The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated)
Page 496
Whereto we are bound,--together with thy victory,
which we are also obligated to do? Either we lose
Whereto we are bound? alack, or we must lose
our country, which raised us, or else we lose you,
The country, our dear nurse, or else thy person,
the best thing about Rome. It will be
Our comfort in the country. We must find
a disaster for us, though we will get what we
An evident calamity, though we had
prayed for, no matter which side wins. Either you,
Our wish, which side should win; for either thou
as a deserter to a foreign pwer, will be
Must, as a foreign recreant, be led
arrested and executed as a traitor, or else
With manacles through our streets, or else
you will win and destroy your country,
Triumphantly tread on thy country's ruin,
and win medals for having killed
And bear the palm for having bravely shed
your wife and child. As for me, son,
Thy wife and children's blood. For myself, son,
I don’t intend to wait until one side or the other
I purpose not to wait on fortune till
wins. If I can’t persuade you
These wars determine: if I can not persuade thee
to show mercy on both sides,
Rather to show a noble grace to both parts
rather than trying to destroy Rome, then as soon
Than seek the end of one, thou shalt no sooner
as you march to attack your country you will be stepping
March to assault thy country than to tread,--
on your mother’s womb,
Trust to't, thou shalt not,--on thy mother's womb
which brought you into the world.
That brought thee to this world.
VIRGILIA.
And on mine,
Ay, and mine,
which gave birth to your son, who will bear your name
That brought you forth this boy, to keep your name
forever.
Living to time.
BOY.
He won’t step on me.
'A shall not tread on me;
I’ll run away until I am bigger, and then I’ll fight back.
I'll run away till I am bigger; but then I'll fight.
CORIOLANUS.
I will not be soft like a woman and give in,
Not of a woman's tenderness to be,
as anyone can see.
Requires nor child nor woman's face to see.
I have stayed too long.
I have sat too long.
[Rising.]
VOLUMNIA.
No, don’t leave us like that.
Nay, go not from us thus.
If it is true that our request would
If it were so that our request did tend
save the Romans, and therefore destroy
To save the Romans, thereby to destroy
the Volscians who you work for, you might be mad at us,
The Volsces whom you serve, you might condemn us,
for trying to get you to break your word to the Volscians. But
As poisonous of your honour: no; our suit
our request is that you reconcile them: let the Volscians feel
Is that you reconcile them: while the Volsces
good about being merciful to the Romans, and the Romans
May say 'This mercy we have show'd,' the Romans
be happy for surviving, and both sides
'This we receiv'd,' and each in either side
will love you and thank you
Give the all-hail to thee, and cry, 'Be bless'd
for making peace! You know
For making up this peace!' Thou know'st, great son,
that anything can happen in a war, but this must is certain:
The end of war's uncertain; but this certain,
if you conquer Rome, the only benefit
That, if thou conquer Rome, the benefit
that you will get from that is a
Which thou shalt thereby reap is such a name
bad reputation, you will be hated by many,
Whose repetition will be dogg'd with curses;
and history will remember you as a man who was noble,
Whose chronicle thus writ:--'The man was noble,
but who lost his nobility,
But with his last attempt he wip'd it out;
destroyed his country and who is
Destroy'd his country, and his name remains
hated by all future generations. Speak to me, son:
To the ensuing age abhorr'd.' Speak to me, son:
you have always aspired to be honorable,
Thou hast affected the fine strains of honour,
to be like God,
To imitate the graces of the gods,
who can make the wind blow, and storms thunder,
To tear with thunder the wide cheeks o' the air,
but who uses his lighting bolts, mercifully, against
And yet to charge thy sulphur with a bolt
nothing more than a tree. Why won’t you speak?
That should but rive an oak. Why dost not speak?
Do you think it is honorable for a nobleman
Think'st thou it honourable for a noble man
to always remember his grudges? Daughter-in-law, you talk to him,
Still to remember wrongs?--Daughter, speak you:
he doesn’t care about your crying. You speak, grandson.
He cares not for your weeping.--Speak thou, boy:
Maybe your childishness will persuade him better
Perhaps thy childishness will move him more
than we can with our arguments. There’s no man in the world
Than can our reasons.--There's no man in the world
more devoted to his mother, but he lets me chatter on
More bound to's mother; yet here he lets me prate
to no effect. You have never once
Like one i' the stocks. Thou hast never in thy life
treated me right,
Show'd thy dear mother any courtesy;
though I, without ever wanting more children,
When she,--poor hen,--fond of no second brood,
have taken care of you in war and peace,
Has cluck'd thee to the wars, and safely home,
covered with medals. Tell me I’m asking too much,
Loaden with honour. Say my request's unjust,
and thrust me back. But if that’s not the case,
And spurn me back: but if it be not so,
you are not being honest, and God will curse you
Thou art not honest; and the gods will plague thee,
for withholding the respect you owe me
That thou restrain'st from me the duty which
as your mother. He turns away.
To a mother's part belongs.--He turns away:
Kneel ladies, let’s shame him by pretending to respect him.
Down, ladies: let us shame him with our knees.
That new name of his, Coriolanus, gave him too much pride,
To his surname Coriolanus 'longs more pride
and he’s lost his compassion. Kneel,
Than pity to our prayers. Down: an end;
it’s all over. So we will go home to Rome,
This is the last.--So we will home to Rome,
and die with our neighbors. No, look at us.
And die among our neighbours.--Nay, behold's:
This boy, who can’t say what he wants,
This boy, that cannot tell what he would have
but kneels and holds up his hands because the rest of us are doing it,
But kneels and holds up hands for fellowship,
supports our petition with more strength
Does reason our petition with
more strength
than you have to deny it. Come one, let’s go.
Than thou hast to deny't.--Come, let us go:
This guy had a Volscian for a mother,
This fellow had a Volscian to his mother;
his wife is a Volscian, and his child
His wife is in Corioli, and his child
is, too. But, go one, dismiss us.
Like him by chance.--Yet give us our despatch:
I won’t say anything until Rome is burning,
I am hush'd until our city be afire,
and then I’ll only speak a little,
And then I'll speak a little.
CORIOLANUS.
[After holding VOLUMNIA by the hands, in silence.]
Oh, mother!
O mother, mother!
What have you done? Look, the heavens are opening,
What have you done? Behold, the heavens do ope,
the gods are looking down, and they’re laughing at this strange family scene.
The gods look down, and this unnatural scene
Oh, mother! Oh!
They laugh at. O my mother, mother! O!
You have won a victory for Rome,
You have won a happy victory to Rome;
but you have put your son
But for your son,--believe it, O, believe it,
in serious danger,
Most dangerously you have with him prevail'd,
and maybe risk of death. But let it come.
If not most mortal to him. But let it come.--
Aufidius, though I can’t keep my promise and make war,
Aufidius, though I cannot make true wars,
I’ll make a suitable peace treaty. Now, Aufidius,
I'll frame convenient peace. Now, good Aufidius,
if you were me, wouldn’t you have
Were you in my stead, would you have heard
listened to your mother? And given her what she asked?
A mother less? or granted less, Aufidius?
AUFIDIUS.
I was moved by it.
I was mov'd withal.
CORIOLANUS.
I bet you were.
I dare be sworn you were:
And it is not easy to make
And, sir, it is no little thing to make
me cry in sympathy.
Mine eyes to sweat compassion. But, good sir,
But whatever peace treaty you make, tell me about it.
What peace you'll make, advise me: for my part,
I won’t go to Rome, I’ll go back with you, and please
I'll not to Rome, I'll back with you; and, pray you
support me in this plan. Oh, mother! Wife!
Stand to me in this cause.--O mother! wife!
AUFIDIUS.
[To himself.] I’m glad you have mercy and honor mutually incompatible
[Aside.] I am glad thou hast set thy mercy and thy honour
within yourself. I’ll use that to make
At difference in thee; out of that I'll work
myself a position as good as the one I had before you showed up.
Myself a former fortune.
[The Ladies make signs to CORIOLANUS.]
CORIOLANUS.
[To the Women.] Yes, yes, we’re leaving.
[To VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, &c.] Ay, by and by;
But let’s have a drink first, and then you’ll be better
But we'll drink together; and you shall bear
able to bring back more than a written treaty, which
A better witness back than words, which we,
we will send agreeing to your conditions.
On like conditions, will have counter-seal'd.
Come inside with us. Ladies, you deserve
Come, enter with us. Ladies, you deserve
to have a temple built to you. All the weapons
To have a temple built you: all the swords
in Italy, and all the soldiers,
In Italy, and her confederate arms,
could not have made this peace.
Could not have made this peace.
[Exeunt.]
[Enter MENENIUS and SICINIUS.]
MENENIUS.
Do you see that cornerstone in the Capitol over ther?
See you yond coign o' the Capitol,--yond corner-stone?
SICINIUS.
Yes, what of it?
Why, what of that?
MENENIUS.
If you can move it with your pinky,
If it be possible for you to displace it with your little
then there is a chance that the ladies of Rome, especially Coriolanus’
finger, there is some hope the ladies of Rome, especially his
mother, will convince him to have mercy. But I think there’s no hope.
mother, may prevail with him. But I say there is no hope in't:
We are doomed, and waiting to die.
our throats are sentenced, and stay upon execution.
SICINIUS.
Is it possible that a man can change so much in so little
Is't possible that so short a time can alter the condition of a
time?
man?
MENENIUS.
There is a difference between a butterfly and a caterpillar, but a
There is differency between a grub and a butterfly; yet your
butterfly was a caterpillar. Marcius has changed from a man to a dragon.
butterfly was a grub. This Marcius is grown from man to dragon;
He has wings, he’s better than a mere man.
he has wings; he's more than a creeping thing.
SICINIUS.
He loved his mother so much.
He loved his mother dearly.
MENENIUS.
Yes he did. And he doesn’t remember that now any more then a
So did he me: and he no more remembers his mother now than an
horse remembers its mother. His severe expression is ugly enough to rot food.
eight-year-old horse. The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes:
He walks like a battering ram, and everyone runs in fear when he approaches.
when he walks, he moves like an engine, and the ground shrinks
He can pierce armor with his eye,
before his treading: he is able to pierce a corslet with his eye,
talks like death and when he disapproves, it’s like an artillery barrage. He sits in his
talks like a knell, and his hum is a battery. He sits in his
throne like a statue of Alexander the Great [Greek conqueror king]. What he wants done
state as a thing made for Alexander. What he bids be done is
is finished when he says so. He lacks nothing that a god has except
finished with his bidding. He wants nothing of a god but
immortality, and a throne in heaven.
eternity, and a heaven to throne in.
SICINIUS.
My God! If you’re telling the truth.
Yes, mercy, if you report him truly.
MENENIUS.
I’m telling you how he is. Observe what mercy his mother
I paint him in the character. Mark what mercy his mother shall
gets from him. There is no more mercy in him than there is
bring from him. There is no more mercy in him than there is
milk in a male tiger. Rome will find that out, and all of this
milk in a male tiger; that shall our poor city find: and all this
is your fault.
is 'long of you.
SICINIUS.
God help us!
The gods be good unto us!
MENENIUS.
No, God will not help us. When we
No, in such a case the gods will not be good unto us. When we
banished him we disobeyed the gods, and when he comes back to break
banished him we respected not them; and, he returning to break
ou
r necks, they won’t listen to us.
our necks, they respect not us.
[Enter a MESSENGER
MESSENGER.
Sicinius, if you want to live, run home.
Sir, if you'd save your life, fly to your house:
The mob has seized Brutus
The plebeians have got your fellow-tribune
and they’re dragging him through the streets, all swearing that if
And hale him up and down; all swearing, if
the ladies don’t bring back good news
The Roman ladies bring not comfort home
they’ll kill him slowly.
They'll give him death by inches.
[Enter a second MESSENGER.]
SICINIUS.
What's the news?
What's the news?
SECOND MESSENGER.
Good news! The ladies have triumphed,
Good news, good news;--the ladies have prevail'd,
Volscians have left, and Marcius is gone.
The Volscians are dislodg'd, and Marcius gone:
Rome has never seen a happier day
A merrier day did never yet greet Rome,
since we banished our last king and founded the Republic.
No, not the expulsion of the Tarquins.
SICINIUS.
Friend,
Friend,
are you sure that’s true? Is it certain?
Art thou certain this is true? is't most certain?
SECOND MESSENGER.
As certain as I know the sun is made of fire.
As certain as I know the sun is fire:
Where have you been hiding, that you haven’t heard already?
Where have you lurk'd, that you make doubt of it?
The tide never flowed under a bridge faster
Ne'er through an arch so hurried the blown tide
than this good news spread around. Look!
As the recomforted through the gates. Why, hark you!
[Trumpets and hautboys sounded, drums beaten, aand shouting
within.]
The instruments
The trumpets, sackbuts, psalteries, and fifes,
and singing Romans
Tabors and cymbals, and the shouting Romans,
make even the sun dance. Look!
Make the sun dance. Hark you!
[Shouting within.]
MENENIUS.
This is good news!
This is good news.