Shakespeare Portal

Act 4, Scene 1

Rome. Before a gate of the city.

  1. [Enter CORIOLANUS, VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, MENENIUS, COMINIUS,and several young Patricians.]
  2. Caius Marcius Coriolanus
  3. 2288 Come, leave your tears; a brief farewell:—he beast
  4. 2289 With many heads butts me away.—Nay, mother,
  5. 2290 Where is your ancient courage? you were us'd
  6. 2291 To say extremities was the trier of spirits;
  7. 2292 That common chances common men could bear;
  8. 2293 That when the sea was calm all boats alike
  9. 2294 Show'd mastership in floating; fortune's blows,
  10. 2295 When most struck home, being gentle wounded, craves
  11. 2296 A noble cunning; you were us'd to load me
  12. 2297 With precepts that would make invincible
  13. 2298 The heart that conn'd them.
  14. Virgilia
  15. 2299 O heavens! O heavens!
  16. Caius Marcius Coriolanus
  17. 2300 Nay, I pr'ythee, woman,—
  18. Volumnia
  19. 2301 Now the red pestilence strike all trades in Rome,
  20. 2302 And occupations perish!
  21. Caius Marcius Coriolanus
  22. 2303 What, what, what!
  23. 2304 I shall be lov'd when I am lack'd. Nay, mother,
  24. 2305 Resume that spirit when you were wont to say,
  25. 2306 If you had been the wife of Hercules,
  26. 2307 Six of his labours you'd have done, and sav'd
  27. 2308 Your husband so much sweat.—Cominius,
  28. 2309 Droop not; adieu.—Farewell, my wife,—my mother:
  29. 2310 I'll do well yet.—Thou old and true Menenius,
  30. 2311 Thy tears are salter than a younger man's,
  31. 2312 And venomous to thine eyes.—My sometime general,
  32. 2313 I have seen thee stern, and thou hast oft beheld
  33. 2314 Heart-hard'ning spectacles; tell these sad women
  34. 2315 'Tis fond to wail inevitable strokes,
  35. 2316 As 'tis to laugh at 'em.—My mother, you wot well
  36. 2317 My hazards still have been your solace: and
  37. 2318 Believe't not lightly,—though I go alone,
  38. 2319 Like to a lonely dragon, that his fen
  39. 2320 Makes fear'd and talk'd of more than seen,—your son
  40. 2321 Will or exceed the common or be caught
  41. 2322 With cautelous baits and practice.
  42. Volumnia
  43. 2323 My first son,
  44. 2324 Whither wilt thou go? Take good Cominius
  45. 2325 With thee awhile: determine on some course
  46. 2326 More than a wild exposture to each chance
  47. 2327 That starts i' the way before thee.
  48. Caius Marcius Coriolanus
  49. 2328 O the gods!
  50. Cominius
  51. 2329 I'll follow thee a month, devise with thee
  52. 2330 Where thou shalt rest, that thou mayst hear of us,
  53. 2331 And we of thee: so, if the time thrust forth
  54. 2332 A cause for thy repeal, we shall not send
  55. 2333 O'er the vast world to seek a single man;
  56. 2334 And lose advantage, which doth ever cool
  57. 2335 I' the absence of the needer.
  58. Caius Marcius Coriolanus
  59. 2336 Fare ye well:
  60. 2337 Thou hast years upon thee; and thou art too full
  61. 2338 Of the wars' surfeits to go rove with one
  62. 2339 That's yet unbruis'd: bring me but out at gate.—
  63. 2340 Come, my sweet wife, my dearest mother, and
  64. 2341 My friends of noble touch; when I am forth,
  65. 2342 Bid me farewell, and smile. I pray you, come.
  66. 2343 While I remain above the ground, you shall
  67. 2344 Hear from me still; and never of me aught
  68. 2345 But what is like me formerly.
  69. Menenius Agrippa
  70. 2346 That's worthily
  71. 2347 As any ear can hear.—Come, let's not weep.—
  72. 2348 If I could shake off but one seven years
  73. 2349 From these old arms and legs, by the good gods,
  74. 2350 I'd with thee every foot.
  75. Caius Marcius Coriolanus
  76. 2351 Give me thy hand:—
  77. 2352 Come.
  78. [Exeunt.]