Paris
Also known as: Lord Paris / Prince Paris / fair prince · Family: Troy · Role: prince · First appears: Troilus and Cressida · Act I, Scene II
As a Trojan prince, Paris returns home wounded after Menelaus injures him in battle: “That Paris is returned home, and hurt.” He brings Helen, a Grecian queen, to Troy after the Greeks retain his aunt captive. His sister Cassandra calls him their “firebrand brother” and prophesies that Troy will burn unless Helen is surrendered, while his brothers Hector and Troilus are involved in the decision to keep her.
With Helen, Paris is both husband and courtship partner, declaring, “Sweet, above thought I love thee.” His cousin and friend Pandarus promises to repair what Paris has broken and speaks of Paris’s brother Troilus. Paris later sets himself against Menelaus as a rival over Helen, and the two ultimately meet as enemies in combat.
Relationship record
Life events
- Paris returns home wounded after Menelaus injures him in battle.(Troilus and Cressida · Act I, Scene I)
- With: Menelaus
- “That Paris is returned home, and hurt.”
- Paris brings Helen, a Grecian queen, to Troy after the Greeks retain his aunt captive.(Troilus and Cressida · Act II, Scene II)
- With: Helen
- “And for an old aunt whom the Greeks held captive He brought a Grecian queen, whose youth and freshness Wrinkles Apollo’s, and makes stale the morning.”
- Cassandra prophesies that Troy will burn unless Helen is surrendered.(Troilus and Cressida · Act II, Scene II · 📍 Troy)
- Hector resolves to support retaining Helen despite acknowledging that justice demands her return.(Troilus and Cressida · Act II, Scene II)
- Paris declares his love for Helen.(Troilus and Cressida · Act III, Scene I)
- With: Helen
- “Sweet, above thought I love thee.”
Troilus and Cressida · Act I, Scene II
- married with Helen “‘Jupiter!’ quoth she ‘which of these hairs is Paris my husband?’”
Troilus and Cressida · Act II, Scene II
- siblings with Cassandra (Cassandra explicitly calls Paris her brother.) “Our firebrand brother, Paris, burns us all.”
- siblings with Hector (Hector addresses Paris and Troilus as his brethren.) “Yet, ne’ertheless, My spritely brethren, I propend to you In resolution to keep Helen still;”
- siblings with Troilus (Hector addresses Paris and Troilus as his brethren.) “Yet, ne’ertheless, My spritely brethren, I propend to you In resolution to keep Helen still;”
Troilus and Cressida · Act III, Scene I
- siblings with Troilus “How chance my brother Troilus went not?”
- courtship with Helen “Sweet, above thought I love thee.”
- cousins with Pandarus “You have broke it, cousin; and by my life, you shall make it whole again; you shall piece it out with a piece of your performance.”
- friends with Pandarus “But, marry, thus, my lord: my dear lord and most esteemed friend, your brother Troilus—”
Troilus and Cressida · Act IV, Scene I
- siblings with Troilus “My brother Troilus lodges there tonight.”
- rivals with Menelaus “Who in your thoughts deserves fair Helen best, Myself, or Menelaus?”
Troilus and Cressida · Act IV, Scene II
- siblings with Troilus (Aeneas identifies Paris as Troilus’s brother.) “There is at hand Paris your brother, and Deiphobus, The Grecian Diomed, and our Antenor”
Troilus and Cressida · Act IV, Scene III
- siblings with Troilus (Paris explicitly calls Troilus his brother.) “Good my brother Troilus,”
Troilus and Cressida · Act IV, Scene IV
- siblings with Troilus “Good brother, come you hither;”
Troilus and Cressida · Act V, Scene VII
- enemies with Menelaus “Enter Menelaus and Paris, fighting; then Thersites.”
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Extracted from the original text of Shakespeare's Tragedies. Made with Rho MD.