The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (807 page)

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 hands;

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.

yet my mind gave me his clothes made a false report of him.

FIRST SERVANT.

He is very strong! He spun me around with just his finger and his

What an arm he has! He turned me about with his finger and his

thumb, like he was spinning a top.

thumb, as one would set up a top.

SECOND SERVANT.

No, I could tell from his face that there was more than met the eye. He had

Nay, I knew by his face that there was something in him; he had,

a kind of face, I thought… I don’t know how to describe it.

sir, a kind of face, methought,--I cannot tell how to term it.

FIRST SERVANT.

He did, you’re right. Strike me dead, but I

He had so, looking as it were,--would I were hanged, but I

thought there was more to him than I thought.

thought there was more in him than I could think.

SECOND SERVANT.

So did I, I swear. He is just the strangest man in the

So did I, I'll be sworn: he is simply the rarest man i' the

world.

world.

FIRST SERVANT.

I think he is, but he’s also a better soldier than you-know-who.

I think he is; but a greater soldier than he you wot on.

SECOND SERVANT.

Who, the master [Aufidius]?

Who, my master?

FIRST SERVANT.

No, it’s not like that.

Nay, it's no matter for that.

SECOND SERVANT.

Aufidius is worth six of him.

Worth six on him.

FIRST SERVANT.

No, that not true. I think Coriolanus is a better soldier.

Nay, not so neither: but I take him to be the greater soldier.

SECOND SERVANT.

Look, you can’t measure these things: for the defense

Faith, look you, one cannot tell how to say that: for the defence

of a town Aufidius is excellent.

of a town our general is excellent.

FIRST SERVANT.

Yes, and for offense, too.

Ay, and for an assault too.

[Re-enter third SERVANT.]

THIRD SERVANT.

Slaves, I have news!

O slaves, I can tell you news,--news, you rascals!

FIRST and SECOND SERVANT.

What? Tell us!

What, what, what? let's partake.

THIRD SERVANT.

I’m gald I’m not a Roman. I would rather be a

I would not be a Roman, of all nations; I had as lief be a

condemned man,

condemned man.

FIRST and SECOND SERVANT.

Why?

Wherefore? wherefore?

THIRD SERVANT.

Well, a man is here who used to thwack [beat] our general: Caius

Why, here's he that was wont to thwack our general,--Caius

Marcius.

Marcius.

FIRST SERVANT.

What do you mean, thwack our general?

Why do you say, thwack our general?

THIRD SERVANT.

I’m not saying he could beat our general. But he was a good match

I do not say thwack our general; but he was always good enough

for him.

for him.

SECOND SERVANT.

Come on, we’re co-workers and friends. Marcius was always better than Aufidius.

Come, we are fellows and friends: he was ever too hard for him; I

I’ve heard him say so himself.

have heard him say so himself.

FIRST SERVANT.

Marcius was much too good for him, to be honest. Before

He was too hard for him directly, to say the troth on't; before

the battle of Corioles he cut Aufidius like grilled meat.

Corioli he scotched him and notched him like a carbonado.

SECOND SERVANT.

If he had been inclined towards cannibalism, he might have cooked and eaten

An he had been cannibally given, he might have broiled and eaten

him too.

him too.

FIRST SERVANT.

But what’s the rest of the news?

But more of thy news?

THIRD SERVANT.

Well, they are fussing over him so much in there you’d think he was the son and heir

Why, he is so made on here within as if he were son and heir to

of the god of war. They put him the seat of honor. The senators take off their hats

Mars; set at upper end o' the table: no question asked him by any

in respect before they ask him anything. Aufidius

of the senators but they stand bald before him: our general

is making himself Marcius’ bitch, treats him like a god,

himself makes a mistress of him, sanctifies himself with's hand,

and follows the conversation with exaggerated attention. But the

and turns up the white o' the eye to his discourse. But the

essence of the news is, Aufidius is cut in half like a piece of meat, and

bottom of the news is, our general is cut i' the middle, and but

is half the man he was yesterday, because Marcius has the other half [of the army],

one half of what he was yesterday; for the other has half, by the

which was given to him by the whole table. He’ll go, he says, and

entreaty and grant of the whole table. He'll go, he says, and

seize the guards of Rome by the ears. He will knock down everything

sowl the porter of Rome gates by the ears; he will mow all down

in front him, and leave a trail of devastation.

before him, and leave his passage polled.

SECOND SERVANT.

And he’s likely to do it.

And he's as like to do't as any man I can imagine.

THIRD SERVANT.

Do it! He’s definitely going to do it. He has as many friends as

Do't! he will do't; for look you, sir, he has as many friends as

enemies, and those friends are not, you see,

enemies; which friends, sir, as it were, durst not, look you,

actually his true friends, while he’s in

sir, show themselves, as we term it, his friends, whilst he's in

directitude [made-up word; THIRD SERVANT is just trying to sound smart.]

directitude.

FIRST SERVANT.

Directitude? What’s that?

Directitude! what's that?

THIRD SERVANT.

But when they see him proud and self-confident, and a man in

But when they shall see, sir, his crest up again, and the man in

full vigor, they will come out of their holes like rabbit after it rains

blood, they will out of their burrows, like conies after rain,

and celebrate with him.

and revel all with him.

FIRST SERVANT.

But when will this happen?

But when goes this forward?

THIRD SERVANT.

Tomorrow. Today. Right now. You will have the drums of war sounded

To-morrow; to-day; presently; you shall have the drum struck up

this afternoon. It’s like a part of their feast, and must be done