Troilus and Cressida · Character

Ulysses

The Greek commander whose eloquence and cold political cunning make him the strategist of a stalled army, always reading men as carefully as books.

supporting

Also known as Ulysses Nestor, Ulysses The great Achilles, Ulysses Achilles, Ulysses Troy, Lord Ulysses, Ulysses Sir, Ulysses A, Exit Ulysses

First appearance: Scene III

As a supporting figure in Troilus and Cressida, Ulysses is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Greek strategist who proposes using Ajax to counter Achilles' pride and prevent him from gaining glory.

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Ulysses moves through the Greek camp diagnosing its sickness — pride, faction, and the sulking of Achilles — and prescribing order as the cure. He trades prophecies with Hector about Troy's coming fall, then turns his analysis on Achilles, arguing that a man only knows himself through others' eyes. His rhetorical power and appetite for manipulation make him the play's chief architect of Greek strategy, and the early-middle war council scenes belong largely to him.

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The fuller portrait of Ulysses sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Ulysses in Scene III

Character Web

16 connections

A slice of how Ulysses sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Trojan political and romantic figures
Diplomatic and command figures
Greek camp and Trojan family

+11 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This scene is the dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak of Troilus’s rage and…

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Relationships

Troilus
rivalry · negative
Ulysses, the cunning Greek strategist, opposes Troilus intellectually and politically,… How this plays out →
Troilus
rivalry · negative
Ulysses, the cunning Greek strategist, opposes Troilus intellectually and politically,… How this plays out →
Troilus
rivalry · negative
Ulysses, the cunning Greek strategist, opposes Troilus intellectually and politically,… How this plays out →

Troilus
Ulysses, the cunning Greek strategist, opposes Troilus intellectually and politically, representing Greek guile against Trojan passion.
Troilus
Ulysses, the cunning Greek strategist, opposes Troilus intellectually and politically, representing Greek guile against Trojan passion.
Troilus
Ulysses, the cunning Greek strategist, opposes Troilus intellectually and politically, representing Greek guile against Trojan passion.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Ulysses in Scene III

In the story

Ulysses appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Scene III
Greek strategist who proposes using Ajax to counter Achilles' pride and prevent him from gaining glory.
Scene III
Advises against sending Ajax to Achilles, manipulates Ajax's pride, and proposes Ajax as a champion.
Scene III
Devises the plan to ignore Achilles and later confronts him about his pride and love for Polyxena.
Scene V
Welcomes Hector, describes Troilus's character, and agrees to guide Troilus to Calchas's tent.
Scene I
Advises Troilus to follow Diomedes to Calchas' tent.
Scene II
Guides Troilus and urges him to remain patient during the observation.
Scene V
Announces Achilles's arming for vengeance and Ajax's rage against Troilus.

Chapter companion notes

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See Ulysses in Scene III