TROILUS AND CRESSIDA

Henslowe's payments for this play are noted
7–16 April 1599

This play exists only in a damaged plot fragment to be found at the British Museum (MS. ADD. 10449, FOL. 5). It appears to follow the course of events found in The Iliad and Shakespeare's later version of the same story. However, we are missing characters we might otherwise expect to find in this play, especially Agamemnon, Nestor, Phoenix, and Thersites.

a synoptic, alphabetical character list

ACHILLES
He has a tent onstage and is visited about two-thirds through the play by Diomede, Menalaus, Ulysses, Ajax, during which time Patroclus is carried in "on his back." At play's end, he appears with Diomede and Troilus and is met by Hector and Deiphobus. Shortly thereafter, the Trojans appear on the wall (Priam, Paris, Helen, Polixina, and Cassandra) while the Greeks (Ulysses, Ajax, Menalaus, and a Herald) meet below. The Trojans then descend to the Greeks. It is not beyond reason to conclude that the final scene of the play, as in The Iliad depicts the death of Hector. If so, Deiphobus in this sequence would probably be Athena in disguise, though the extant plot makes no such mention.

AJAX
Spelled Aiax. He is on hand in Achilles' tent when Patroclus is brought in "on his back" and is also present in the final scene when the Trojans descend from the wall.

ANTENOR
He is pursued by Diomede early and is likely captured by Diomede and Ajax. It is possible, if this action follows Shakespeare's, that he is later exchanged for Cressida. He meets with Hector midway through the play and later with Priam, Hector, Paris, Helen, Cassandra, and Polixina. He does not seem to be present in the final scene.

BEGGARS
They enter with Cressida about three-quarters of the way through the play.

BOY, JONES'S
In the sequence with Cressida and the Beggars, this name appears discretely, perhaps an actor's name (possibly a boy named Stephen, although Stephen could be another actor).

CASSANDRA
She appears early, entering apparently to speak to Deiphobus, Diomede, and Hector. About a third of the way into the play, she meets with Troilus and Pandarus, bringing with her a waiting maid who carries a light. She appears again with Priam, Hector, Deiphobus, Paris, and Helen. She enters later with beggars and meets Troilus, Deiphobus, and a proctor. In the next scene she is on stage with Priam, Hector, Paris, Helen, and Polixina when they are met by Antenor. In the final scene, she appears on the wall with the Trojans and descends to the Greeks.

DEIPHOBUS
He appears early with Hector when they are met by Menalaus and Diomede and (a bit later) Cassandra. He next appears on the walls with Hector and Paris while Diomede pursues Antenor and is met by Ajax. He later speaks to Pandarus. In the next scene he appears with Priam, Hector, Paris, Helen, and Cassandra but exits before the others meet Ulysses and another Greek whose name is lost in the fragment. He does not appear again until later in the play when he accompanies Troilus and a proctor to meet Cressida and some beggars. In the final scene, he appears on the battlefield before the walls with Hector where they meet Achilles. It is likely, if the play follows Homer, that this last appearance is not really Deiphobus but rather Athena disguised as Deiphobus to trick Hector, but the fragmentary plot does not make this clear. The same actor would of course be used, and the plot would not make the distinction.

DIOMEDE
He appears first with Menalaus and others to meet Hector, Deiphobus, and (later) Cressida. He next pursues Antenor and is met (assisted?) by Ajax while Hector, Paris, and Deiphobus look on from the walls. In a badly damaged part of the fragment, he appears with Menalaus in a scene in which Hector is beaten in, apparently into Troy, but who does the beating is lost. He later is on hand in Achilles' tent when Patroclus is brought in "on his back." He is on the battlefield in the final scene and apparently engages with Troilus while Achilles, Hector, and Deiphobus fight and the Trojans look on from their walls.

HECTOR
He first appears entering to meet Deiphobus, Menalaus, and Diomede, they are in turn met by Cassandra. In the next scene, amid alarms and excursions, he and Antenor meet. In the next scene, he is on the wall and sees Antenor pursued by Diomede and met by Ajax. He later appears with Priam, Deiphobus, Paris, Helen, and Cassandra, and meets Ulysses and other Greeks. In a badly damaged portion of the fragment, he is beaten in, apparently beaten back into Troy about midway in the play while Diomede and Menalaus are on stage, but who does the beating (Achilles?) is lost. In the next scene, he meets with Antenor–this is immediately before the scene wherein Patroclus is carried in on his back. If the play follows Homer, Hector will have met and killed Patroclus somewhere in this area of the play. He later appears again with Priam, Paris, Helen, Cassandra, Polixina, as they are met by Antenor. In the last scene, he appears with Achilles and Deiphobus. It is not beyond reason to surmise that Deiphobus is now Athena in disguise, and the final scene depicts Hector's death at the hands of Achilles.

HELEN
Also spelled Helena and Hellena. She first appears about one third into the play with Paris and meets Pandarus. In the next scene she enters with Paris, Priam, Hector, Deiphobus, and Cassandra as they meet Ulysses and other Greeks. Near play's end she enters with Paris, Priam, Hector, Cassandra, and Polixina to meet Antenor. She is with Paris and the Trojans on the wall at play's end and descends with them to Ulysses, Menalaus, and the Herald. Interesting to note that, at least in the plot, she appears only with Paris.

HERALD
Heralds appear throughout the play, but their specific function is unrecoverable.

HUBT, MR
Likely an actor's name. He is noted on the walls of Troy with Hector, Deiphobus, and Paris as they watch Antenor's pursuit by Diomede and Ajax. As Mr. Jones likely played Priam, this actor must have played another Trojan but just who that might have been is unrecoverable from the extant fragmentary plot. No other Trojans are unaccounted for in the present sequence.

JONES, MR
Priam was played apparently by Mr. Jones. The name Jones appears several times in the plot fragment, always in association with Priam. His boy also appeared in the play and is so listed. Jones' boy apparently played Cressida's waiting maid.

MENALAUS
Also spelled Menalay. He first appears early in the play in a badly damaged section of the fragment. He does not apparently reappear until the middle of the play, when he is again to be found in a badly damaged section, paired with Diomede. Two scenes later he appears with Diomede, Ulysses, Achilles, and Ajax in Achilles' tent when Patroclus is brought in "on his back." He next enters at play's end with Ajax and Ulysses as the Trojans descend from their walls.

MUTES
In the sequence with Cressida and the Beggars, a group of mutes is noted as entering with "Beggars, pigg, Stephen, Mr Jones his boy."

PANDARUS
He appears only once about a third of the way into the play with Troilus when they are met by Cressida and her waiting maid with a light. He remains alone on stage when they leave and is met first by Deiphobus and after by Helen and Paris, with whom he exits.

PARIS
He appears first on the walls of Troy with Hector and Deiphobus to witness Diomede pursuing Antenor and being met by Ajax. He later enters with Helen to meet Pandarus. In the next scene he enters with Helen and the Trojans to meet Ulysses and other Greeks. Near play's end he again enters with Helen and other Trojans to meet with Antenor. At play's end he is on the walls with Helen, Priam, Polixina, and Cassandra and descends with them to the Greeks.

PATROCLUS
He is carried into Achilles' tent "on his back," perhaps after his death at the hands of Hector? In the tent are Achilles, Menalaus, Diomede, Ulysses, and Ajax.

PIGG
In the sequence with Cressida and the Beggars, this name appears discretely, perhaps an actor's name (possibly a boy playing a beggar or maid?).

POLIXINA
Polixina enters with Cassandra, Helena, Paris, Hector, and Priam to meet Antenor towards play's end. She is also on the walls with the Trojans in the final scene and descends with them to the Greeks.

PRIAM
Played apparently by Mr. Jones. First appears at the beginning of the play in a badly damaged section of the fragment. Appears again nearly halfway through the play with Hector, Deiphobus, Paris, Helen, and Cassandra to meet Ulysses and other Greeks. Toward play's end he again appears with the Trojans to meet Antenor. At play's end he is on the walls with Paris, Helen, Polixina, and Cassandra and descends with them to Ulysses, Ajax, Menalaus, and the Herald.

PROCTOR
In the sequence with Cressida and the Beggars, a proctor enters with Troilus and Diophobus to meet them.

STEPHEN
In the sequence with Cressida and the Beggars, this name appears discretely, perhaps an actor's name (possibly a boy, possibly but not likely "Jones's boy")

TROILUS
Also spelled Troylus. He first appears about a third of the way into the play with Pandarus as they meet Cressida and her maid, who carries a light. He does not appear again until the final third of the play when he along with Deiphobus and a proctor meet Cressida, who is accompanied by beggars. He appears in the final scene with Diomede, and it is probable they fight. During this sequence, they are met by Achilles and Hector (and apparently Deiphobus), and it seems likely that the probable fight between Troilus and Diomede hastens the meeting and final conflict between Achilles and Hector.

ULYSSES
Usually spelled Vlisses. His is the first full name identifiable in the damaged fragment, but it is impossible to say whom he meets or what he does in the opening moments of the play. He appears again about halfway into the play, when he and other Greeks (who are lost owing to the fragment's damage) meet Priam, Hector, Paris, Helen, and Cassandra. He is also present in Achilles' tent when Patroclus is carried in "on his back." In the closing moments of the play, he enters before the walls of Troy with Ajax, Menalaus, and a Herald as the Trojans descend to them. Interesting to note, when Ulysses is listed with other characters the scribe always places him first, perhaps in acknowledgement of his importance in the Greek camp within the play.

WAITING MAID
Enters carrying a light for Cressida in the scene where she meets Troilus and Pandarus. The part was played by Jones's boy.

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