Shakespeare Portal

Act 5, Scene 2

An Advanced post of the Volscian camp before Rome. The Guards at their station.

  1. [Enter to them MENENIUS.]
  2. First Guard
  3. 3059 Stay: whence are you?
  4. Second Guard
  5. 3060 Stand, and go back.
  6. Menenius Agrippa
  7. 3061 You guard like men; 'tis well: but, by your leave,
  8. 3062 I am an officer of state, and come
  9. 3063 To speak with Coriolanus.
  10. First Guard
  11. 3064 From whence?
  12. Menenius Agrippa
  13. 3065 From Rome.
  14. First Guard
  15. 3066 You may not pass; you must return: our general
  16. 3067 Will no more hear from thence.
  17. Second Guard
  18. 3068 You'll see your Rome embrac'd with fire before
  19. 3069 You'll speak with Coriolanus.
  20. Menenius Agrippa
  21. 3070 Good my friends,
  22. 3071 If you have heard your general talk of Rome
  23. 3072 And of his friends there, it is lots to blanks
  24. 3073 My name hath touch'd your ears: it is Menenius.
  25. First Guard
  26. 3074 Be it so; go back: the virtue of your name
  27. 3075 Is not here passable.
  28. Menenius Agrippa
  29. 3076 I tell thee, fellow,
  30. 3077 Thy general is my lover: I have been
  31. 3078 The book of his good acts, whence men have read
  32. 3079 His fame unparallel'd, haply amplified;
  33. 3080 For I have ever verified my friends,—
  34. 3081 Of whom he's chief,—with all the size that verity
  35. 3082 Would without lapsing suffer: nay, sometimes,
  36. 3083 Like to a bowl upon a subtle ground,
  37. 3084 I have tumbled past the throw: and in his praise
  38. 3085 Have almost stamp'd the leasing: therefore, fellow,
  39. 3086 I must have leave to pass.
  40. First Guard
  41. 3087 Faith, sir, if you had told as many lies in his behalf as you
  42. 3088 have uttered words in your own, you should not pass here: no,
  43. 3089 though it were as virtuous to lie as to live chastely.
  44. 3090 Therefore, go back.
  45. Menenius Agrippa
  46. 3091 Pr'ythee, fellow, remember my name is Menenius, always
  47. 3092 factionary on the party of your general.
  48. Second Guard
  49. 3093 Howsoever you have been his liar,—as you say you have, I am one
  50. 3094 that, telling true under him, must say you cannot pass. Therefore
  51. 3095 go back.
  52. Menenius Agrippa
  53. 3096 Has he dined, canst thou tell? For I would not speak with him
  54. 3097 till after dinner.
  55. First Guard
  56. 3098 You are a Roman, are you?
  57. Menenius Agrippa
  58. 3099 I am as thy general is.
  59. First Guard
  60. 3100 Then you should hate Rome, as he does. Can you, when you have
  61. 3101 pushed out your gates the very defender of them, and in a violent
  62. 3102 popular ignorance, given your enemy your shield, think to front
  63. 3103 his revenges with the easy groans of old women, the virginal
  64. 3104 palms of your daughters, or with the palsied intercession of such
  65. 3105 a decayed dotant as you seem to be? Can you think to blow out the
  66. 3106 intended fire your city is ready to flame in, with such weak
  67. 3107 breath as this? No, you are deceived; therefore back to Rome, and
  68. 3108 prepare for your execution: you are condemned; our general has
  69. 3109 sworn you out of reprieve and pardon.
  70. Menenius Agrippa
  71. 3110 Sirrah, if thy captain knew I were here he would use me with
  72. 3111 estimation.
  73. Second Guard
  74. 3112 Come, my captain knows you not.
  75. Menenius Agrippa
  76. 3113 I mean thy general.
  77. First Guard
  78. 3114 My general cares not for you. Back, I say; go, lest I let forth
  79. 3115 your half pint of blood;—back; that's the utmost of your
  80. 3116 having:—back.
  81. Menenius Agrippa
  82. 3117 Nay, but fellow, fellow,—
  83. [Enter CORIOLANUS with AUFIDIUS.]
  84. Caius Marcius Coriolanus
  85. 3118 What's the matter?
  86. Menenius Agrippa
  87. 3119 Now, you companion, I'll say an errand for you; you shall know
  88. 3120 now that I am in estimation; you shall perceive that a jack
  89. 3121 guardant cannot office me from my son Coriolanus: guess but by my
  90. 3122 entertainment with him if thou standest not i' the state of
  91. 3123 hanging, or of some death more long in spectatorship and crueller
  92. 3124 in suffering; behold now presently, and swoon for what's to come
  93. 3125 upon thee.—The glorious gods sit in hourly synod about thy
  94. 3126 particular prosperity, and love thee no worse than thy old father
  95. 3127 Menenius does! O my son! my son! thou art preparing fire for us;
  96. 3128 look thee, here's water to quench it. I was hardly moved to come
  97. 3129 to thee; but being assured none but myself could move thee, I
  98. 3130 have been blown out of your gates with sighs; and conjure thee to
  99. 3131 pardon Rome and thy petitionary countrymen. The good gods assuage
  100. 3132 thy wrath, and turn the dregs of it upon this varlet here; this,
  101. 3133 who, like a block, hath denied my access to thee.
  102. Caius Marcius Coriolanus
  103. 3134 Away!
  104. Menenius Agrippa
  105. 3135 How! away!
  106. Caius Marcius Coriolanus
  107. 3136 Wife, mother, child, I know not. My affairs
  108. 3137 Are servanted to others: though I owe
  109. 3138 My revenge properly, my remission lies
  110. 3139 In Volscian breasts. That we have been familiar,
  111. 3140 Ingrate forgetfulness shall poison, rather
  112. 3141 Than pity note how much.—Therefore be gone.
  113. 3142 Mine ears against your suits are stronger than
  114. 3143 Your gates against my force. Yet, for I lov'd thee,
  115. 3144 Take this along; I writ it for thy sake,
  116. [Gives a letter.]
  117. Caius Marcius Coriolanus
  118. 3145 And would have sent it. Another word, Menenius,
  119. 3146 I will not hear thee speak.—This man, Aufidius,
  120. 3147 Was my beloved in Rome: yet thou behold'st!
  121. Tullus Aufidius
  122. 3148 You keep a constant temper.
  123. [Exeunt CORIOLANUS and AUFIDIUS.]
  124. First Guard
  125. 3149 Now, sir, is your name Menenius?
  126. Second Guard
  127. 3150 'Tis a spell, you see, of much power: you know the way home
  128. 3151 again.
  129. First Guard
  130. 3152 Do you hear how we are shent for keeping your greatness back?
  131. Second Guard
  132. 3153 What cause, do you think, I have to swoon?
  133. Menenius Agrippa
  134. 3154 I neither care for the world nor your general; for such things as
  135. 3155 you, I can scarce think there's any, y'are so slight. He that
  136. 3156 hath a will to die by himself fears it not from another. Let your
  137. 3157 general do his worst. For you, be that you are, long; and your
  138. 3158 misery increase with your age! I say to you, as I was said to,
  139. 3159 away!
  140. [Exit.]
  141. First Guard
  142. 3160 A noble fellow, I warrant him.
  143. Second Guard
  144. 3161 The worthy fellow is our general: he is the rock, the oak not to
  145. 3162 be wind-shaken.
  146. [Exeunt.]