Read Complete Plays, The Online
Authors: William Shakespeare
Complete Plays, The (186 page)
Aufidius
Read it not, noble lords;
But tell the traitor, in the high’st degree
He hath abused your powers.
Coriolanus
Traitor! how now!
Aufidius
Ay, traitor, Marcius!
Coriolanus
Marcius!
Aufidius
Ay, Marcius, Caius Marcius: dost thou think
I’ll grace thee with that robbery, thy stol’n name
Coriolanus in Corioli?
You lords and heads o’ the state, perfidiously
He has betray’d your business, and given up,
For certain drops of salt, your city Rome,
I say ‘your city,’ to his wife and mother;
Breaking his oath and resolution like
A twist of rotten silk, never admitting
Counsel o’ the war, but at his nurse’s tears
He whined and roar’d away your victory,
That pages blush’d at him and men of heart
Look’d wondering each at other.
Coriolanus
Hear’st thou, Mars?
Aufidius
Name not the god, thou boy of tears!
Coriolanus
Ha!
Aufidius
No more.
Coriolanus
Measureless liar, thou hast made my heart
Too great for what contains it. Boy! O slave!
Pardon me, lords, ’tis the first time that ever
I was forced to scold. Your judgments, my grave lords,
Must give this cur the lie: and his own notion —
Who wears my stripes impress’d upon him; that
Must bear my beating to his grave — shall join
To thrust the lie unto him.
First Lord
Peace, both, and hear me speak.
Coriolanus
Cut me to pieces, Volsces; men and lads,
Stain all your edges on me. Boy! false hound!
If you have writ your annals true, ’tis there,
That, like an eagle in a dove-cote, I
Flutter’d your Volscians in Corioli:
Alone I did it. Boy!
Aufidius
Why, noble lords,
Will you be put in mind of his blind fortune,
Which was your shame, by this unholy braggart,
’Fore your own eyes and ears?
All Conspirators
Let him die for’t.
All The People
‘Tear him to pieces.’ ‘Do it presently.’ ‘He kill’d my son.’ ‘My daughter.’ ‘He killed my cousin Marcus.’ ‘He killed my father.’
Second Lord
Peace, ho! no outrage: peace!
The man is noble and his fame folds-in
This orb o’ the earth. His last offences to us
Shall have judicious hearing. Stand, Aufidius,
And trouble not the peace.
Coriolanus
O that I had him,
With six Aufidiuses, or more, his tribe,
To use my lawful sword!
Aufidius
Insolent villain!
All Conspirators
Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill him!
The Conspirators draw, and kill Coriolanus: Aufidius stands on his body
Lords
Hold, hold, hold, hold!
Aufidius
My noble masters, hear me speak.
First Lord
O Tullus,—
Second Lord
Thou hast done a deed whereat valour will weep.
Third Lord
Tread not upon him. Masters all, be quiet;
Put up your swords.
Aufidius
My lords, when you shall know — as in this rage,
Provoked by him, you cannot — the great danger
Which this man’s life did owe you, you’ll rejoice
That he is thus cut off. Please it your honours
To call me to your senate, I’ll deliver
Myself your loyal servant, or endure
Your heaviest censure.
First Lord
Bear from hence his body;
And mourn you for him: let him be regarded
As the most noble corse that ever herald
Did follow to his urn.
Second Lord
His own impatience
Takes from Aufidius a great part of blame.
Let’s make the best of it.
Aufidius
My rage is gone;
And I am struck with sorrow. Take him up.
Help, three o’ the chiefest soldiers; I’ll be one.
Beat thou the drum, that it speak mournfully:
Trail your steel pikes. Though in this city he
Hath widow’d and unchilded many a one,
Which to this hour bewail the injury,
Yet he shall have a noble memory. Assist.
Exeunt, bearing the body of Coriolanus. A dead march sounded
The Complete Histories
By
William Shakespeare
T
HE
L
IFE
AND
D
EATH
OF
R
ICHARD
THE
S
ECOND
T
HE
F
IRST
PART
OF
K
ING
H
ENRY
THE
F
OURTH
T
HE
SECOND
PART
OF
K
ING
H
ENRY
THE
F
OURTH
T
HE
F
IRST
PART
OF
K
ING
H
ENRY
THE
S
IXTH
T
HE
S
ECOND
PART
OF
K
ING
H
ENRY
THE
S
IXTH
T
HE
T
HIRD
PART
OF
K
ING
H
ENRY
THE
S
IXTH
T
HE
L
IFE
AND
D
EATH
OF
R
ICHARD
THE
T
HIRD
The Life and Death of King John
T
ABLE
OF
C
ONTENTS
S
CENE
I. F
RANCE
. B
EFORE
A
NGIERS
.
S
CENE
I. T
HE
F
RENCH
K
ING
’
S
PAVILION
.
S
CENE
II. T
HE
SAME
. P
LAINS
NEAR
A
NGIERS
.
S
CENE
IV. T
HE
SAME
. K
ING
P
HILIP
’
S
TENT
.
S
CENE
II. L
EWIS
’
S
CAMP
AT
S
T
. E
DMUNDSBURY
.
S
CENE
IV. A
NOTHER
PART
OF
THE
FIELD
.
S
CENE
V
I
. A
N
OPEN
PLACE
IN
THE
NEIGHBOURHOOD
OF
S
WINSTEAD
A
BBEY
.
S
CENE
V
II
. T
HE
ORCHARD
IN
S
WINSTEAD
A
BBEY
.
C
HARACTERS
OF
THE
P
LAY
Arthur
,
Austria
,
Bastard
,
Bigot
,
Blanch
,
Cardinal Pandulph
,
Chatillon
,
Constance
,
Elinor
,
English Herald
,
Essex
,
First Citizen
,
First Executioner
,
French Herald
,
Gurney
,
Hubert
,
King John
,
King Philip
,
Lady Faulconbridge
,
Lewis
,
Melun
,
Messenger
,
Pembroke
,
Peter
,
Prince Henry
,
Queen Elinor
,
Robert
,
Salisbury
,
A
CT
I
S
CENE
I. K
ING
J
OHN
’
S
PALACE
.
Enter King John, Queen Elinor, Pembroke, Essex, Salisbury, and others, with Chatillon
King John
Now, say, Chatillon, what would France with us?
Chatillon
Thus, after greeting, speaks the King of France
In my behavior to the majesty,
The borrow’d majesty, of England here.
Queen Elinor
A strange beginning: ‘borrow’d majesty!’
King John
Silence, good mother; hear the embassy.
Chatillon
Philip of France, in right and true behalf
Of thy deceased brother Geffrey’s son,
Arthur Plantagenet, lays most lawful claim
To this fair island and the territories,
To Ireland, Poictiers, Anjou, Touraine, Maine,
Desiring thee to lay aside the sword
Which sways usurpingly these several titles,
And put these same into young Arthur’s hand,
Thy nephew and right royal sovereign.
King John
What follows if we disallow of this?
Chatillon
The proud control of fierce and bloody war,
To enforce these rights so forcibly withheld.
King John
Here have we war for war and blood for blood,
Controlment for controlment: so answer France.
Chatillon
Then take my king’s defiance from my mouth,
The farthest limit of my embassy.
King John
Bear mine to him, and so depart in peace:
Be thou as lightning in the eyes of France;
For ere thou canst report I will be there,
The thunder of my cannon shall be heard:
So hence! Be thou the trumpet of our wrath
And sullen presage of your own decay.
An honourable conduct let him have:
Pembroke, look to ’t. Farewell, Chatillon.