The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 480
More cruel to your good report than grateful
praise you honestly.
To us that give you truly; by your patience,
If you’re angry with yourself, we’ll tie you up like
If 'gainst yourself you be incens'd, we'll put you,--
someone who means to do himself harm,
Like one that means his proper harm,--in manacles,
then try to reason with you safely. So let it be known,
Then reason safely with you.--Therefore be it known,
to us, and to the world, that Caius Marcius
As to us, to all the world, that Caius Marcius
has won a medal for bravery. And as a reward for this honor,
Wears this war's garland: in token of the which,
I will give him my best horse,
My noble steed, known to the camp, I give him,
along with all the equipment that goes with it. And from this day forth,
With all his trim belonging; and from this time,
because of what he did at Corioles, call him
For what he did before Corioli, call him,
(with all of the army’s adoration)
With all the applause--and clamour of the host,
“Caius Marcius Coriolanus.”
'Caius Marcius Coriolanus.'—
That is your name forever!
Bear the addition nobly ever!
[Flourish. Trumpets sound, and drums]
ALL.
Caius Marcius Coriolanus!
Caius Marcius Coriolanus!
CORIOLANUS.
I will go wash,
I will go wash;
and when my face is clean you will see
And when my face is fair you shall perceive
whether or not I’m blushing. However, I thank you.
Whether I blush or no: howbeit, I thank you;--
I will ride your horse, and
I mean to stride your steed; and at all times
try to live up to the name you’ve given me
To undercrest your good addition
to the best of my abilities.
To the fairness of my power.
COMINIUS.
So, I’m off to my tent,
So, to our tent;
but before I go to sleep, I will write
Where, ere we do repose us, we will write
to Rome and tell them of our success. Titus Lartius,
To Rome of our success.--You, Titus Lartius,
you must go back to Corioles and send
Must to Corioli back: send us to Rome
the leading men to Rome so that we can work out a peace treaty
The best, with whom we may articulate
for their own good and ours.
For their own good and ours.
LARTIUS.
I will, sir.
I shall, my lord.
CORIOLANUS.
The gods are mocking me. Though I just refused
The gods begin to mock me. I, that now
your generous gifts, I now have to beg you
Refus'd most princely gifts, am bound to beg
for something else.
Of my lord general.
COMINIUS.
Take it, it’s yours. What is it?
Take't: 'tis yours.--What is't?
CORIOLANUS.
I used to stay sometimes in Corioles
I sometime lay here in Corioli
at a poor man’s house. He treated me kindly.
At a poor man's house; he used me kindly:
He called to me during the battle, and I saw he was a prisoner of war,
He cried to me; I saw him prisoner;
but just then I saw Aufidius,
But then Aufidius was within my view,
and my hatred for Aufidius overwhelmed my pity for my friend. I’m asking you
And wrath o'erwhelmed my pity: I request you
to let my poor friend go.
To give my poor host freedom.
COMINIUS.
Well said!
O, well begg'd!
Even if had killed my son,
Were he the butcher of my son, he should
I would let him be free. Bring him here, Titus.
Be free as is the wind. Deliver him, Titus.
LARTIUS.
Marcius, what is his name?
Marcius, his name?
CORIOLANUS.
My God, I forgot.
By Jupiter, forgot:--
I’m tired, my memory is tired.
I am weary; yea, my memory is tir'd.--
Do we have any wine?
Have we no wine here?
COMINIUS.
Let’s go to our tent.
Go we to our tent:
The blood on your face is drying. It’s time
The blood upon your visage dries; 'tis time
for it to be treated. Come.
It should be look'd to: come.
[Exeunt.]
[A flourish. Cornets. Enter TULLUS AUFIDIUS, bloody, with two or
three soldiers.]
AUFIDIUS.
The town has been taken.
The town is ta'en.
FIRST SOLDIER.
The Romans will give it back during the peace negotiations.
'Twill be delivered back on good condition.
AUFIDIUS.
Negotiation!
Condition!
I wish I were a Roman, because I
I would I were a Roman; for I cannot,
can’t keep living as a Volscian.
Being a Volsce, be that I am.--Condition?
What good can the loser of a war expect
What good condition can a treaty find
from the peace treaty? Marcius, I’ve fought
I' the part that is at mercy?--Five times, Marcius,
with you five time, and you’ve beat me every time,
I have fought with thee; so often hast thou beat me;
and you would do so, I think, even if we fought each other
And wouldst do so, I think, should we encounter
every day. By God,
As often as we eat.--By the elements,
if I ever meet again face to face,
If e'er again I meet him beard to beard,
one of us is going to die. My admiration of him
He's mine or I am his: mine emulation
isn’t as honorable as it once was—I used to want to
Hath not that honour in't it had; for where
beat him in a fair fight,
I thought to crush him in an equal force,--
my sword against his—but now I’ll poke him anyway I can.
True sword to sword,--I'll potch at him some way,
Either my hatred or my dirty tricks will get him in the end.
Or wrath or craft may get him.
FIRST SOLDIER.
He’s the devil.
He's the devil.
AUFIDIUS.
He’s bolder than the devil, but not as smart. My bravery’s been tainted
Bolder, though not so subtle. My valour's poisoned
because I he keeps hurting me. That bad side of it is going
With only suffering stain by him; for him
to come out for him. I won’t stop hating Marcius for any of the following reasons:
Shall fly out of itself: nor sleep nor sanctuary,
his being asleep, or in a place where I’m not allowed to kill him [like a temple or church],
Being naked, sick; nor fane nor Capitol,
or being unarmed, or in a temple;
The prayers of priests nor times of sacrifice,
if a priests is begging me not to, if it’s a holiday;
Embarquements all of fury, shall lift up
all of which are good reasons
Their rotten privilege and custom 'gainst
to stop trying to kill somebody. I’m going to kill him even if I find him
/> My hate to Marcius: where I find him, were it
at my own home, being protected by my brother,
At home, upon my brother's guard, even there,
even though it would be inhospitable,
Against the hospitable canon, would I
I will wash my hands in his blood. Go back to Corioles,
Wash my fierce hand in's heart. Go you to the city;
and find out how the Romans are defending it, and who
Learn how 'tis held; and what they are that must
is being held prisoner by them.
Be hostages for Rome.
FIRST SOLDIER.
Won’t you go?
Will not you go?
AUFIDIUS.
They are waiting for at the cypress grove.
I am attended at the cypress grove: I pray you,--
It’s south of town. Go there after Corioles and give me
'Tis south the city mills,--bring me word thither
the news,
How the world goes, that to the pace of it
so I will now how fast I need to be.
I may spur on my journey.
FIRST SOLDIER.
I will, sir.
I shall, sir.
[Exeunt.]
[Enter MENENIUS, SICINIUS, and BRUTUS.]
MENENIUS.
The fortune teller says we will have news tonight.
The augurer tells me we shall have news tonight.
BRUTUS.
Good or bad?
Good or bad?
MENENIUS.
Not good from the perspective of the common people, because they hate
Not according to the prayer of the people, for they love not
Marcius.
Marcius.
SICINIUS.
Animals (like those fools) know what’s good for them.
Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.
MENENIUS.
Tell me, what do wolves love?
Pray you, who does the wolf love?
SICINIUS.
Lamb.
The lamb.
MENENIUS.
Yes, wolves like to eat lambs, which is what the poor people want to do to
Ay, to devour him, as the hungry plebeians would the noble
Marcius.
Marcius.
BRUTUS.
Yeah, sure, Marcius is a lamb that baas like a bear.
He's a lamb indeed, that baas like a bear.
MENENIUS.
Yeah, sure, he’s a bear that acts like a lamb. You two are old men.
He's a bear indeed, that lives like a lamb. You two are old men:
Tell me something.
tell me one thing that I shall ask you.
BOTH TRIBUNES.
What is it?
Well, sir.
MENENIUS.
What faults does Marcius have that you two
In what enormity is Marcius poor in, that you two have not
don’t have, too?
in abundance?
BRUTUS.
It’s not that he has a fault, but that he has all the faults.
He's poor in no one fault, but stored with all.
SICINIUS.
Especially the sin of pride.
Especially in pride.
BRUTUS.
And being the worst braggart of all.
And topping all others in boasting.
MENENIUS.
That’s strange. Do you two know what everyone in Rome
This is strange now: do you two know how you are censured here in
thinks of you, I mean those of us who are rich? Do you?
the city, I mean of us o' the right-hand file? Do you?
BOTH TRIBUNES.
No, what do they think of us?
Why, how are we censured?
MENENIUS.
You say you’re proud. Won’t you be upset when I tell you?
Because you talk of pride now,--will you not be angry?
BOTH TRIBUNES.
No, go on.
Well, well, sir, well.
MENENIUS.
It’s no big deal. You lose your temper over
Why, 'tis no great matter; for a very little thief of occasion
very small issues, let your feeling run wild
will rob you of a great deal of patience: give your dispositions
and get angry all the time, and you seem
the reins, and be angry at your pleasures; at the least, if you
to enjoy it. You blame Marcius for
take it as a pleasure to you in being so. You blame Marcius for
being proud?
being proud?
BRUTUS.
We’re not the only ones.
We do it not alone, sir.
MENENIUS.
I know you can’t do anything alone; you have to have a lot of people helping you,
I know you can do very little alone; for your helps are many, or
or else your actions would be very weak. Your abilities are
else your actions would grow wondrous single: your abilities are
too infant-like for you to do much alone. You talk of pride: Oh, if only
too infant-like for doing much alone. You talk of pride: O that
you could see yourselves, and
you could turn your eyes toward the napes of your necks, and make
realize what’s wrong with you! Oh, if only you could!
but an interior survey of your good selves! O that you could!
BOTH TRIBUNES.
What then?
What then, sir?
MENENIUS.
Why, then you would discover that you are the worst bunch of worthless, proud,
Why, then you should discover a brace of unmeriting, proud,
violent, irritable judges—a.k.a. fools—in all of Rome.
violent, testy magistrates,--alias fools,--as any in Rome.
SICINIUS.
Menenius, you are quite notorious yourself.
Menenius, you are known well enough too.
MENENIUS.
Yes, I am known to be a whimsical aristocrat, one that loves a cup
I am known to be a humorous patrician, and one that loves a cup
of hot wine that isn’t diluted with water. I’m said to
of hot wine with not a drop of allaying Tiber in't; said to
be somewhat flawed in that I tend to favor the first argument I hear, and I sometimes
be something imperfect in favouring the first complaint, hasty
too worked up about small things, and I usually associate more
and tinder-like upon too trivial motion; one that converses more
with the ass of the night than with the face of the
with the buttock of the night than with the forehead of the
morning. I speak my mind, and I tell me what I think of them.
morning. What I think I utter, and spend my malice in my breath.
When I meet a couple of politicians like yourselves—you’re hardly
Meeting two such wealsmen as you are,--I cannot call you
Lycurgus [Greek lawgiver]—and I don’t like the drink you give me,
Lycurguses,--if the drink you give me touch my palate adversely,
I make a disgusted face at it. I can’t say you great guys have
I make a crooked face at it. I cannot say your worships have
argued your point well everything you say sounds like it came
delivered the matter well when I find the ass in compound with
out of your ass; and though I have to put up with
the major part of your syllables; and though I must be content to
the people who say you are serious, important people, I cannot accept the lie
bear with those that say you are reverend grave men, yet they lie
that your faces aren’t ugly. If you see tell from my face that I am
deadly that tell you h
ave good faces. If you see this in the map
a good person, it follows that everyone knows that I am a good person.
of my microcosm, follows it that I am known well enough too? What
What bad things can you blind fools allege about my character
harm can your bisson conspectuities glean out of this character,
when everyone already knows me?
if I be known well enough too?
BRUTUS.
Come on, we know you well enough.
Come, sir, come, we know you well enough.
MENENIUS.
You don’t know me, and nor do you know yourselves or anything else. You want
You know neither me, yourselves, nor anything. You are ambitious
other poor fools to bow and salute you. You waste perfectly good
for poor knaves' caps and legs; you wear out a good wholesome
mornings judging pointless disputes between bickering
forenoon in hearing a cause between an orange-wife and a
street vendors, and then adjourn the court for a day’s recess to
fosset-seller, and then rejourn the controversy of threepence
decide a case about three cents. When you are hearing a case before
to a second day of audience.--When you are hearing a matter
your court between two litigants, and you have to poop,
between party and party, if you chance to be pinched with the
you make a face like a clown, lose all your patience with the
colic, you make faces like mummers, set up the bloody flag
proceedings, and while calling for a toilet,
against all patience, and, in roaring for a chamber-pot, dismiss
dismiss the whole case, which you only made worse by hearing it.
the controversy bleeding, the more entangled by your hearing: all
The only judgment you ever pass to call both sides names.
the peace you make in their cause is calling both the parties
You are a pair of strange ones.
knaves. You are a pair of strange ones.
BRUTUS.
Come now, everyone knows you are joke,
Come, come, you are well understood to be a perfecter giber