The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (813 page)

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 anything;

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,

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