William Shakespeare
Troilus and Cressida
The full script in Final Draft, Word & PDF
In the seventh year of the Trojan War, a love story and a war of pride unravel against each other in Shakespeare's bitter satire.
PDFs Only
$4.99
- ✓ Stageplay PDF (132 pp.)
- ✓ Screenplay PDF (121 pp.)
- ✓ Instant download
Full Package
$12.99
- ✓ Final Draft (.fdx)
- ✓ Microsoft Word + RTF
- ✓ Screenplay + Stageplay PDFs
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All 37 plays in every format cost $99, less than 8 single Full Packages. PDFs only: $55 for all 37.
- Genre
- Problem play
- Written
- c. 1602
- Setting
- Troy and the Greek camp
- Scenes
- 24
- Speaking roles
- 28
- Uncut running time
- ~3h 10m
What happens in Troilus and Cressida
In the seventh year of the siege of Troy, Troilus, a son of King Priam, is in love with Cressida, whose uncle Pandarus brings them together. Their one night together is cut short when the Greeks demand that Cressida be exchanged for a captured Trojan commander, Antenor, and she is sent to the Greek camp.
There the Greek leaders, among them Agamemnon, Ulysses and Nestor, struggle with Achilles' refusal to fight and the vanity of the army. Cressida attracts the Greek Diomedes, and Troilus sees what he cannot bear. A duel between Hector and Ajax is inconclusive, but the war continues towards its violent end for Hector, with Thersites commenting bitterly throughout. The Greek and Trojan camps alternate throughout.
See the formatting
The first page of Act I, exactly as it appears in the files you download.
The biggest roles
Share of the play's spoken words, counted from the script. 28 characters speak; 12 of them have under 1% of the text — natural candidates for doubling.
| Role | Share of the text | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| Troilus | | 132 |
| Ulysses | | 82 |
| Pandarus | | 159 |
| Thersites | | 90 |
| Cressida | | 156 |
| Hector | | 58 |
| Agamemnon | | 52 |
| Achilles | | 77 |
For directors
The text is unusually distributed: Troilus (15.5%), Ulysses (13.8%), Pandarus (12.4%), Thersites (9.1%), Cressida (8.3%), Hector (6.0%) and Agamemnon, with eight roles over 5%. Twenty-eight speaking roles across 24 scenes allows for doubling between Trojans and Greeks. At about 3 hours 10 minutes uncut, it is a very long evening, and most productions make significant cuts. Cast Pandarus and Thersites carefully, as both are large comic parts.
Cutting notes
- The Greek council scene in 1.3 and the Trojan debate in 2.2 are lengthy debates and are often shortened.
- Pandarus's closing epilogue, which some scholars think was added later, is commonly cut or reworked.
- Some of Thersites' and Pandarus's commentary is trimmed to keep the pace of the second half.
For teachers
Typical themes include honour and reputation, the debasement of love and heroism, the nature of value, and the play's cynical view of the Trojan War. Students often examine Ulysses' speech on degree in 1.3, the Trojan debate in 2.2, the scene in which Cressida moves to the Greek camp in 5.2, and Thersites' commentary. The play is usually grouped as a problem play for its blend of satire, romance and tragedy.
Questions
Is this the complete, uncut text of Troilus and Cressida?
Yes. Every file contains the full play — 24 scenes and about 25,700 spoken words. Cut it yourself in Word or Final Draft to fit your running time.
What is the difference between the stageplay and screenplay layouts?
The stageplay layout indents stage directions and sets dialogue full-width, like a theatre script. The screenplay layout follows film conventions: scene headings and action flush left, character names centred, dialogue in a narrower column. Both tiers include both layouts as PDFs; the Full Package adds editable Final Draft and Word files of each.
Can I use this Troilus and Cressida script for a production or a class?
Yes. Shakespeare's plays are in the public domain, so there are no royalties to pay for staging them. Edit, stage, film or teach with these files.
How do I receive the files?
Right after checkout you land on a private download page, and the link is also emailed to you. It keeps working, so you can re-download any time.
