TPTT The Tragedy of Coriolanus: ACT V
Introduction
ACT I
ACT II
ACT III
ACT IV
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.
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SCENE III. The tent of Coriolanus.
Enter CORIOLANUS, AUFIDIUS, and others
CORIOLANUS
      We will before the walls of Rome tomorrow
      Set down our host. My partner in this action,
      You must report to the Volscian lords, how plainly
      I have borne this business.
AUFIDIUS
5     Only their ends
      You have respected; stopp'd your ears against
      The general suit of Rome; never admitted
      A private whisper, no, not with such friends
      That thought them sure of you.
CORIOLANUS
10    This last old man,
      Whom with a crack'd heart I have sent to Rome,
      Loved me above the measure of a father;
      Nay, godded me, indeed. Their latest refuge
      Was to send him; for whose old love I have,
15    Though I show'd sourly to him, once more offer'd
      The first conditions, which they did refuse
      And cannot now accept; to grace him only
      That thought he could do more, a very little
      I have yielded to: fresh embassies and suits,
20    Nor from the state nor private friends, hereafter
      Will I lend ear to. Ha! what shout is this?

Shout within

      Shall I be tempted to infringe my vow
      In the same time 'tis made? I will not.

Enter in mourning habits, VIRGILIA, VOLUMNIA, leading young MARCIUS, VALERIA, and Attendants

      My wife comes foremost; then the honour'd mould
25    Wherein this trunk was framed, and in her hand
      The grandchild to her blood. But, out, affection!
      All bond and privilege of nature, break!
      Let it be virtuous to be obstinate.
      What is that curt'sy worth? or those doves' eyes,
30    Which can make gods forsworn? I melt, and am not
      Of stronger earth than others. My mother bows;
      As if Olympus to a molehill should
      In supplication nod: and my young boy
      Hath an aspect of intercession, which
35    Great nature cries 'Deny not.' let the Volsces
      Plough Rome and harrow Italy: I'll never
      Be such a gosling to obey instinct, but stand,
      As if a man were author of himself
      And knew no other kin.
VIRGILIA
40    My lord and husband!
CORIOLANUS
      These eyes are not the same I wore in Rome.
VIRGILIA
      The sorrow that delivers us thus changed
      Makes you think so.
CORIOLANUS
      Like a dull actor now,
45    I have forgot my part, and I am out,
      Even to a full disgrace. Best of my flesh,
      Forgive my tyranny; but do not say
      For that 'Forgive our Romans.' O, a kiss
      Long as my exile, sweet as my revenge!
50    Now, by the jealous queen of heaven, that kiss
      I carried from thee, dear; and my true lip
      Hath virgin'd it e'er since. You gods! I prate,
      And the most noble mother of the world
      Leave unsaluted: sink, my knee, i' the earth;

Kneels

55    Of thy deep duty more impression show
      Than that of common sons.
VOLUMNIA
      O, stand up blest!
      Whilst, with no softer cushion than the flint,
      I kneel before thee; and unproperly
60    Show duty, as mistaken all this while
      Between the child and parent.
Kneels
CORIOLANUS
      What is this?
      Your knees to me? to your corrected son?
      Then let the pebbles on the hungry beach
65    Fillip the stars; then let the mutinous winds
      Strike the proud cedars 'gainst the fiery sun;
      Murdering impossibility, to make
      What cannot be, slight work.
VOLUMNIA
      Thou art my warrior;
70    I holp to frame thee. Do you know this lady?
CORIOLANUS
      The noble sister of Publicola,
      The moon of Rome, chaste as the icicle
      That's curdied by the frost from purest snow
      And hangs on Dian's temple: dear Valeria!
VOLUMNIA
75    This is a poor epitome of yours,
      Which by the interpretation of full time
      May show like all yourself.
CORIOLANUS
      The god of soldiers,
      With the consent of supreme Jove, inform
80    Thy thoughts with nobleness; that thou mayst prove
      To shame unvulnerable, and stick i' the wars
      Like a great sea-mark, standing every flaw,
      And saving those that eye thee!
VOLUMNIA
      Your knee, sirrah.
CORIOLANUS
85    That's my brave boy!
VOLUMNIA
      Even he, your wife, this lady, and myself,
      Are suitors to you.
CORIOLANUS
      I beseech you, peace:
      Or, if you'ld ask, remember this before:
90    The thing I have forsworn to grant may never
      Be held by you denials. Do not bid me
      Dismiss my soldiers, or capitulate
      Again with Rome's mechanics: tell me not
      Wherein I seem unnatural: desire not
95    To ally my rages and revenges with
      Your colder reasons.
VOLUMNIA
      O, no more, no more!
      You have said you will not grant us any thing;
      For we have nothing else to ask, but that
100   Which you deny already: yet we will ask;
      That, if you fail in our request, the blame
      May hang upon your hardness: therefore hear us.
CORIOLANUS
      Aufidius, and you Volsces, mark; for we'll
      Hear nought from Rome in private. Your request?
VOLUMNIA
105   Should we be silent and not speak, our raiment
      And state of bodies would bewray what life
      We have led since thy exile. Think with thyself
      How more unfortunate than all living women
      Are we come hither: since that thy sight,
110   which should
      Make our eyes flow with joy, hearts dance
      with comforts,
      Constrains them weep and shake with fear and sorrow;
      Making the mother, wife and child to see
115   The son, the husband and the father tearing
      His country's bowels out. And to poor we
      Thine enmity's most capital: thou barr'st us
      Our prayers to the gods, which is a comfort
      That all but we enjoy; for how can we,
120   Alas, how can we for our country pray.
      Whereto we are bound, together with thy victory,
      Whereto we are bound? alack, or we must lose
      The country, our dear nurse, or else thy person,
      Our comfort in the country. We must find
125   An evident calamity, though we had
      Our wish, which side should win: for either thou
      Must, as a foreign recreant, be led
      With manacles thorough our streets, or else
      triumphantly tread on thy country's ruin,
130   And bear the palm for having bravely shed
      Thy wife and children's blood. For myself, son,
      I purpose not to wait on fortune till
      These wars determine: if I cannot persuade thee
      Rather to show a noble grace to both parts
135   Than seek the end of one, thou shalt no sooner
      March to assault thy country than to tread--
      Trust to't, thou shalt not--on thy mother's womb,
      That brought thee to this world.
VIRGILIA
      Ay, and mine,
140   That brought you forth this boy, to keep your name
      Living to time.
Young MARCIUS
      A' shall not tread on me;
      I'll run away till I am bigger, but then I'll fight.
CORIOLANUS
      Not of a woman's tenderness to be,
145   Requires nor child nor woman's face to see.
      I have sat too long.
Rising
VOLUMNIA
      Nay, go not from us thus.
      If it were so that our request did tend
      To save the Romans, thereby to destroy
150   The Volsces whom you serve, you might condemn us,
      As poisonous of your honour: no; our suit
      Is that you reconcile them: while the Volsces
      May say 'This mercy we have show'd;' the Romans,
      'This we received;' and each in either side
155   Give the all-hail to thee and cry 'Be blest
      For making up this peace!' Thou know'st, great son,
      The end of war's uncertain, but this certain,
      That, if thou conquer Rome, the benefit
      Which thou shalt thereby reap is such a name,
160   Whose repetition will be dogg'd with curses;
      Whose chronicle thus writ: 'The man was noble,
      But with his last attempt he wiped it out;
      Destroy'd his country, and his name remains
      To the ensuing age abhorr'd.' Speak to me, son:
165   Thou hast affected the fine strains of honour,
      To imitate the graces of the gods;
      To tear with thunder the wide cheeks o' the air,
      And yet to charge thy sulphur with a bolt
      That should but rive an oak. Why dost not speak?
170   Think'st thou it honourable for a noble man
      Still to remember wrongs? Daughter, speak you:
      He cares not for your weeping. Speak thou, boy:
      Perhaps thy childishness will move him more
      Than can our reasons. There's no man in the world
175   More bound to 's mother; yet here he lets me prate
      Like one i' the stocks. Thou hast never in thy life
      Show'd thy dear mother any courtesy,
      When she, poor hen, fond of no second brood,
      Has cluck'd thee to the wars and safely home,
180   Loaden with honour. Say my request's unjust,
      And spurn me back: but if it be not so,
      Thou art not honest; and the gods will plague thee,
      That thou restrain'st from me the duty which
      To a mother's part belongs. He turns away:
185   Down, ladies; let us shame him with our knees.
      To his surname Coriolanus 'longs more pride
      Than pity to our prayers. Down: an end;
      This is the last: so we will home to Rome,
      And die among our neighbours. Nay, behold 's:
190   This boy, that cannot tell what he would have
      But kneels and holds up bands for fellowship,
      Does reason our petition with more strength
      Than thou hast to deny 't. Come, let us go:
      This fellow had a Volscian to his mother;
195   His wife is in Corioli and his child
      Like him by chance. Yet give us our dispatch:
      I am hush'd until our city be a-fire,
      And then I'll speak a little.
He holds her by the hand, silent
CORIOLANUS
      O mother, mother!
200   What have you done? Behold, the heavens do ope,
      The gods look down, and this unnatural scene
      They laugh at. O my mother, mother! O!
      You have won a happy victory to Rome;
      But, for your son,--believe it, O, believe it,
205   Most dangerously you have with him prevail'd,
      If not most mortal to him. But, let it come.
      Aufidius, though I cannot make true wars,
      I'll frame convenient peace. Now, good Aufidius,
      Were you in my stead, would you have heard
210   A mother less? or granted less, Aufidius?
AUFIDIUS
      I was moved withal.
CORIOLANUS
      I dare be sworn you were:
      And, sir, it is no little thing to make
      Mine eyes to sweat compassion. But, good sir,
215   What peace you'll make, advise me: for my part,
      I'll not to Rome, I'll back with you; and pray you,
      Stand to me in this cause. O mother! wife!
AUFIDIUS
      (Aside) I am glad thou hast set thy mercy and
      thy honour
220   At difference in thee: out of that I'll work
      Myself a former fortune.
The Ladies make signs to CORIOLANUS
CORIOLANUS
      Ay, by and by;

To VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, &c

      But we will drink together; and you shall bear
      A better witness back than words, which we,
225   On like conditions, will have counter-seal'd.
      Come, enter with us. Ladies, you deserve
      To have a temple built you: all the swords
      In Italy, and her confederate arms,
      Could not have made this peace.
Exeunt
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