The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (1085 page)

Bold as an oracle, and sets Thersites,

A slave whose gall coins slanders like a mint,

To match us in comparisons with dirt,

To weaken and discredit our exposure,

How rank soever rounded in with danger.

Andin imitation of these two–

who, as Ulysses says, general opinion

gives absolute authority to–many are infected.

Ajax has become wilful and looks down his nose

at everyone, he's just as vain about his status

as broad chested Achilles; he stays in his tent like him;

he holds meals for his faction; he criticises our army,

as bold as a priest, and encourages Thersites–

a slave whose bile produces slanders endlessly–

to make comparisons between us and dirt,

to make a mockery of our situation,

however dangerous it might be.

ULYSSES.

They tax our policy and call it cowardice,

Count wisdom as no member of the war,

Forestall prescience, and esteem no act

But that of hand. The still and mental parts

That do contrive how many hands shall strike

When fitness calls them on, and know, by measure

Of their observant toil, the enemies' weight-

Why, this hath not a finger's dignity:

They call this bed-work, mapp'ry, closet-war;

So that the ram that batters down the wall,

For the great swinge and rudeness of his poise,

They place before his hand that made the engine,

Or those that with the fineness of their souls

By reason guide his execution.

They criticise our policy and call it cowardice,

they don't think that intelligence has anything to do with war,

they obstruct careful planning, and value no acts

except physical ones. The quiet and thinking people,

who construct the plans of attack,

choosing the right time, who work hard

to determine the strength of the enemy–

they think this is worth nothing.

They call it armchair generalship, mapmaking, theoretical war;

so they value the battering ram,

with its great power and violence,

above the engineer who designed it

or the one whose superior intellect

decided on the strategy for using it.

NESTOR.

Let this be granted, and Achilles' horse

Makes many Thetis' sons.

[Tucket]

If we accept this then Achilles' horse

is worth many of him.

AGAMEMNON.

What trumpet? Look, Menelaus.

What's that trumpet for? Go and see, Menelaus.

MENELAUS.

From Troy.

It's from Troy.

Enter AENEAS

AGAMEMNON.

What would you fore our tent?

What you want at our tent?

AENEAS.

Is this great Agamemnon's tent, I pray you?

Please tell me, is this the great Agamemnon's tent?

AGAMEMNON.

Even this.

It is.

AENEAS.

May one that is a herald and a prince

Do a fair message to his kingly ears?

May someone who is a Herald and a prince

deliver a courteous message to his royal ears?

AGAMEMNON.

With surety stronger than Achilles' arm

Fore all the Greekish heads, which with one voice

Call Agamemnon head and general.

I promise with guarantees stronger than the arm

of Achilles when he led the Greek army, which is unanimous

in calling Agamemnon its head and general.

AENEAS.

Fair leave and large security. How may

A stranger to those most imperial looks

Know them from eyes of other mortals?

That's kind permission and a solid promise. How can

someone who doesn't know what Agamemnon looks like

pick him out from amongst the other men?

AGAMEMNON.

How?

How?

AENEAS.

Ay;

I ask, that I might waken reverence,

And bid the cheek be ready with a blush

Modest as Morning when she coldly eyes

The youthful Phoebus.

Which is that god in office, guiding men?

Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon?

Yes;

I'm asking so I can put on a respectful face,

and tell my cheeks to be ready, blushing

as modestly as morning when she coldly looks

at the newly risen sun.

Where is that Godly leader, who guides men.

Which is the high and mighty Agamemnon?

AGAMEMNON.

This Troyan scorns us, or the men of Troy

Are ceremonious courtiers.

This Trojan is mocking us, or the men of Troy

are very formal courtiers.

AENEAS.

Courtiers as free, as debonair, unarm'd,

As bending angels; that's their fame in peace.

But when they would seem soldiers, they have galls,

Good arms, strong joints, true swords; and, Jove's accord,

Nothing so full of heart. But peace, Aeneas,

Peace, Troyan; lay thy finger on thy lips.

The worthiness of praise distains his worth,

If that the prais'd himself bring the praise forth;

But what the repining enemy commends,

That breath fame blows; that praise, sole pure, transcends.

Courtiers as noble, gracious, when they are unarmed,

as bowing angels–they are well known for that in peacetime.

But when they become soldiers, they react to insults,

they have good arms, strong joints, true swords and- God willing–

unequalled courage. But quiet, Aeneas,

quiet, Trojan; stop talking!

Praise is worth nothing

when it is self praise.

When the beaten enemy praises you,

that is real praise, pure and transcendent.

AGAMEMNON.

Sir, you of Troy, call you yourself Aeneas?

Sir, you man of Troy, do you call yourself Aeneas?

AENEAS.

Ay, Greek, that is my name.

Yes, Greek, that is my name.

AGAMEMNON.

What's your affair, I pray you?

And what you want, may I ask?

AENEAS.

Sir, pardon; 'tis for Agamemnon's ears.

You must excuse me, sir; that's for Agamemnon's ears only.

AGAMEMNON.

He hears nought privately that comes from Troy.

He doesn't accept private messages from Troy.

AENEAS.

Nor I from Troy come not to whisper with him;

I bring a trumpet to awake his ear,

To set his sense on the attentive bent,

And then to speak.

I haven't come from Troy on a secret mission;

I brought a trumpet to tell him I'm here,

to get him listening to me,

and then to speak.

AGAMEMNON.

Speak frankly as the wind;

It is not Agamemnon's sleeping hour.

That thou shalt know, Troyan, he is awake,

He tells thee so himself.

You may speak as freely as the wind;

Agamemnon is not asleep.

So that you know, Trojan, that he is awake,

he's telling you so himself.

AENEAS.

Trumpet, blow loud,

Send thy brass voice through all these lazy tents;

And every Greek of mettle, let him know

What Troy means fairly shall be spoke aloud.

[Sound trumpet]

We have, great Agamemnon, here in Troy

A prince called Hector-Priam is his father-

Who in this dull and long-continued truce

Is resty grown; he bade me take a trumpet

And to this purpose speak: Kings, princes, lords!

If there be one among the fair'st of Greece

That holds his honour higher than his ease,

That seeks his praise more than he fears his peril,

That knows his valour and knows not his fear,

That loves his mistress more than in confession

With truant vows to her own lips he loves,

And dare avow her beauty and her worth

In other arms than hers-to him this challenge.

Hector, in view of Troyans and of Greeks,

Shall make it good or do his best to do it:

He hath a lady wiser, fairer, truer,

Than ever Greek did couple in his arms;

And will to-morrow with his trumpet call

Mid-way between your tents and walls of Troy

To rouse a Grecian that is true in love.

If any come, Hector shall honour him;

If none, he'll say in Troy, when he retires,

The Grecian dames are sunburnt and not worth

The splinter of a lance. Even so much.

Trumpet, blow loud,

send your brassy voice through all these sleeping tents;

and let every Greek of spirit know

that Troy wants to announce her intentions.

Great Agamemnon, here in Troy we have

a prince called Hector–Priam is his father–

who has become bored with this dull and

perpetual truce. He told me to take a trumpet,

and say these words: “kings, princes, lords,

if there is anyone amongst the highest of the Greeks

who thinks more of his honour than an easy life,

who looks for praise more than he fears danger,

who uses his bravery and never acknowledges fear,

who shows his love for his mistress

by performing feats of arms rather than

just making her empty promises; I give him this challenge:

Hector, in front of Trojans and of Greeks,

will prove, or do his best to do so,

he has a lady who is wiser,fairer and truer

than any Greek ever held in his arms;

tomorrow he will blow his trumpet,

halfway between your tents and the walls of Troy,

to summon a Greek who is truly in love.

If anyone comes, Hector will take up his challenge;

if nobody does, he'll go back toTroy and tell them

that Greek women are sunburnt, and not worth

fighting over’. That is all.

AGAMEMNON.

This shall be told our lovers, Lord Aeneas.

If none of them have soul in such a kind,

We left them all at home. But we are soldiers;

And may that soldier a mere recreant prove

That means not, hath not, or is not in love.

If then one is, or hath, or means to be,

That one meets Hector; if none else, I am he.

We shall tell our men in love this, Lord Aeneas.

If none of them want to take up the challenge,

you can say we left them all home; we are soldiers,

and a soldier is just an ordinary coward

if he means not to be, has not been, or is not, in love.

So if one is, or has been, or means to be,