The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)

by William Shakespeare

  May the gods have a meeting about your

  upon thee.--The glorious gods sit in hourly synod about thy

  personal fate, and like you more than I do!

  particular prosperity, and love thee no worse than thy old father

  Oh, my son! My son! You are preparing to burn us;

  Menenius does! O my son! my son! thou art preparing fire for us;

  look, here’s water to put out the fire in your soul. I was not easily persuaded to come

  look thee, here's water to quench it. I was hardly moved to come

  and see you, but being assured that only I could change your mind, I

  to thee; but being assured none but myself could move thee, I

  have left Rome reluctantly, and ask you to

  have been blown out of your gates with sighs; and conjure thee to

  forgive Rome and your sorry countrymen. Let the gods remove

  pardon Rome and thy petitionary countrymen. The good gods assuage

  your anger, and turn the rest of it on this rascal here, this

  thy wrath, and turn the dregs of it upon this varlet here; this,

  blockhead who wouldn’t let me in.

  who, like a block, hath denied my access to thee.

  CORIOLANUS.

  Go away!

  Away!

  MENENIUS.

  What? Go away?

  How! away!

  CORIOLANUS.

  I don’t want to know my wife, mother or child. My pursuits

  Wife, mother, child, I know not. My affairs

  are in the service of others now. Though I am taking

  Are servanted to others: though I owe

  revenge on my behalf, the capacity to forgive belongs

  My revenge properly, my remission lies

  to the Volscians. Rome’s ungrateful

  In Volscian breasts. That we have been familiar,

  forgetfulness will poison our former friendship,

  Ingrate forgetfulness shall poison, rather

  instead of pity remembering how we were friends. So go away.

  Than pity note how much.--Therefore be gone.

  I won’t listen to you.

  Mine ears against your suits are stronger than

  But because I loved you,

  Your gates against my force. Yet, for I lov'd thee,

  take this letter. I wrote it for your sake,

  Take this along; I writ it for thy sake,

  [Gives a letter.]

  and I would have sent it if you hadn’t come.

  And would have sent it. Another word, Menenius,

  I won’t hear another word out of you, Menenius. Aufidius,

  I will not hear thee speak.--This man, Aufidius,

  I used to love this man in Rome, but you see what happened to that.

  Was my beloved in Rome: yet thou behold'st!

  AUFIDIUS.

  You have a consistent temperment.

  You keep a constant temper.

  [Exeunt CORIOLANUS and AUFIDIUS.]

  FIRST GUARD.

  Now, sir, is your name Menenius?

  Now, sir, is your name Menenius?

  SECOND GUARD.

  Your name is clearly very powerful around here. You know the way

  'Tis a spell, you see, of much power: you know the way home

  to leave.

  again.

  FIRST GUARD.

  Did you see how we were punished for not letting you in?

  Do you hear how we are shent for keeping your greatness back?

  SECOND GUARD.

  Why do think I have to faint in fear?

  What cause, do you think, I have to swoon?

  MENENIUS.

  I don’t care about the world, or Coriolanus. As for you,

  I neither care for the world nor your general; for such things as

  you’re barely there, you’re worth so little. A man who

  you, I can scarce think there's any, y'are so slight. He that

  wants to kills himself isn’t afraid of being killed by someone else.

  hath a will to die by himself fears it not from another. Let your

  Let Coriolanus do his worst. Be yourself for a long time, and you

  general do his worst. For you, be that you are, long; and your

  will get more miserable as long as you live. I’ll you what you told me:

  misery increase with your age! I say to you, as I was said to,

  away!

  away!

  [Exit.]

  FIRST GUARD.

  A good man, I think.

  A noble fellow, I warrant him.

  SECOND GUARD.

  Coriolanus is the good man. He is a rock, an oak tree

  The worthy fellow is our general: he is the rock, the oak not to

  that doesn’t shake in the wind.

  be wind-shaken.

  [Exeunt.]

  [Enter CORIOLANUS, AUFIDIUS, and others.]

  CORIOLANUS.

  Tomorrow we will camp our army in front of

  We will before the walls of Rome to-morrow

  the walls of Rome. Aufidius, my partner in action,

  Set down our host.--My partner in this action,

  you should tell to the Volscian leaders how openly

  You must report to the Volscian lords how plainly

  I have conducted this affair.

  I have borne this business.

  AUFIDIUS.

  You have only respected

  Only their ends

  their purposes. You have refused to listen

  You have respected; stopped your ears against

  to the pleas of the Romans, never allowed

  The general suit of Rome; never admitted

  anyone to even whisper to you, not even your good friends

  A private whisper, no, not with such friends

  who thought you would surely listen to them.

  That thought them sure of you.

  CORIOLANUS.

  That last old man, Menenius,

  This last old man,

  who I sent back to Rome with a broken heart,

  Whom with crack'd heart I have sent to Rome,

  loved me more than a father would,

  Lov'd me above the measure of a father;

  no, he worshipped me like a god. Their last means of obtaining safety

  Nay, godded me indeed. Their latest refuge

  was to send him, and for the sake of his love

  Was to send him; for whose old love I have,--

  (though I seemed cranky to him), I offer him

  Though I show'd sourly to him,--once more offer'd

  the same terms I offered Cominius, which he refused,

  The first conditions, which they did refuse,

  and now he can’t accept them. Out of respect for Menenius

  And cannot now accept, to grace him only,

  (though he thought he could do more to help), I gave in

  That thought he could do more, a very little

  to a few of his demands. From now on,

  I have yielded to: fresh embassies and suits,

  I will not listen to any more people, neither friends nor government representatives,

  Nor from the state nor private friends, hereafter

  who come to beg me for mercy—

  Will I lend ear to.--

  [Shout within.]

  Hey, who’s shouting out there?

  Ha! what shout is this?

  Will I be tempted to break the oath I just made

  Shall I be tempted to infringe my vow

  to not listen to any more Roman appeals? No, I won’t.

  In the same time 'tis made? I will not.

  [Enter, in mourning habits, VIRGILIA, VOLUMNIA, leading YOUNG

  MARCIUS, VALERIA, and attendants.]

  First comes my wife,

  My wife comes foremost; then the honour'd mould

  then my mother, and she’s carrying

  Wherein this
trunk was fram'd, and in her hand

  my son in her arms. But no, I must forget about love!

  The grandchild to her blood. But, out, affection!

  All the natural attachments of family members, begone!

  All bond and privilege of nature, break!

  I wish stubbornness were a good quality.

  Let it be virtuous to be obstinate.--

  What is my wife’s curtsy worth? Or her beautiful eyes,

  What is that curt'sy worth? or those doves' eyes,

  which could make a god break his oath? My heart melts, and I am no

  Which can make gods forsworn?--I melt, and am not

  longer made of stronger stuff than other men. My mother bows,

  Of stronger earth than others.--My mother bows,

  which is as strange as a massive mountain bowing

  As if Olympus to a molehill should

  to an insignificant molehill; and my little boy

  In supplication nod: and my young boy

  has an expression of pleading which

  Hath an aspect of intercession which

  my natural fatherly affection can’t deny. Let the Volscians

  Great nature cries "Deny not.'--Let the Volsces

  destroy Rome and all of Italy. I will

  Plough Rome and harrow Italy: I'll never

  ignore my natural instincts to protect my family

  Be such a gosling to obey instinct; but stand,

  and pretend that I am my own parent

  As if a man were author of himself,

  and have no family.

  And knew no other kin.

  VIRGILIA.

  My husband!

  My lord and husband!

  CORIOLANUS.

  I look different from how I looked back in Rome.

  These eyes are not the same I wore in Rome.

  VIRGILIA.

  We look different because of our sadness,

  The sorrow that delivers us thus chang'd

  [she misunderstand his last statement, believes he is saying they look changed].

  Makes you think so.

  CORIOLANUS.

  Like a bad actor,

  Like a dull actor now,

  I have forgotten my part and I am at loss for what to say,

  I have forgot my part and I am out,

  even though if that embarrasses me. Wife,

  Even to a full disgrace. Best of my flesh,

  forgive my cruelty, but don’t ask me

  Forgive my tyranny; but do not say,

  to forgive the Romans. Oh! A kiss,

  For that, 'Forgive our Romans.'--O, a kiss

  long and sweet.

  Long as my exile, sweet as my revenge;

  By God, I had a kiss

  Now, by the jealous queen of heaven, that kiss

  on lips when I left you,

  I carried from thee, dear; and my true lip

  and I have been faithful to you [sexually] ever since. God, I’m babbling,

  Hath virgin'd it e'er since.--You gods! I prate,

  and I haven’t greeted the best mother

  And the most noble mother of the world

  in the world. I bow to you, mother.

  Leave unsaluted: sink, my knee, i' the earth;

  [Kneels.]

  Your profound devotion has made more of an impression on me

  Of thy deep duty more impression show

  than it would have on an ordinary son.

  Than that of common sons.

  VOLUMNIA.

  Oh, stand up, honey!

  O, stand up bless'd!

  I will kneel before you,

  Whilst, with no softer cushion than the flint,

  on the hard rock, and against convention

  I kneel before thee; and unproperly

  show deference

  Show duty, as mistaken all this while

  to my own child.

  Between the child and parent.

  [Kneels.]

  CORIOLANUS.

  What is this?

  What is this?

  You kneeling to me? To your chastised son?

  Your knees to me? to your corrected son?

  If that craziness is happening, the sand on the beach

  Then let the pebbles on the hungry beach

  might as well fly up into space, the wind might as well

  Fillip the stars; then let the mutinous winds

  blow the trees to the sun,

  Strike the proud cedars 'gainst the fiery sun,;

  making the impossible possible, to make

  Murdering impossibility, to make

  light work of things than cannot happen.

  What cannot be, slight work.

  VOLUMNIA.

  You are my warrior.

  Thou art my warrior;

  I helped to make you. Do you know my friend Valeria?

  I holp to frame thee. Do you know this lady?

  CORIOLANUS.

  Of course! Publicola’s sister,

  The noble sister of Publicola,

  as beautiful as the moon goddess, as virginal as an icicle,

  The moon of Rome; chaste as the icicle

  made from the purest snow,

  That's curded by the frost from purest snow,

  that hangs from the temple of the virginal moon goddess. Hello Valeria!

  And hangs on Dian's temple:--dear Valeria!

  VOLUMNIA.

  That short story of yours,

  This is a poor epitome of yours,

  which, when it’s been expanded by the passage of time,

  Which, by the interpretation of full time,

  might end up looking like yourself.

  May show like all yourself.

  CORIOLANUS.

  May the god of war,

  The god of soldiers,

  with Zeus’ permission, inspire

  With the consent of supreme Jove, inform

  you with thoughts will noble emotions, so that you will prove to be

  Thy thoughts with nobleness; that thou mayst prove

  invulnerably flawless, and stand out

  To shame unvulnerable, and stick i' the wars

  like a lighthouse in the war, surviving every assault

  Like a great sea-mark, standing every flaw,

  and saving everyone who sees you!

  And saving those that eye thee!

  VOLUMNIA.

  Kneel to your father, grandson.

  Your knee, sirrah.

  CORIOLANUS

  That’s my good boy!

  That's my brave boy.

  VOLUMNIA.

  All of us. your wife, my friend, myself, and even your little boy,

  Even he, your wife, this lady, and myself,

  are all here to petition for our lives.

  Are suitors to you.

  CORIOLANUS.

  I beg you to shut up.

  I beseech you, peace:

  Or, if you must beg, remember this:

  Or, if you'd ask, remember this before,--

  the thing I have sworn not to give (mercy), shouldn’t

  The thing I have forsworn to grant may never

  be thought of as a denial of what you ask. Do not ask me to

  Be held by you denials. Do not bid me

  send my soldiers home, or agree to negotiate

  Dismiss my soldiers, or capitulate

  again with the Roman working class. Don’t tell me

  Again with Rome's mechanics.--Tell me not

  that I seem unnaturally cruel to my own family. Don’t try

  Wherein I seem unnatural: desire not

  to calm my rage and thirst for revenge with

  To allay my rages and revenges with

  your logical arguments.

  Your colder reasons.

  VOLUMNIA.

  Oh, no more!

  O, no more, no more!

  You said you will not give us what we ask,

  You have said you will not grant us a
nything;

  and we have nothing to ask but mercy,

  For we have nothing else to ask but that

  which you already denied. But we must ask,

  Which you deny already: yet we will ask;

  so that if you fail to grant our request, the blame

  That, if you fail in our request, the blame

  will fall to you and your hard heart. So hear us out.

  May hang upon your hardness; therefore hear us.

  CORIOLANUS.

  Aufidies, and the rest of you Volscians, pay attention. I will

  Aufidius, and you Volsces, mark: for we'll

  hear nothing about Rome in private. What is it that you want?

  Hear nought from Rome in private.--Your request?

  VOLUMNIA.

  If we didn’t say anything, our clothes

  Should we be silent and not speak, our raiment

  and emaciated bodies would reveal what life

  And state of bodies would bewray what life

  has been like for us since you left. Consider

  We have led since thy exile. Think with thyself,

  how much more unfortunate than all other women

  How more unfortunate than all living women

  we are. Looking at you, which should

  Are we come hither: since that thy sight, which should

  makes us weep with joy, and make our hearts sing,

  Make our eyes flow with joy, hearts dance with comforts,

  instead makes them weep with sadness, and tremble in fear,

  Constrains them weep, and shake with fear and sorrow;

  to see

  Making the mother, wife, and child, to see

  our son, husband and father ripping

  The son, the husband, and the father, tearing

  our country’s guts out. And for poor us,

  His country's bowels out. And to poor we,

  you hatred is especially deadly. You keep us

  Thine enmity's most capital: thou barr'st us

  from praying to the gods, which is something

  Our prayers to the gods, which is a comfort

  that everyone else gets to do, but how can we

  That all but we enjoy; for how can we,

  pray for our country,

  Alas, how can we for our country pray,

  which we are obligated to do, and also pray for you to win,