CORIOLANUS BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Dramatis Personae

Coriolanus

Act I

Scene I Rome. A Street.

Scene II Corioli. The Senate-House.

Scene III Rome. A Room In Marcius' House.

Scene IV Before Corioli.

Scene V Corioli. A Street.

Scene VI Near The Camp Of Cominius.

Scene VII The Gates Of Corioli.

Scene VIII A Field Of Battle.

Scene IX The Roman Camp.

Scene X The Camp Of The Volsces.

Act II

Scene I Rome. A Public Place.

Scene II The same. The Capitol.

Scene III The same. The Forum.

Act III

Scene I Rome. A street.

Scene II A room in CORIOLANUS'S house.

Scene III The same. The Forum.

Act IV

Scene I Rome. Before a gate of the city.

Scene II The same. A  street near the gate.

Scene III A highway between Rome and Antium.

Scene IV Antium. Before Aufidius's house.

Scene V The same. A hall in Aufidius's house.

Scene VI Rome. A public place.

Scene VII A camp, at a small distance from Rome.

Act V

Scene I Rome. A public place.

Scene II Entrance of the Volscian camp before Rome. Two Sentinels on guard.

Scene III The tent of Coriolanus.

Scene IV Rome. A public place.

Scene V The same. A street near the gate.

Scene VI Antium. A public place.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Caius Marcius (Marcus:), Afterwards Caius Marcius Coriolanus (Coriolanus:)

Generals Against The Volscians

Titus Lartius (Lartius:)

Cominius

Menenius Agrippa, Friend To Coriolanus. (Menenius:)

Tribunes Of The People

Sicinius Velutus (Sicinius:)

Junius Brutus (Brutus:)

Young Marcus, Son To Coriolanus.

A Roman Herald. (Herald:)

Tullus Aufidius, General Of The Volscians. (Aufidius:)

Lieutenant To Aufidius. (Lieutenant:)

Conspirators With Aufidius.

 (First Conspirator:)

 (Second Conspirator:)

 (THIRD Conspirator:)

A Citizen Of Antium.

Two Volscian Guards.

Volumnia, Mother To Coriolanus.

Virgilia, Wife To Coriolanus.

Valeria, Friend To Virgilia.

Gentlewoman, attending on Virgilia. (Gentlewoman:)

 Roman and Volscian Senators, Patricians, Aediles, Lictors, Soldiers, Citizens, MESSENGERs, Servants to Aufidius, and other Attendants.

 (First Senator:)

 (Second Senator:)

 (A Patrician:)

 (Second Patrician:)

 (Aedile:)

 (First Soldier:)

 (Second Soldier:)

 (FIRST CITIZEN:)

 (Second Citizen:)

 (THIRD Citizen:)

 (Fourth Citizen:)

 (Fifth Citizen:)

 (Sixth Citizen:)

 (Seventh Citizen:)

 (MESSENGER:)

 (Second MESSENGER:)

 (First Serviceman:)

 (Second Serviceman:)

 (THIRD Serviceman:)

 (Officer:)

 (First Officer:)

 (Second Officer:)

 (Roman:)

 (FIRST ROMAN:)

 (Second Roman:)

 (THIRD Roman:)

 (Volsce:)

 (First Lord:)

 (Second Lord:)

 (THIRD Lord:)

SCENE Rome and the neighbourhood; Corioli and the neighbourhood; Antium.

CORIOLANUS

ACT I

SCENE I Rome. A street.

 [Enter a company of mutinous CITIZENS, with staves, clubs, and other weapons]

(1) FIRST CITIZEN Before we proceed any further, hear me speak.

ALL Speak, speak.

FIRST CITIZEN You are all resolved rather to die than to famish?

ALL Resolved. resolved.

FIRST CITIZEN First, you know Caius Marcius is chief enemy to the people.

ALL We know't, we know't.

(10) FIRST CITIZEN Let us kill him, and we'll have corn at our own price.

 Is't a verdict?

ALL No more talking on't; let it be done: away, away!

Second Citizen One word, good citizens.

FIRST CITIZEN We are accounted poor citizens, the patricians good.

 What authority surfeits on would relieve us: if they

 would yield us but the superfluity, while it were

 wholesome, we might guess they relieved us humanely;

 but they think we are too dear: the leanness that

(20) afflicts us, the object of our misery, is as an

 inventory to particularise their abundance; our

 sufferance is a gain to them. Let us revenge this with

 our pikes, ere we become rakes: for the gods know I

 speak this in hunger for bread, not in thirst for revenge.

SECOND CITIZEN Would you proceed especially against Caius Marcius?

ALL Against him first: he's a very dog to the commonalty.

(30) SECOND CITIZEN Consider you what services he has done for his country?

FIRST CITIZEN Very well; and could be content to give him good

 report fort, but that he pays himself with being proud.

SECOND CITIZEN Nay, but speak not maliciously.

FIRST CITIZEN I say unto you, what he hath done famously, he did

 it to that end: though soft-conscienced men can be

 content to say it was for his country he did it to

(40) please his mother and to be partly proud; which he

 is, even till the altitude of his virtue.

SECOND CITIZEN What he cannot help in his nature, you account a

 vice in him. You must in no way say he is covetous.

FIRST CITIZEN If I must not, I need not be barren of accusations;

 he hath faults, with surplus, to tire in repetition.

 [Shouts within]

 What shouts are these? The other side o' the city

 is risen: why stay we prating here? to the Capitol!

ALL Come, come.

(50) FIRST CITIZEN Soft! who comes here?

 [Enter MENENIUS AGRIPPA]

SECOND CITIZEN Worthy Menenius Agrippa; one that hath always loved

 the people.

FIRST CITIZEN He's one honest enough: would all the rest were so!

MENENIUS What work's, my countrymen, in hand? where go you

 With bats and clubs? The matter? speak, I pray you.

FIRST CITIZEN Our business is not unknown to the senate; they have

 had inkling this fortnight what we intend to do,

(60) which now we'll show 'em in deeds. They say poor

 suitors have strong breaths: they shall know we

 have strong arms too.

MENENIUS Why, masters, my good friends, mine honest neighbours,

 Will you undo yourselves?

FIRST CITIZEN We cannot, sir, we are undone already.

MENENIUS I tell you, friends, most charitable care

 Have the patricians of you. For your wants,

 Your suffering in this dearth, you may as well

(70) Strike at the heaven with your staves as lift them

 Against the Roman state, whose course will on

 The way it takes, cracking ten thousand curbs

 Of more strong link asunder than can ever

 Appear in your impediment. For the dearth,

 The gods, not the patricians, make it, and

 Your knees to them, not arms, must help. Alack,

 You are transported by calamity

 Thither where more attends you, and you slander

 The helms o' the state, who care for you like fathers,

(80) When you curse them as enemies.

FIRST CITIZEN Care for us! True, indeed! They ne'er cared for us

 yet: suffer us to famish, and their store-houses

 crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to

 support usurers; repeal daily any wholesome act

 established against the rich, and provide more

 piercing statutes daily, to chain up and restrain

 the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and

 there's all the love they bear us.

(90) MENENIUS Either you must

 Confess yourselves wondrous malicious,

 Or be accused of folly. I shall tell you

 A pretty tale: it may be you have...