, loo! The bull
has the game. Ware horns, ho!

Paris and Menelaus exit, fighting.

Enter Bastard.

BASTARD
Turn, slave, and fight. 5

THERSITES
What art thou?

BASTARD
A bastard son of Priam’s.

THERSITES
I am a bastard too. I love bastards. I am
bastard begot, bastard instructed, bastard in mind,
bastard in valor, in everything illegitimate. One 10
bear will not bite another, and wherefore should
one bastard? Take heed: the quarrel’s most ominous
to us. If the son of a whore fight for a whore,
he tempts judgment. Farewell, bastard.

He exits.

BASTARD
The devil take thee, coward! 15

He exits.

Next, Menelaus and Paris battle their way across the stage.

Thersites follows and yells out stuff like "Hey, it's the 'cuckold' and 'the cuckold maker' going at it. Get him Paris! Get him!"

Then a guy—okay, a Bastard—shows up and challenges Thersites to fight.

Thersites asks who he is, and the guy says he's a bastard son of Priam's.

Then Thersites says that, hey, he loves "bastards," being one himself. In fact, "bastards" should really try to stick together and stay out of this nasty war."

Thersites runs away. Are you shocked? Yeah. So's the Bastard. But he chases after him.

Troilus and Cressida: Act 5, Scene 8 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 5, Scene 8 of Troilus and Cressida from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text

Translated Text

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