Andromache has promised to marry Pyrrhus, and Cephise is ecstatic to think that her mistress will soon be restored to her former glory. Pyrrhus will give her anything she asks; he has even ordered his own royal guard to protect Astyanax while he himself goes undefended. When Andromache says she must see her son, Cephise protests that there is plenty of time for that.
But Andromache disillusions her: She is going to see Astyanax now for the last time. She has promised to marry Pyrrhus, but immediately after the ceremony she plans to kill herself. Pyrrhus, impetuous but sincere, will still keep his vow to protect her son. Only in this way can she fulfill her obligations to Astyanax, Pyrrhus, and the dead Hector. Cephise, however, must remain alive to watch over Astyanax, to tell him tales of his heroic ancestors, to speak to him of his mother. And, if necessary, Cephise may also bring Pyrrhus back to his duty to Astyanax by speaking to him of Andromache, reminding him that she was his wife, and that her respect and esteem for him were sufficiently proved by the fact that she left her son in his care. The two women then leave to avoid an interview with Hermione.
