Coriolanus, Act I

But first, a brief Q&A:

Why Coriolanus?

Because of this, and also this:

Which edition are you reading?

Signet Classics! Who else? (My particular copy was generously provided by angevin2. Much thanks!)

What do you know about this play going in?

Coriolanus has a very bad day. It is such a bad day that my entire Tumblr feed still hasn’t stopped weeping over it.

Should be fun!

—

CORIOLANUS

ACT I
scene i

Rome, a street, presumably in antiquity and not present day. A bunch of seriously well-armed citizens enter. The first citizen (appropriately named First Citizen) asks permission to make a brief speech. He quickly runs down the mob’s list of grievances: they’re super hungry, Caius Marcius is a dick, and they should totally kill him to get food. The mob agrees. But before they can act, a Second Citizen interrupts.

SECOND CITIZEN
One word, good citizens!

FIRST CITIZEN
We are accounted poor citizens, the patricians good.

So much for that.

First Citizen goes on to report how the patricians are keeping all the food for themselves and just their scraps would be enough to feed the mob. But the patricians won’t give up so much as a crumb. Thus, the mob.

FIRST CITIZEN
[…] Let us revenge this with our pikes ere we become rakes. For the gods know I speak this in hunger for bread, not thirst for revenge.

Well said, sir.

Second Citizen double-checks that the mob hates Caius Marcius the most. First Citizen confirms this. Second Citizen reminds them that Caius Marcius is a decorated war vet. First Citizen concedes that point but adds that Caius Marcius is way too proud about it. Second Citizen thinks First Citizen is being malicious; First CItizen replies that Caius Marcius fought not for Rome but, and I quote, “to please his mother“.

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.

But before First Citizen can go into detail about Caius Marcius’ other faults, he’s interrupted by some off-stage shouting (representing a similar riot on the other side of the city) and the entrance of Menenius Agrippa. Both First and Second Citizen helpfully inform the audience that Menenius Agrippa is a lover of the populace, an honest dude, and an all-around top-notch dude. Finally something these two can agree on.

Menenius asks what’s all this then. First Citizen tells him the mob intends to march on the Senate, and the Senate have had plenty of warning about it. Menenius does not approve.

MENENIUS
Why, masters, my good friends, mine honest neighbors,
Will you undo yourselves?

FIRST CITIZEN
We cannot, sir; we are undone already.

It’s not quite “Villain, I have done thy mother“, but it’s pretty good.

Menenius tells the mob their weapons are aimed at the wrong culprit. The gods are to blame for their suffering, not the Senate. No, really. First Citizen isn’t buying it. Menenius decides he will resolve this conflict with STORY TIME!

Once upon a time all the other parts of the body revolted against the stomach because the stomach got all the food and did none of the work. But the stomach told them that he was just the repository for the food, which he turned into nutrition and sent out into the blood stream to be carried to all other body parts so they could feed, leaving only waste byproducts for himself.

While this story does imply a much better understanding of human anatomy and digestion than I thought the ancient Romans (or indeed, Renaissance English) had, it fails to convince First Citizen.

MENENIUS
[…] What say you to’t?

FIRST CITIZEN
It was an answer.

Menenius explains that the Senate is the stomach of Rome’s body. First Citizen, meanwhile, he identifies as Rome’s big toe; lowest on the body and first to rush into battle.

Before First Citizen can retort, Caius Marcius himself enters.

MENENIUS
[…] Hail, noble Marcius!
MARCIUS
Thanks.

Marcius proceeds to give the mob 25 lines worth of insults, including:

MARCIUS
[…] He that depends
Upon your favors swims with fins of lead

Marcius then turns to Menenius and asks what the mob wants. The answer? Corn! (Well, grain. Or food in general. But they call it corn. They do not mean North American maize.) They believe Rome has a whole bunch of corn sitting around in a warehouse somewhere. Marcius says that’s stupid. Furthermore, if the Senate would let him, he’d totally murder the whole mob himself. Menenius reminds him that the mob was already nearly calmed before Marcius arrived.

Menenius asks what happened to the mob across town. Marcius says they demanded food from the Senate and got five tribunes to represent them, including Junius Brutus and Sicinius Velutus. This makes Marcius angry. He tells the mob to go home already.

A Messenger runs in to tell Marcius that “the Volsces are in arms“, which appears to mean something. Marcius is pleased.

Some Senators also enter, including Sicinius Velutus, Junius Brutus, Cominius, and Titus Lartius. The First Senator confirms that the Volsces are in arms. Marcius already knows who is leading them––Tullus Aufidius. Marcius fought with him once and found him to be a worthy opponent if you follow our meaning, wink wink nudge nudge.

First Senator tells Marcius to follow Cominius’ command to fight the Volsces. Whoever they are. First Senator also attempts to instruct the mob to disperse but Marcius says it’d be better to send the mob to fight the Volsces, who have plenty of corn for the taking.

Everybody leaves, presumably to go fight in the Volscean Corn Wars. Only Sicinius and Brutus remain behind. Sicinius disapproves of Marcius’ pride. Brutus thinks Marcius is dreamy.

SICINIUS
When we were chosen tribunes for the people––

BRUTUS
Marked you [Marcius’s] lips and eyes?

Dude we get that you’re crushing but Sicinius is trying to have a conversation here.

Over the course of the next few lines, Sicinius convinces Brutus that, yeah, Marcius’s pride could stand to be checked. Is Marcius too prideful to obey Cominius’s command? Will Coriolanus ever show up in his own play? And seriously, who even are the Volsces? Nobody knows!

—

scene ii

Meanwhile, in Corioli, Tullus Aufidius has a chat with some Senators. Not the same Senators as in Rome. Different Senators. We think.

Through a brief conversation, it’s revealed they all know what the Romans planned in the previous scene. They’d hoped Rome wouldn’t notice their own massing of troops, thus giving them time to take a few cities before Rome shut them down, but c’est la vie. Aufidius goes off to fight Marcius.

(So… The people of Corioli/Corioles are the Volsces? Maybe?)

Still no Coriolanus.

…Wait.

Corioli. Corioles. Coriolanus.

…is Coriolanus a place?

How the hell is Hiddleston going to––

You know what, nevermind.

—

scene iii

Back at Marcius’ house in Rome, we see his mother (Volumnia) and his wife (Virgilia) sitting around and sewing. Virgilia is unhappy because, y’know, her husband is going to war and could very possibly die. Volumnia doesn’t get why this upsets Virgilia.

VOLUMNIA
[…] If my son were my husband, I should freelier rejoice in that absence wherein he won honor than in the embracements of his bed where he would show most love.

Well, yeah, ’cause the alternative is pretty Oedipal.

Virgilia wonders if Volumnia would be so happy if her son/husband died in battle. Volumnia thinks that would be totally sweet.

VOLUMNIA
[…] I had rather eleven die nobly for their country than one voluptuously surfeit out of action.

A Gentlewoman comes in to announce the arrival of the Lady Valeria, because there weren’t enough people with V names in this scene yet. Virgilia begs permission to leave. Volumnia denies her request with a little speech about how Marcius is going to war and there’s going to be lots of blood and guts and gore and it’s gonna be awesome. Virgilia is less enthused about the whole blood thing. Volumnia thinks Virgilia is being an idiot because dudes covered in blood are THE BEST.

VOLUMNIA
[…] The breast of Hecuba,
When she did suckle Hector, looked not lovelier
Then Hector’s forehead when it spit forth blood

Anyway, Volumnia tells Gentlewoman to let Valeria in. Valeria enters with all kinds of smalltalk; hello, happy to see you, how’s your sewing going, by the way Virgilia did you notice your son is displaying the early warning signs of sociopathy.

VALERIA
O’ my word, the father’s son! I’ll swear ’tis a very pretty boy. O’ my troth, I looked upon him o’ Wednesday half an hour together; has such a confirmed countenance! I saw him run after a gilded butterfly; and when he caught it, he let it go again; and after it again; and over and over he comes, and up again; catched it again; or whether his fall enraged him, or how ’twas, he did so set his teeth, and tear it. O, I warrant, how he mammocked it!

You know. The usual.

Volumnia claims this violence towards small animals is proof that the as-of-yet unnamed child is his father’s son. Virgilia says the kid is a rascal.

Valeria invites the ladies outside. Virgilia doesn’t want to go. Valeria promises news of her husband. Virgilia is like, “My husband? Where??” Valeria spills the beans and, for the third time in as many scenes, the audience is told that Marcius is going to Corioles to fight Aufidius. But Virgilia still won’t leave the house, so Valeria and Volumnia go out without her.

—

scene iv

In Corioli/Corioles again (the characters call it Corioles, the stage directions call it Corioli, nobody knows what it has to do with the Volsces), Marcius, Titus Lartius, and at least half of the Roman army are hanging out in front of the city. A Messenger approaches. Marcius makes a bet with Lartius that their general has met the enemy on the battlefield. Lartius agrees to wager his horse that they have not. The Messenger says the two armies have seen each other, but haven’t fought yet, which means Lartius wins Marcius’s horse. Marcius offers to buy his horse back. Lartius refuses, but will generously allow Marcius to borrow the horse for the next fifty years or so. What a swell guy.

According to the Messenger, the armies are about a mile and a half away from where Marcius et all are now. Marcius offers a quick prayer to Mars and opens a parley with the Senators of Corioles, who have appeared on the wall of the city.

MARCIUS
[…] Tullus Aufidius, is he within your walls?

FIRST SENATOR
No, nor a man that fears you less than he;
That’s lesser than a little.

Don’t explain the joke, First Senator.

Drums sound, announcing the return of Corioles’ army (the Volsces?) and another round of trumpets tells us that Aufidius is laying absolute waste to the other half of the Roman army. Lartius orders ladders to be put up so the Roman army can get into Corioles, but before that happens, the Army of the Volsces rushes onto the scene. At last, Marcius is in his element.

MARCIUS
[…] Now put your shields before your hearts, and fight
With hearts more proof than shields.

One final threat to treat any of his own retreating soldiers as if they were advancing Volsces, he runs into Corioles. No one follows him. The gates shut behind him. Whoops.

The entire Roman army assumes Marcius is dead. Lartius is about halfway through a touching eulogy when Marcius reappears absolutely slathered in blood. Motivated by his sanguine hotness, the Roman army runs into Corioles.

—

scene v

In Corioli/Corioles, the Roman army is looting.

FIRST ROMAN
This will I carry to Rome.

SECOND ROMAN
And I this.

THIRD ROMAN
A murrain on’t! I took this for silver.

The Roman soldiers scuttle off, but not before Marcius catches sight of them and disapproves heartily. Lartius interrupts his rant to point out that hey, Marcius, you’re kind of bleeding. Like, a lot. Might wanna get that checked out, bro. Marcius is like PSH MEDICAL CARE IS FOR GIRLS AND BABIES, I’M GONNA GO KILL EVEN MORE VOLSCES and then off he goes.

scene vi

Meanwhile, in a field somewhere around Corioli/Corioles, Cominius is camped out with his dudes in-between assaults on the city. A Messenger runs up and is like, “Hey I have news from about an hour ago!” Cominius is like, “Seriously? An hour? WTF were you riding a turtle?” and the Messenger is like, “No I just had to dodge a whole bunch of Volsces to get here, geez, do you want your stale news or not.”

The news is as follows: Lartius and Marcius have retreated! Of course, in the interim, Marcius has almost single-handedly captured Corioles. But it doesn’t really matter because soon Marcius himself rides up to say as much to Cominius.

COMINIUS
Who’s yonder
That does appear as he were flayed?

Ew. (Or, from Volumnia’s perspective, “Woohoo!”)

Marcius asks twice in a row if he’s too late to fight, which gives the impression that he’s a wee bit dazed. Cominius replies that yes, he’s way too late to fight if all that blood is his rather than his enemies’. Marcius’ response is… interesting.

MARCIUS
O, let me clip ye
In arms as sound as when I wooed; in heart
As merry as when our nuptial day was done,
And tapers burned to bedward!

Um…

Marcius wants to know why Cominius and crew aren’t out murdering dudes this very minute. Did they already win? Cominius is like, dude, chill. But Marcius wants to jump right back into the fray, and Cominius relents.

COMINIUS
Though I could wish
You were conducted to a gentle bath,
And balms applied to you, yet dare I never
Deny your asking. Take your choice of those
That best can aid your action.

Which dudes does Marcius choose? ALL OF THEM.

scene vii

In front of Corioli/Corioles, Lartius and a Lieutenant recap the progress of the battle for the audience: Rome, thanks to the efforts of Lartius and Marcius, has captured Corioles; Lartius is leaving a guard around the city while he goes out to fight some Volsces in the field with Marcius; if the battle on the field goes badly, the Romans will abandon Corioles and go to help out Marcius and Lartius.

Everybody got that? Good. Let’s roll.

scene viii

Marcius and Aufidius meet on the battlefield, exchange taunts, and FIGHT! But Aufidius has a bunch of Volsceans on his side, while Marcius is fighting alone. Despite this, Marcius kicks everyone’s ass.

scene ix

Cominius and Marcius meet up back at the Roman camp. Marcius has his arm in a sling (seriously, the stage directions specify it). Cominius sings Marcius’ praises; Lartius comes in and starts to do the same, but Marcius cuts him off.

MARCIUS
Pray now, no more. My mother,
Who has a charter to extol her blood,
When she does praise me grieves me.

Okay I am super curious about Marcius’ relationship with his mom at this point. The peasants think he fights to please her, she wants him to be covered in blood always, and he wishes she would stop saying nice things about him?

Anyway, Marcius insists he did nothing special today, anybody else would have done the same, no big deal. Cominius continues to praise him regardless, saying he’ll get one-tenth of the spoils of Corioles, plus Cominius’ horse, plus––

COMINIUS
[…] and from this time,
For what he did before Corioles, call him,
With all th’ applause and clamor of the host,
Caius Marcius Coriolanus.

…wait, THIS is our hero? Caius Marcius “No Corn For Peasants” Coriolanus?

No wonder this is a tragedy.

Marcius, now Coriolanus, begs a favor from Cominius.

CORIOLANUS
I sometime lay here in Corioles
At a poor man’s house; he used me kindly.
He cried to me; I saw him prisoner;
But then Aufidius was within my view,
And wrath o’erwhelmed my pity. I request you
To give my poor host freedom.

tl;dr – Once upon a time Coriolanus stayed over this one guy’s house in Corioles. This guy was super nice to Coriolanus. During the course of the battle this guy was taken prisoner, and Coriolanus totally would have rescued him except Aufidius showed up and Coriolanus hulked out and had to fight him. But yeah, Coriolanus would like his former host to be free now please.

Cominius agrees to this. Lartius asks Coriolanus what the guy’s name was so they can find him and free him.

CORIOLANUS
By Jupiter, forgot!
I am weary; yea, my memory is tired.
Have we no wine here?

Ah well, it’s the thought that counts. Go ahead and get drunk, Coriolanus. And maybe consider washing off some of that crusted blood while you’re at it.

scene x

In the camp of the Volsces, we find Aufidius, who is spitting mad and expresses this with fourteen lines of abuse directed at the absent Coriolanus. The other Volsces chime in.

FIRST SOLDIER
He’s the devil.

AUFIDIUS
Bolder, though not so subtle.

Aufidius vows that he’ll kill the hell out of Coriolanus the next time they meet.

AUFIDIUS
[…] Where I find him, were it
At home, upon my brother’s guard, even there,
Against the hospitable canon, would I
Wash my fierce hand in’s heart.

With that, he sends First Soldier off to scout out Corioles. Aufidius himself goes to the cypress grove south of town. Because of reasons.