Friends, I shall never marvel after this

If any baseborn fellow gives offence,

When men who pride them on their lineage

By their perverted utterance thus offend.

Repeat thy tale: thou claimest to have brought

My brother hither as a Greek ally,

Secured by thee forsooth. Sailed he not forth

As his own master, of his own free will?

Who made thee lord of him? What right hast thou

To rule the clansmen whom he brought from home?

Thou cam’st as Sparta’s king, no lord of ours.

Thou hast no more prerogative or right

To govern him than he to govern thee;

Thou sailedst under orders, not as chief,

And captain unto Ajax ne’er couldst be.

Go, lord it o’er thy henchmen, chasten them

With lordly pride; but this man, whether thou,

Aye, or thy brother-general forbid,

I with due rites and offices will bury

Despite thy threatenings. ’Twas not to bring back

Thy wife that Ajax joined in the campaign,

Like thy serf drudges, but to keep the oath

Whereto he had bound himself, no whit for thee;

Of underlings like thee he took no heed.

Go then and bring more heralds back with thee

And the commander; for thy noisy rant,

Whilst thou art what thou art, I care no straw.

This speech again mislikes me in the midst

Of woes; hard words, how just soever, wound.