The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 486
will enter into the power vacuum between the two of them
May enter 'twixt the gap of both and take
and attack one through the agency of the other.
The one by the other.
COMINIUS.
Well, let’s go to the market place.
Well, on to the market-place.
CORIOLANUS.
Whoever made the decision to give
Whoever gave that counsel, to give forth
the people grain for free, like the Greeks used
The corn o' the storehouse gratis, as 'twas us'd
to do once—
Sometime in Greece,--
MENENIUS.
Well, well, no more of that.
Well, well, no more of that.
CORIOLANUS.
Though in Greece the people had more absolute power—
Though there the people had more absolute power,--
I think whoever made that decision created this rebellion, and contributed
I say they nourish'd disobedience, fed
to the ruin of the government.
The ruin of the state.
BRUTUS.
Why should the people vote for someone who
Why shall the people give
talk like this?
One that speaks thus their voice?
CORIOLANUS.
I’ll tell you my reasons,
I'll give my reasons,
which are worth more than their votes. They know the grain
More worthier than their voices. They know the corn
was not a reward, though they never did
Was not our recompense, resting well assur'd
any military service to deserve it. When they were forced to fight in the war,
They ne'er did service for't; being press'd to the war,
even when the heart of the country was threatened,
Even when the navel of the state was touch'd,
they would not leave Rome to go fight. That kind of service
They would not thread the gates,--this kind of service
did not deserve free grain. When they were in the war,
Did not deserve corn gratis: being i' the war,
their mutinies and revolts, in which they were bravest,
Their mutinies and revolts, wherein they show'd
did not speak well for them, either. The accusation they often make
Most valour, spoke not for them. The accusation
against the Senate [that the poor were left to starve while the rich had plenty],
Which they have often made against the senate,
without any justification, would hardly be the reason for
All cause unborn, could never be the motive
us to give them such a generous gift. So why do we give them grain?
Of our so frank donation. Well, what then?
How can the hungry mob understand
How shall this bosom multitude digest
the senate’s kindness? Let our actions answer the stupid
The senate's courtesy? Let deeds express
claims they will probably make: “We asked for it,
What's like to be their words:--'We did request it;
we are the majority, and they gave in to our demands
We are the greater poll, and in true fear
out of fear.” That’s how we lower the
They gave us our demands:'-- Thus we debase
worth of the senate, and cause the mob
The nature of our seats, and make the rabble
call our concerns fears. The mob will eventually
Call our cares fears; which will in time
break into the senate house and bring in
Break ope the locks o' the senate and bring in
nasty poor people to pick our bones.
The crows to peck the eagles.--
MENENIUS.
That’s enough.
Come, enough.
BRUTUS.
More than enough.
Enough, with over-measure.
CORIOLANUS.
No, there’s more.
No, take more:
May God and man
What may be sworn by, both divine and human,
confirm my final point! This problem of split authority,
Seal what I end withal!--This double worship,--
where one faction looks down on the other with good reason, and the other
Where one part does disdain with cause, the other
hates us for no good reason, where the rich, well-born and wise people
Insult without all reason; where gentry, title, wisdom,
cannot make a decision without the input of
Cannot conclude but by the yea and no
ordinary stupid people—this split government will neglect
Of general ignorance--it must omit
important problems and focus on
Real necessities, and give way the while
trivial nothings. With bad logic like that,
To unstable slightness: purpose so barr'd, it follows,
nothing will be done logically. Therefore, I beg you—
Nothing is done to purpose. Therefore, beseech you,--
you who aren’t afraifd, but are prudent,
You that will be less fearful than discreet;
who love the existing system of government
That love the fundamental part of state
more than you fear a change to it, who prefer
More than you doubt the change on't; that prefer
to die for what you believe in then be safe, and want
A noble life before a long, and wish
to risk fixing the system with a dangerous medicine
To jump a body with a dangerous physic
that it will certainly die without—to make the mob
That's sure of death without it,--at once pluck out
shut up, and don’t let them have a taste
The multitudinous tongue; let them not lick
of the sweetness of power, which will corrupt the. Your disgrace
The sweet which is their poison: your dishonour
(in letting them have power) ruins good judgment and robs the government
Mangles true judgment, and bereaves the state
of the wholeness which it should have.
Of that integrity which should become't;
It won’t have the have the power to do good like it should,
Not having the power to do the good it would,
because of the evil influence that will be controlling it.
For the ill which doth control't.
BRUTUS.
He has said enough.
Has said enough.
SICINIUS.
He has spoken like a traitor, and will suffer the consequences
Has spoken like a traitor, and shall answer
of treason.
As traitors do.
CORIOLANUS.
You bastard, my scorn for you in overwhelms me!
Thou wretch, despite o'erwhelm thee!—
Why should the people have to put up with these old representatives?
What should the people do with these bald tribunes?
They cause the people to fail to be obedient
On whom depending, their obedience fails
to the senate. The tribunes were chosen during a rebellion,
To the greater bench? In a rebellion,
when the law was based on necessity,
When what's not meet, but what must be, was law,
not propriety. In the future,
Then were they chosen. In a better hour
lets do what is appropriate,
Let what is meet be said it must be meet,
and destroy the powers of the tribunes.
And throw their power i' the dust.
BRUTUS.
That’s clearly treason!
Manifest treason!
<
br /> SICINIUS.
Make this guy a consul? No way.
This a consul? no.
BRUTUS.
The police, hey! Arrest him.
The aediles, ho!--Let him be apprehended.
SICINIUS.
Go call the people. [Exit BRUTUS] In the name of the people,
Go call the people [Exit BRUTUS.]; in whose name myself
I arrest you as a traitor and a revolutionary,
Attach thee as a traitorous innovator,
an enemy of the public welfare. Obey,
A foe to the public weal. Obey, I charge thee,
and prepare to defend yourself.
And follow to thine answer.
CORIOLANUS.
Go away, you old goat!
Hence, old goat!
SENATORS and PATRICIANS.
We’ll take responsibility for him.
We'll surety him.
COMINIUS.
Old man, take your hands off him.
Aged sir, hands off.
CORIOLANUS.
Get out of here, rotten thing! Or I will beat
Hence, rotten thing! or I shall shake thy bones
you up.
Out of thy garments.
SICINIUS.
Help me, you citizens!
Help, ye citizens!
[Re-enter Brutus, with the AEDILES and a rabble of Citizens.]
MENENIUS.
Both sides need to show more respect.
On both sides more respect.
SICINIUS.
This is the guy who wants to take away all of your power.
Here's he that would take from you all your power.
BRUTUS.
Seize him, officers.
Seize him, aediles.
PLEBEIANS.
Down with him! Down with him!
Down with him! down with him!
SECOND SENATOR.
Weapons, weapons, weapons!
Weapons, weapons, weapons!
[They all bustle about CORIOLANUS.]
Tribunes! patricians! citizens! What’s happening!
Tribunes! patricians! citizens!--What, ho!—
Sicinius, Brutus, Coriolanus, Citizens!
Sicinius, Brutus, Coriolanus, Citizens!
CITIZENS.
Peace, peace, peace; stop, calm, peace!
Peace, peace, peace; stay, hold, peace!
MENENIUS.
What is about to happen? I am out of breath.
What is about to be?--I am out of breath;
Destruction’s near. I cannot speak. You tribunes
Confusion's near: I cannot speak.--You tribunes
of the people—Coriolanus, be calm!—
To the people,--Coriolanus, patience:--
Speak, Sicinius
Speak, good Sicinius.
SICINIUS.
Listen to me, people. Simmer down!
Hear me, people: peace!
CITIZENS.
Let's hear our tribune: peace!
Let's hear our tribune: peace!--
Speak, speak, speak.
Speak, speak, speak.
SICINIUS.
You are just about to lose your rights.
You are at point to lose your liberties;
Coriolanus wants to take them all from you. Coriolanus,
Marcius would have all from you; Marcius,
whom you just elected consul.
Whom late you have nam'd for consul.
MENENIUS.
Shame on you!
Fie, fie, fie!
That’s the way to make more trouble, not calm things down.
This is the way to kindle, not to quench.
FIRST SENATOR.
To destroy the city.
To unbuild the city, and to lay all flat.
SICINIUS.
What is the city but the people?
What is the city but the people?
CITIZENS.
True,
True,
the people are the city.
The people are the city.
BRUTUS.
Everyone agreed that we should be
By the consent of all, we were establish'd
the representatives of the people.
The people's magistrates.
CITIZENS.
You still are.
You so remain.
MENENIUS.
And are likely to remain so.
And so are like to do.
COMINIUS.
Letting the tribunes exist is the way to destroy the city,
That is the way to lay the city flat;
to knock down all the buildings,
To bring the roof to the foundation,
and knock down all the buildings
And bury all which yet distinctly ranges,
into heaps and piles of rubble.
In heaps and piles of ruin.
SICINIUS.
You deserve to die for trying to abolish the office of tribune.
This deserves death.
BRUTUS.
Either let us keep our authority,
Or let us stand to our authority,
or let us lose it. We here declare,
Or let us lose it.--We do here pronounce,
on behalf of the people, who gave us our power
Upon the part o' the people, in whose power
by electing us, that Coriolanus deserves
We were elected theirs, Marcius is worthy
immediate death.
Of present death.
SICINIUS.
So grab him!
Therefore lay hold of him;
Take him to the top of a tall cliff,
Bear him to the rock Tarpeian, and from thence
and throw him off to his death.
Into destruction cast him.
BRUTUS.
Police, seize him!
Aediles, seize him!
CITIZENS
Give up, Coriolanus!
Yield, Marcius, yield!
MENENIUS.
Let me say one thing.
Hear me one word;
I beg, tribunes, listen to me for a minute.
Beseech you, tribunes, hear me but a word.
AEDILES.
Silence!
Peace, peace!
MENENIUS.
If you are what you seem to be, that is a true patriot,
Be that you seem, truly your country's friends,
then try to fix this problem calmly and rationally,
And temperately proceed to what you would
not with violence.
Thus violently redress.
BRUTUS.
Those unimpassioned methods,
Sir, those cold ways,
which seem prudent and rational, are a mistake when the situation
That seem like prudent helps, are very poisonous
requires violent action. Grab him
Where the disease is violent.--Lay hands upon him
and take him to the cliff!
And bear him to the rock.
CORIOLANUS.
No, I’ll die here. [Draws his sword.]
No; I'll die here. [Draws his sword.]
Some of you have seen me fight.
There's some among you have beheld me fighting;
Go ahead, make my day.
Come, try upon yourselves what you have seen me.
MENENIUS.
Put that sword away! Tribunes, go away for a while.
Down with that sword!--Tribunes, withdraw awhile.
BRUTUS.
Grab him!
Lay hands upon him.
MENENIUS.
Help Coriolanus!
Help Marcius, help,
Those of you that are noblemen, help him, young and old!
You that be noble; help him, young and old!
CITIZENS.
Down with him, down with him!
Down with him, down with him!
[In thi
s brawl the TRIBUNES, the police and people are
[In this mutiny the TRIBUNES, the AEDILES, and the people are
driven offstage.]
beat in.]
MENENIUS.
Go home, be gone, go away!
Go, get you to your house; be gone, away!
Everything will be brought to nothing otherwise.
All will be nought else.
SECOND SENATOR.
You go away.
Get you gone.
CORIOLANUS.
Stay where you are!
Stand fast;
We have as many friends as enemies.
We have as many friends as enemies.
MENENIUS.
Is it going to come to that?
Shall it be put to that?
FIRST SENATOR.
God forbid.
The gods forbid:
I beg you, Coriolanus, go home and
I pr'ythee, noble friend, home to thy house;
let us sort this out.
Leave us to cure this cause.
MENENIUS.
This is a problem
For 'tis a sore upon us
that you can’t solve. Go away, please.
You cannot tent yourself; be gone, beseech you.
COMINIUS.
Come, sir, let’s go.
Come, sir, along with us.
CORIOLANUS.
I wish they were foreigners (and they act like it!
I would they were barbarians,--as they are,
though they were born in Rome), not Romans (which they wouldn’t be
Though in Rome litter'd,--not Romans,--as they are not,
even if they were born inside the Capitol itself).
Though calv'd i' the porch o' the Capitol.
MENENIUS.
Go away.
Be gone;
Don’t vent your rage in words right now.
Put not your worthy rage into your tongue;
Another time you’ll be able to make up for this.
One time will owe another.
CORIOLANUS.
On even ground
On fair ground
I could beat forty of them.