Coriolanus: Act 1, Scene 4 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 1, Scene 4 of Coriolanus from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

Original Text	Translated Text
Source: Folger Shakespeare Library
Enter Martius, Titus Lartius, with Trumpet, Drum, and Colors, with Captains and Soldiers, as before the city of Corioles. To them a Messenger. MARTIUS Yonder comes news. A wager they have met. LARTIUS My horse to yours, no. MARTIUS ’Tis done. LARTIUS Agreed. MARTIUS, to Messenger Say, has our general met the enemy? 5 MESSENGER They lie in view but have not spoke as yet. LARTIUS So the good horse is mine. MARTIUS I’ll buy him of you. LARTIUS No, I’ll nor sell nor give him. Lend you him I will For half a hundred years.—Summon the town. 10 MARTIUS How far off lie these armies? MESSENGER Within this mile and half. MARTIUS Then shall we hear their ’larum and they ours. Now, Mars, I prithee, make us quick in work, That we with smoking swords may march from 15 hence To help our fielded friends!—Come, blow thy blast. They sound a parley.	Cut to the city of Corioles, where Caius Martius and Titus Lartius take a little break from battering the city.
Enter two Senators with others on the walls of Corioles. Tullus Aufidius, is he within your walls? FIRST SENATORNo, nor a man that fears you less than he: That’s lesser than a little. Drum afar off. 20 Hark, our drums Are bringing forth our youth. We’ll break our walls Rather than they shall pound us up. Our gates, Which yet seem shut, we have but pinned with rushes. 25 They’ll open of themselves. Alarum far off. Hark you, far off! There is Aufidius. List what work he makes Amongst your cloven army. They exit from the walls.	A group of Volscian Senators show up on the city's walls and start talking trash about how their military leader, Tullus Aufidius, is going to show up any minute and make the Romans wish they had never come here.
MARTIUS O, they are at it! 30 LARTIUS Their noise be our instruction.—Ladders, ho! Enter the Army of the Volsces as through the city gates.	Next, the Senators send out their Volscian army to throw down with the Roman soldiers. Game on.
MARTIUS They fear us not but issue forth their city.— Now put your shields before your hearts, and fight With hearts more proof than shields.—Advance, brave Titus. 35 They do disdain us much beyond our thoughts, Which makes me sweat with wrath.—Come on, my fellows! He that retires, I’ll take him for a Volsce, And he shall feel mine edge. 40 Alarum. The Romans are beat back to their trenches. They exit, with the Volsces following.	Caius Martius leads the charge against the Volscians but the Romans are beaten back to their trenches outside the city walls.
Enter Martius cursing, with Roman soldiers. MARTIUS All the contagion of the south light on you, You shames of Rome! You herd of—Boils and plagues Plaster you o’er, that you may be abhorred Farther than seen, and one infect another 45 Against the wind a mile! You souls of geese, That bear the shapes of men, how have you run From slaves that apes would beat! Pluto and hell! All hurt behind. Backs red, and faces pale With flight and agued fear! Mend, and charge home, 50 Or, by the fires of heaven, I’ll leave the foe And make my wars on you. Look to ’t. Come on! If you’ll stand fast, we’ll beat them to their wives, As they us to our trenches. Follow ’s!	Martius then gives the Roman troops a little pep talk. And by "pep talk" we mean he curses them out and threatens to kill them himself if they don't start kicking some Volscian butt ASAP. You know, a little Coach Taylor style.
Another alarum. The Volsces re-enter and are driven back to the gates of Corioles, which open to admit them. So, now the gates are ope. Now prove good 55 seconds! ’Tis for the followers fortune widens them, Not for the fliers. Mark me, and do the like. Martius follows the fleeing Volsces through the gates, and is shut in. FIRST SOLDIER Foolhardiness, not I. SECOND SOLDIER Nor I. 60 FIRST SOLDIER See they have shut him in. Alarum continues. ALL To th’ pot, I warrant him.	Martius chases the Volscian soldiers inside the city gates and disappears while the rest of the soldiers hang back where it's nice and safe.
Enter Titus Lartius. LARTIUS What is become of Martius? ALL Slain, sir, doubtless. FIRST SOLDIER Following the fliers at the very heels, 65 With them he enters, who upon the sudden Clapped to their gates. He is himself alone, To answer all the city. LARTIUS O, noble fellow, Who sensibly outdares his senseless sword, 70 And when it bows, stand’st up! Thou art left, Martius. A carbuncle entire, as big as thou art, Were not so rich a jewel. Thou wast a soldier Even to Cato’s wish, not fierce and terrible 75 Only in strokes, but with thy grim looks and The thunderlike percussion of thy sounds Thou mad’st thine enemies shake, as if the world Were feverous and did tremble. Enter Martius, bleeding, as if from Corioles, assaulted by the enemy.	Just as everyone is thinking Caius Martius is a total goner, he shows up at the city gates...covered in blood and sporting some new battle wounds. (His mom is going to be so proud!)
FIRST SOLDIER Look, sir. 80 LARTIUS O, ’tis Martius! Let’s fetch him off or make remain alike. They fight, and all enter the city, exiting the stage.	Now the other Roman soldiers rush through the gates and ravage the city. Brain Snack: In Ralph Fiennes' 2011 film version of Coriolanus, this battle scene takes place in a contemporary, urban setting that looks more like war-torn Serbia in the 1990's than ancient Rome.