The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 491
who have lost sleep scheming
Whose passions and whose plots have broke their sleep
against each other, will, for some reason,
To take the one the other, by some chance,
some trick not worth an egg, become dear friends
Some trick not worth an egg, shall grow dear friends
and arrange for their children to marry each other. So jon me:
And interjoin their issues. So with me:--
I hate my hometown, and I love
My birthplace hate I, and my love's upon
my enemies. I’ll enter, and if he kills me,
This enemy town.--I'll enter; if he slay me,
that would be fair. If he allows me liberty of action,
He does fair justice; if he give me way,
I’ll serve his country well.
I'll do his country service.
[Music within. Enter A SERVANT.]
FIRST SERVANT.
Wine, wine, wine! Where are the other servants?
Wine, wine, wine! What service is here!
I think they’re asleep.
I think our fellows are asleep.
[Exit.]
[Enter a second SERVANT.]
SECOND SERVANT.
Where’s Cotus? The master wants him. Cotus!
Where's Cotus? my master calls for him.--Cotus!
[Exit.]
[Enter CORIOLANUS.]
CORIOLANUS.
This a good house. The dinner smells good. But I
A goodly house: the feast smells well; but I
don’t look like a guest.
Appear not like a guest.
[Re-enter the first SERVANT.]
FIRST SERVANT.
What would you like, friend. Where are you from? This is no place for
What would you have, friend? whence are you? Here's no place for
you. Please go to the front door of the house with other beggars.
you: pray go to the door.
CORIOLANUS.
I deserved that reception
I have deserv'd no better entertainment
by being Coriolanus.
In being Coriolanus.
[Re-enter second SERVANT.]
SECOND SERVANT.
Where are from? What was the doorman thinking when he let
Whence are you, sir? Has the porter his eyes in his head that he
someone like you in the house? Get out.
gives entrance to such companions? Pray, get you out.
CORIOLANUS.
Away!
Away!
SECOND SERVANT.
Away? Yes, go away.
Away? Get you away.
CORIOLANUS.
Now you are making trouble.
Now the art troublesome.
SECOND SERVANT.
Are you bold enough to stay? I’ll have someone talk to you in a moment.
Are you so brave? I'll have you talked with anon.
[Enter a third SERVANT. The first meets him.]
THIRD SERVANT.
Who’s this?
What fellow's this?
FIRST SERVANT.
The strangest guy I ever saw. I can’t get him
A strange one as ever I looked on: I cannot get him
out of the house. Please call the master to deal with this.
out o' the house. Pr'ythee call my master to him.
THIRD SERVANT.
What do want here? Please leave the house.
What have you to do here, fellow? Pray you avoid the house.
CORIOLANUS.
Just let me stand here. I won’t hurt anything.
Let me but stand; I will not hurt your hearth.
THIRD SERVANT.
What is your social rank?
What are you?
CORIOLANUS.
I am a rich man from a good family.
A gentleman.
THIRD SERVANT.
You’re an astonishingly poor rich man.
A marvellous poor one.
CORIOLANUS.
That’s true.
True, so I am.
THIRD SERVANT.
Please, you poor rich man, go somewhere else. This is no
Pray you, poor gentleman, take up some other station; here's no
place for you. Please leave, come on.
place for you. Pray you avoid; come.
CORIOLANUS.
Do your job, and go
Follow your function, go,
get fat on table scraps
And batten on cold bits.
[Pushes him away.]
THIRD SERVANT.
What, you won’t leave? Please, tell the master what a weirdo
What, you will not?--Pr'ythee, tell my master what a strange
he’s got on his hands.
guest he has here.
SECOND SERVANT.
I will.
And I shall.
[Exit.]
THIRD SERVANT.
Where do you live?
Where dwell'st thou?
CORIOLANUS.
Under a tree.
Under the canopy.
THIRD SERVANT.
Under a tree?
Under the canopy?
CORIOLANUS.
Yes?
Ay.
THIRD SERVANT.
And where is that?
Where's that?
CORIOLANUS.
In a city full of vultures and crows.
I' the city of kites and crows.
THIRD SERVANT.
In a city full of vultures and crows? What as ass you are! So you
I' the city of kites and crows!--What an ass it is!--Then thou
live with idiots, too?
dwell'st with daws too?
CORIOLANUS.
No, I don’t work for your boss.
No, I serve not thy master.
THIRD SERVANT.
What? Are you messing with my boss?
How, sir! Do you meddle with my master?
CORIOLANUS.
Yes, but that’s more honest than having sex with your boss’ wife.
Ay; 'tis an honester service than to meddle with thy mistress.
You chatter on and on. Go serve the dinner guests with your tray!
Thou prat'st and prat'st; serve with thy trencher, hence!
[Beats him away.]
[Enter AUFIDIUS and the second SERVANT.]
AUFIDIUS.
Where is this guy?
Where is this fellow?
SECOND SERVANT.
Here he is, sir. I would have beaten him like a dog, but I
Here, sir; I'd have beaten him like a dog, but for
didn’t want to disturb the guests.
disturbing the lords within.
AUFIDIUS.
Where do you come from? What do you want? What’s your name?
Whence com'st thou? what wouldst thou? thy name?
Why won’t you speak? Speak, man! What’s your name?
Why speak'st not? speak, man: what's thy name?
CORIOLANUS.
[Take of the scarf covering his face.] If, Tullus,
[Unmuffling.] If, Tullus,
you still don’t know who I am, and having seen me, don’t
Not yet thou know'st me, and, seeing me, dost not
think I am who I am, then I must
Think me for the man I am, necessity
tell you my name.
Commands me name myself.
AUFIDIUS.
What is your name?
What is thy name?
[Servants retire.]
CORIOLANUS.
A name that the Volscians don’t like the sound of,
A name unmusical to the Volscians' ears,
and you won’t like it either.
And harsh in sound to thine.
AUFIDIUS.
What’s your name?
Say, what's thy name?
You look gr
im, and your face
Thou has a grim appearance, and thy face
looks commanding. Though your clothes are torn,
Bears a command in't; though thy tackle's torn,
you look like a noble person. What is your name?
Thou show'st a noble vessel: what's thy name?
CORIOLANUS.
Get ready to frown. You still don’t know me?
Prepare thy brow to frown:--know'st thou me yet?
AUFIDIUS.
I don’t know you. Your name?
I know thee not:--thy name?
CORIOLANUS.
My name is Caius Marcius, and I have caused
My name is Caius Marcius, who hath done
you in particular, and all the Volscians,
To thee particularly, and to all the Volsces,
a great deal of pain and trouble. Listen to
Great hurt and mischief; thereto witness may
my last name, Coriolanus: for all the difficult service,
My surname, Coriolanus: the painful service,
the extreme danger, and the blood
The extreme dangers, and the drops of blood
that I’ve shed for my ungrateful country, all I got in return
Shed for my thankless country, are requited
was that last name. It’s a memorial,
But with that surname; a good memory,
and a sign of the hatred
And witness of the malice and displeasure
you should feel towards me. That name is all I have left.
Which thou shouldst bear me: only that name remains;
The cruelty and malice of the people
The cruelty and envy of the people,
(permitted by our cowardly upper classes, who
Permitted by our dastard nobles, who
have all abandoned me), have taken the rest of what I had,
Have all forsook me, hath devour'd the rest,
and allowed me to be chased out of Rome
And suffer'd me by the voice of slaves to be
by the votes of slaves. This disaster
Whoop'd out of Rome. Now, this extremity
has brought me to your home, not out of hope,
Hath brought me to thy hearth: not out of hope,
or to save my life (because if
Mistake me not, to save my life; for if
I was afraid of death, I would definitely have
I had fear'd death, of all the men i' the world
avoided you), but simply out of spite,
I would have 'voided thee; but in mere spite,
to be fully avenged on those who banished me,
To be full quit of those my banishers,
is why I stand here in front of you. So if you have
Stand I before thee here. Then if thou hast
any interest in vengeance, and want to take revenge
A heart of wreak in thee, that wilt revenge
for wrongs done to you, and stop those shameful
Thine own particular wrongs, and stop those maims
injuries that are all over your country, then act with speed
Of shame seen through thy country, speed thee straight
and make my unhappiness work for you. Use me for
And make my misery serve thy turn: so use it
revenge, and my service may be
That my revengeful services may prove
beneficial for you. Because I will fight
As benefits to thee; for I will fight
against my corrupt country with the anger
Against my canker'd country with the spleen
of all the devils in hell. But if you’re
Of all the under fiends. But if so be
not interested, and you’re tired of war,
Thou dar'st not this, and that to prove more fortunes
then, I am also
Th'art tir'd, then, in a word, I also am
tired of life, and will
Longer to live most weary, and present
let you slit my throat for your long-standing hatred,
My throat to thee and to thy ancient malice;
and if you didn’t kill me you’d be a fool,
Which not to cut would show thee but a fool,
I have always hated you back,
Since I have ever follow'd thee with hate,
and killed many of your countrymen,
Drawn tuns of blood out of thy country's breast,
and I can’t keep living without embarrassing you,
And cannot live but to thy shame, unless
unless I’m working for you.
It be to do thee service.
AUFIDIUS.
Oh, Marcius!
O Marcius, Marcius!
Everything you said made me
Each word thou hast spoke hath weeded from my heart
hate you less. If God
A root of ancient envy. If Jupiter
himself came from behind that cloud
Should from yond cloud speak divine things,
and say, “It’s all true,” I wouldn’t believe you
And say ''Tis true,' I'd not believe them more
more than I already do. Let me
Than thee, all noble Marcius.--Let me twine
hug you, though
Mine arms about that body, where against
I have tried to kill you
My grained ash an hundred times hath broke
unsuccessfully a hundred times.
And scar'd the moon with splinters; here I clip
I embrace you, my old enemy, and
The anvil of my sword, and do contest
I want you love with as much heat and nobility
As hotly and as nobly with thy love
as I used to want
As ever in ambitious strength I did
to kill you. You should know,
Contend against thy valour. Know thou first,
I love my wife,
I lov'd the maid I married; never man
honestly, but when I see you here,
Sighed truer breath; but that I see thee here,
you big strong man! I am happier
Thou noble thing! more dances my rapt heart
than I was on my wedding day.
Than when I first my wedded mistress saw
You god of war!
Bestride my threshold. Why, thou Mars! I tell thee
We have an army ready, and I had intended
We have a power on foot; and I had purpose
once again to kill you
Once more to hew thy target from thy brawn,
or be killed: you have beat me
Or lose mine arm for't: thou hast beat me out
twelve separate times, and every night since
Twelve several times, and I have nightly since
I have dreamt about encountering you.
Dreamt of encounters 'twixt thyself and me;
We have been down together in my sleep,
We have been down together in my sleep,
taking off our helmets, holding each other’s necks,
Unbuckling helms, fisting each other's throat,
and I woke up half dead, with nothing to show for it. Marcius,
And wak'd half dead with nothing. Worthy Marcius,
if we didn’t have any reason to fight Rome, other than
Had we no other quarrel else to Rome, but that
the fact that you were banished, we would make everyone
Thou art thence banish'd, we would muster all
from age twelve to seventy join the army, and,
From twelve to seventy; and, pouring war
invading Rome with all our strength,
Into the bowels of ungrateful Rome,
we would have overwhelmed it. Come inside
Like a bold flood o'erbear. O, come, go in,
and shake hands with our senators,
And take our friendly senators by the han
ds;
who are here, saying good night to me,
Who now are here, taking their leaves of me,
who am getting ready to attack Roman territories,
Who am prepar'd against your territories,
though not Rome itself, yet.
Though not for Rome itself.
CORIOLANUS.
Thank you God!
You bless me, gods!
AUFIDIUS.
Therefore, you perfect man, if you want to
Therefore, most absolute sir, if thou wilt have
lead your own revenge, take
The leading of thine own revenges, take
half of my authority and determine
Th' one half of my commission; and set down,--
as well as you can, since you know
As best thou art experienc'd, since thou know'st
your country’s strengths and weaknesses, your own strategy:
Thy country's strength and weakness,--thine own ways;
whether to attack Rome directly,
Whether to knock against the gates of Rome,
attack their far-flung territories,
Or rudely visit them in parts remote,
in order to frighten them before we destroy them. But come in.
To fright them, ere destroy. But come in;
Let me present you first to these senators who will
Let me commend thee first to those that shall
say yes to everything you want. Welcome!
Say yea to thy desires. A thousand welcomes!
You’re a better friend than you were ever a terrible enemy,
And more a friend than e'er an enemy;
and that’s saying something. Shake my hand! Welcome!
Yet, Marcius, that was much. Your hand: most welcome!
[Exeunt CORIOLANUS and AUFIDIUS.]
FIRST SERVANT.
This a strange turn of events!
Here's a strange alteration!
SECOND SERVANT.
I swear, I was thinking of hitting him with a club, but
By my hand, I had thought to have strucken him with a cudgel; and
his made me think he was something other than who he is.