The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (793 page)

I always owe them

I do owe them still

my life and my service.

My life and services.

MENENIUS.

All you have to do now

It then remains

is speak to the people.

That you do speak to the people.

CORIOLANUS.

I beg you,

I do beseech you

let me skip that tradition. I cannot

Let me o'erleap that custom; for I cannot

wear a shirt that would show off my wounds and beg them

Put on the gown, stand naked, and entreat them,

to vote for me for the sake of my wounds. Please let me

For my wounds' sake to give their suffrage: please you

skip that step.

That I may pass this doing.

SICINIUS.

Sir, the people

Sir, the people

must be allowed to vote, and they won’t disrespect or detract from

Must have their voices; neither will they bate

the political process.

One jot of ceremony.

MENENIUS.

Do not challenge them:

Put them not to't:--

Please, conform yourself to the custom and

Pray you, go fit you to the custom; and

your honors with all the accompanying ceremonies,

Take to you, as your predecessors have,

like everyone else does.

Your honour with your form.

CORIOLANUS.

I’m embarrassed

It is a part

to do it, and we really should just cut

That I shall blush in acting, and might well

the common people out of the political process.

Be taken from the people.

BRUTUS.

[To Sicinius] Do you hear that?

Mark you that?  

CORIOLANUS.

I shudder to think of bragging about my wounds, and saying how I got them,

To brag unto them,--thus I did, and thus;--

and showing the people my healed scars (which I should hide),

Show them the unaching scars which I should hide,

as if I had received them only

As if I had receiv'd them for the hire

on their behalf!

Of their breath only!

MENENIUS.

Don’t make a fuss, Coriolanus.

Do not stand upon't.--

Representatives of the people, we entrust you to

We recommend to you, tribunes of the people,

tell the people about our intention to make Coriolanus Consul. And to Coriolanus,

Our purpose to them;--and to our noble consul

we wish you joy and honor.

Wish we all joy and honour.

SENATORS.

Good luck to Coriolanus!

To Coriolanus come all joy and honour!

[Flourish. Exeunt all but SICINIUS and BRUTUS.]

BRUTUS.

You see how he intends to abuse the people.

You see how he intends to use the people.

SICINIUS.

I hope they notice his bad intentions! He will ask them to elect him

May they perceive's intent! He will require them

as if he were contemptuous that what he requested

As if he did contemn what he requested

should be theirs to give [i.e., they should not be allowed to vote].

Should be in them to give.

BRUTUS.

Come, let’s tell them

Come, we'll inform them

what happened here. I know they’re waiting for us

Of our proceedings here: on the market-place

at the marketplace.

I know they do attend us.

[Exeunt.]

[Enter several citizens.]

FIRST CITIZEN.

First of all, if he asks for our votes, we should give them to him.

Once, if he do require our voices, we ought not to deny him.

SECOND CITIZEN.

We could, if we wanted to.

We may, sir, if we will.

THIRD CITIZEN.

We have the legal authority to do it, but it is a right that we

We have power in ourselves to do it, but it is a power that we

are not allowed to use: if he shows us his wounds and tells us his

have no power to do: for if he show us his wounds and tell us his

deeds, we are expected to take his side;

deeds, we are to put our tongues into those wounds and speak for

if he tells all about his brave actions, we must also tell him

them; so, if he tell us his noble deeds, we must also tell him

how much we appreciate them. Ingratitude is bad, and for

our noble acceptance of them. Ingratitude is monstrous: and for

the common people to be ungrateful would make the common people

the multitude to be ingrateful were to make a monster of the

look bad, and since we are our common people ourselves, we would make

multitude; of the which we being members, should bring ourselves

ourselves into monsters [with a sexual pun on “member”].

to be monstrous members.

FIRST CITIZEN.

And he wouldn’t think any better of us for helping him out.

And to make us no better thought of, a little help will serve;

Remember when we protested about the price of wheat? He didn’t hesitate to call

for once we stood up about the corn, he himself stuck not to call

us a fickle and divided mob.

us the many-headed multitude.

THIRD CITIZEN.

A lot of people have called us that. Not that we are

We have been called so of many; not that our heads are some

physically different from each other, but that we all have

brown, some black, some auburn, some bald, but that our wits are

different opinions. And I agree that if we put all of our minds into one skull,

so diversely coloured; and truly I think if all our wits were to

they would all fly in different directions,

issue out of one skull, they would fly east, west, north, south;

and they wouldn’t be able to agree about which

and their consent of one direct way should be at once to all the

way to go.

points o' the compass.

SECOND CITIZEN.

You think so? Which way do you think my mind would fly?

Think you so? Which way do you judge my wit would fly?

THIRD CITIZEN.

No, your mind won’t fly off as quickly as some people’s,

Nay, your wit will not so soon out as another man's will,--'tis

because you’re stupid. But if it could fly,

strongly wedged up in a block-head; but if it were at liberty

it would go south.

'twould, sure, southward.

SECOND CITIZEN.

Why that way?

Why that way?

THIRD CITIZEN.

To get lost and get sick in the unhealthy southern air, but after ¾ of it had died,

To lose itself in a fog; where being three parts melted away with

the last quarter would come back to your blockhead out of pity

rotten dews, the fourth would return for conscience' sake, to

and help you find a wife.

help to get thee a wife.

SECOND CITIZEN.

You are always witty. You win, you win.

You are never without your tricks:--you may, you may.

THIRD CITIZEN.

Are you all determined to vote?  That doesn’t matter,

Are you all resolved to give your voices? But that's no matter,

the majority wins. I say, if only he would take our side,

the greater part carries it. I say, if he would incline to the

there never was be a better man. Here he comes, and in a revealing robe

people, there was never a worthier man. Here he comes, and in the

so we can see his scars. Look what he wants us to do. We are to stay all

gown of humility. Mark his behaviour. We are not to stay all

together, and come up to him in groups of one, two

together, but to come by him where he stands, by ones, by twos,

and three. He’s going to ask for out vote to each of us personally,

and by threes. He's to make his requests by particulars, wherein

so that each of us has the individual honor of voting for him.

every one of us has a single honour, in giving him our own voices

Follow me, and I’ll show you

with our own tongues; therefore follow me, and I'll direct you

how to go up to him.

how you shall go by him.

ALL.

Ok, ok.

Content, content.

[Exeunt.]

[Enter CORIOLANUS and MENENIUS.]

MENENIUS.

You were wrong. Did you know

O sir, you are not right; have you not known

that the best men are going to vote for you?

The worthiest men have done't?

CORIOLANUS.

What am I supposed to say?

What must I say?—

“Please, sir?”— Damn it! I can’t bring

'I pray, sir'--Plague upon't! I cannot bring

myself to say it. “Look at my wounds;

My tongue to such a pace.--'Look, sir,--my wounds;--

I got them in the service of my country, when

I got them in my country's service, when

some of your friends screamed and ran away

Some certain of your brethren roar'd, and ran

before the battle even started.”

From the noise of our own drums.'

MENENIUS.

Oh my God!

O me, the gods!

Don’t talk about that. Ask them to

You must not speak of that: you must desire them

consider you.

To think upon you.

CORIOLANUS.

Consider me? Damn them!

Think upon me? Hang 'em!

I wish they would forget me, like the morality lessons

I would they would forget me, like the virtues

that the priests waste on them.

Which our divines lose by 'em.

MENENIUS.

You’ll ruin everything.

You'll mar all:

I’ll leave you. Please speak to them,

I'll leave you. Pray you speak to 'em, I pray you,

in a nice way.

In wholesome manner.  

CORIOLANUS.

It would be nice to tell them to take a bath

Bid them wash their faces