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THE TRAGEDY OF CORIOLANUS |
by William Shakespeare |
Dramatis Personae |
CAIUS MARCIUS, afterwards CAIUS MARCIUS CORIOLANUS |
Generals against the Volscians |
TITUS LARTIUS |
COMINIUS |
MENENIUS AGRIPPA, friend to Coriolanus |
Tribunes of the People |
SICINIUS VELUTUS |
JUNIUS BRUTUS |
YOUNG MARCIUS, son to Coriolanus |
A ROMAN HERALD |
NICANOR, a Roman |
TULLUS AUFIDIUS, General of the Volscians |
LIEUTENANT, to Aufidius |
CONSPIRATORS, With Aufidius |
ADRIAN, a Volscian |
A CITIZEN of Antium |
TWO VOLSCIAN GUARDS |
VOLUMNIA, mother to Coriolanus |
VIRGILIA, wife to Coriolanus |
VALERIA, friend to Virgilia |
GENTLEWOMAN attending on Virgilia |
Roman and Volscian Senators, Patricians, Aediles, Lictors, |
Soldiers, Citizens, Messengers, Servants to Aufidius, and other |
Attendants |
<<THIS ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM |
SHAKESPEARE IS COPYRIGHT 1990-1993 BY WORLD LIBRARY, INC., AND IS |
PROVIDED BY PROJECT GUTENBERG ETEXT OF ILLINOIS BENEDICTINE COLLEGE |
WITH PERMISSION. ELECTRONIC AND MACHINE READABLE COPIES MAY BE |
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SCENE: |
Rome and the neighbourhood; Corioli and the neighbourhood; Antium |
ACT I. SCENE I. |
Rome. A street |
Enter a company of mutinous citizens, with staves, clubs, and other weapons |
FIRST CITIZEN. Before we proceed any further, hear me speak. |
ALL. Speak, speak. |
FIRST CITIZEN. YOU are all resolv'd rather to die than to famish? |
ALL. Resolv'd, resolv'd. |
FIRST CITIZEN. First, you know Caius Marcius is chief enemy to the |
people. |
ALL. We know't, we know't. |
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 afflicts us, the object of our misery, is as an |
inventory to particularize 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? |
FIRST CITIZEN. Against him first; he's a very dog to the |
commonalty. |
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 for't 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-conscienc'd men can be content to say it |
was for his country, he did it to please his mother and to be |
partly proud, which he is, even to 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' th' city is |
risen. Why stay we prating here? To th' Capitol! |
ALL. Come, come. |
FIRST CITIZEN. Soft! who comes here? |
Enter MENENIUS AGRIPPA |
SECOND CITIZEN. Worthy Menenius Agrippa; one that hath always lov'd |
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 th' Senate; they have |
had inkling this fortnight what we intend to do, 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 |
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 |
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