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Coriolanus Summary
Download Coriolanus by William Shakespeare for iPhone, iPad, Nook, Android, and Kindle in PDF and all popular eBook reader formats (AZW3, EPUB, MOBI).Coriolanus Excerpt
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
