Prescanned Shakespeare.com
presented by Acoustic Learning


Coriolanus

Act IV, Scene 1

Rome. Before a gate of the city.
 
[Enter CORIOLANUS, VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, MENENIUS, COMINIUS, with the young Nobility of Rome]
 
CORIOLANUS
             ,            ,         ,           ,          ,
      Come^leave | your tears:| a brief | farewell:| the beast
            ,      ,       ,     2   ,          ,
      With ma|ny heads | butts me a|way. Nay*| mother,
        ,              ,         ,        ,           ,
      Where is | your an|cient cour|age? You | were used
          ,        ,    ,      2      x           x
      To say,| extrem|ity | was the trier | of spirits,
            ,        ,        ,       ,            ,
      That com|mon chan|ces. Com|mon men | could bear,
             ,         ,          ,     T    T   .  T
      That when | the sea | was calm,| all boats alike
         ,    ,                ,         ,           ,
      Showed mast/ership^|in float|ing. For|tune's blows,
             ,             ,      2    ,        ,          ,
      When most | struck^home,| being gent|le woun|ded, craves
         ,      ,         ,           ,         ,       2->
      A nob|le cun|ning. you | were used | to load || me
            ,    ,                  ,       ,     ,
      With pre|cepts that | would make | invin|cible
            ,             ,
      The heart | that conned | them.
 
VIRGILIA
                                        ,     Tx     T   Tx
                                       Oh | heavens! O heavens!
 
CORIOLANUS
       ,        ,         ,
      Nay, I | prithee | woman.  \\
 
VOLUMNIA
          2     ,     ,             ,      T     T    .   T
      Now* the red | pesti|lence^strike | all trades in Rome,
           ,    ,         x
      And oc|cupa|tions perish.
 
CORIOLANUS
                                   T     T     T
                                 What, what, what:
      ,      2       ,          ,         ,           ,
      I shall be | loved when | I am | lacked. Nay*| mother,  ??
          ,            x           ,           ,        ,
      Resume | that spirit,| when you | were wont | to say,
          ,          ,          ,        ,     ,
      If you | had been | the wife | of Her|cules,
       ,            ,        ,            ,          ,
      Six of | his lab|ors you'd | have done,| and saved
            ,        ,          ,        ,   2
      Your hus|band so | much^sweat.| Comin|ius,
      <-  ,       ,       ,          ,         ,         ,
        Droop || not, a|dieu: Fare|well my | wife, my | mother,
            ,         ,          ,          ,       ,    2  ->
      I'll do | well^yet.| Thou old | and true | Menen||ius,
       ,      ,          ,           2    ,        ,
      Thy | tears are | salter | than a young|er man's,
           ,    ,             ,         ,   ,     ,
      And venomous to thine^eyes. My (sometime) general,  ????
       2       ,           ,          ,          ,        ,
      I have seen | thee stem,| and thou | hast oft | beheld
        ,     ,         ,     ,     ,          ,   ,  
      Heart-hardening spectacles. Tell these* sad women,  ????
             ,         ,      ,    ,        ,
      'Tis fond | to wail | inev|itab|le strokes,
           ,       ,                ,          ,    ,
      As 'tis to laugh at 'em. My mother, you wot well  ????
          ,         ,            ,          ,        ,
      My haz|ards still | have been | your sol|ace, and
             x      ,    ,                   ,      ,
      Believe it | not light/ly, though | I go | alone,
        ,           ,       ,        ,         ,
      Like to | a lone|ly drag|on, that | his fen
               ,            ,          ,           ,          ,
      Makes^feared,| and talked | of more | than seen:| your son
        ,           ,         ,        ,         ,
      Will or | exceed | the com|mon, or | be caught
             ,    2     ,           ,
      With caut|elous baits | and prac|tice.
 
VOLUMNIA
                                                    ,    ,
                                             My / first son,
       ,          ,          ,          ,      , 2
      Whither | wilt thou | go? Take^|good Co|minius
             ,       ,        ,              ,     ,
      With thee | awhile:| deter|mine on / some course
        ,             ,       ,         ,           ,
      More than | a wild | expos|ture, to | each^chance
              ,       2     ,        ,
      That starts | in the way | before | thee.
 
CORIOLANUS
                                                ,         ,
                                                O | the gods!
 
COMINIUS
            ,        ,        ,         ,           ,
      I'll fol|low thee | a month,| devise | with thee
              ,            ,           ,            ,        ,
      Where thou | shalt rest,| that thou | mayst hear | of us,
           ,        ,     ,   2        T     T     T
      And we | of thee.| So if the | time thrust forth
          ,          ,        ,         ,           ,
      A cause | for thy | repeal,| we shall | not send
                  ,    ,          ,       ,       ,
      Ore the / vast world,| to seek | a sing|le man,
            ,       ,          ,          ,       ,
      And lose | advant|age, which | doth ev|er cool
        2     ,        ,         ,
      In the ab|sence^of | the need|er.
 
CORIOLANUS
                                         ,         ,
                                       Fare | ye well:
        ,           ,      ,            2      ,           ,
      Thou hast | years u|pon thee,| and thou art | too* full
                 ,     ,              ,   ,          ,
      Of the / wars' surf|eits, to / go rove | with one
              ,         ,        ,             ,         ,
      That's yet | unbruised:| bring me | but out | at gate.
        ,                ,        ,         ,       ,
      Come my | sweet* wife,| my dear|est moth|er, and
            ,          ,       ,          ,        ,
      My friends | of nob|le touch:| when I | am forth,
       ,             ,          ,         ,          ,
      Bid me | farewell,| and smile.| I pray | you come:
            ,       ,       ,           ,      ,
      While I | remain | above | the ground,| you shall
        ,              ,          ,      ,        ,
      Hear from | me still,| and nev|er of | me aught
       ,      2       ,        ,    2
      But what is | like me | formerly*.
 
MENENIUS
                                                  ,     ,
                                         That's^worth|ily
          ,    ,          ,      ,                ,
      As an|y ear | can hear.| Come, let's^|not weep.  ??
         ,           ,      ,         T    Tx    T
      If I | could shake | off but | one seven years
                    ,    ,          ,               ,    ,
      From these / old arms | and legs,| by the / good gods,
            ,           ,       ,
      I'd with | thee, eve|ry foot.
 
CORIOLANUS
                                     ,             ,      __
                                   Give me | thy hand,|| come.  \\
 
[Exeunt]

← Previous Scene | Next Scene →


Home