Chapter: ACT II. SCENE I.
Rome. A public place

Enter MENENIUS, with the two Tribunes of the people, SICINIUS and
BRUTUS

  MENENIUS. The augurer tells me we shall have news tonight.
  BRUTUS. Good or bad?
  MENENIUS. Not according to the prayer of the people, for they
love
    not Marcius.
  SICINIUS. Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.
  MENENIUS. Pray you, who does the wolf love?
  SICINIUS. The lamb.
  MENENIUS. Ay, to devour him, as the hungry plebeians would the
    noble Marcius.
  BRUTUS. He's a lamb indeed, that baas like a bear.
  MENENIUS. He's a bear indeed, that lives like a lamb. You two
are
    old men; tell me one thing that I shall ask you.
  BOTH TRIBUNES. Well, sir.
  MENENIUS. In what enormity is Marcius poor in that you two have
not
    in abundance?
  BRUTUS. He's poor in no one fault, but stor'd with all.
  SICINIUS. Especially in pride.
  BRUTUS. And topping all others in boasting.
  MENENIUS. This is strange now. Do you two know how you are
censured
    here in the city- I mean of us o' th' right-hand file? Do
you?
  BOTH TRIBUNES. Why, how are we censur'd?
  MENENIUS. Because you talk of pride now- will you not be angry?
  BOTH TRIBUNES. Well, well, sir, well.
  MENENIUS. Why, 'tis no great matter; for a very little thief of
    occasion will rob you of a great deal of patience. Give your
    dispositions the reins, and be angry at your pleasures- at
the
    least, if you take it as a pleasure to you in being so. You
blame
    Marcius for being proud?
  BRUTUS. We do it not alone, sir.
  MENENIUS. I know you can do very little alone; for your helps
are
    many, or else your actions would grow wondrous single: your
    abilities are too infant-like for doing much alone. You talk
of
    pride. O that you could turn your eyes toward the napes of
your
    necks, and make but an interior survey of your good selves! O
    that you could!
  BOTH TRIBUNES. What then, sir?
  MENENIUS. Why, then you should discover a brace of unmeriting,
    proud, violent, testy magistrates-alias fools- as any in
Rome.
  SICINIUS. Menenius, you are known well enough too.
  MENENIUS. I am known to be a humorous patrician, and one that
loves
    a cup of hot wine with not a drop of allaying Tiber in't;
said to
    be something imperfect in favouring the first complaint,
hasty
    and tinder-like upon too trivial motion; one that converses
more
    with the buttock of the night than with the forehead of the
    morning. What I think I utter, and spend my malice in my
breath.
    Meeting two such wealsmen as you are- I cannot call you
    Lycurguses- if the drink you give me touch my palate
adversely, I
    make a crooked face at it. I cannot say your worships have
    deliver'd the matter well, when I find the ass in compound
with
    the major part of your syllables; and though I must be
content to
    bear with those that say you are reverend grave men, yet they
lie
    deadly that tell you you have good faces. If you see this in
the
    map of my microcosm, follows it that I am known well enough
too?
    What harm can your bisson conspectuities glean out of this
    character, if I be known well enough too?
  BRUTUS. Come, sir, come, we know you well enough.
  MENENIUS. You know neither me, yourselves, nor any thing. You
are
    ambitious for poor knaves' caps and legs; you wear out a good
    wholesome forenoon in hearing a cause between an orange-wife
and
    a fosset-seller, and then rejourn the controversy of
threepence
    to a second day of audience. When you are hearing a matter
    between party and party, if you chance to be pinch'd with the
    colic, you make faces like mummers, set up the bloody flag
    against all patience, and, in roaring for a chamber-pot,
dismiss
    the controversy bleeding, the more entangled by your hearing.
All
    the peace you make in their cause is calling both the parties
    knaves. You are a pair of strange ones.
  BRUTUS. Come, come, you are well understood to be a perfecter
giber
    for the table than a necessary bencher in the Capitol.
  MENENIUS. Our very priests must become mockers, if they shall
    encounter such ridiculous subjects as you are. When you speak
    best unto the purpose, it is not worth the wagging of your
    beards; and your beards deserve not so honourable a grave as
to
    stuff a botcher's cushion or to be entomb'd in an ass's
    pack-saddle. Yet you must be saying Marcius is proud; who, in
a
    cheap estimation, is worth all your predecessors since
Deucalion;
    though peradventure some of the best of 'em were hereditary
    hangmen. God-den to your worships. More of your conversation
    would infect my brain, being the herdsmen of the beastly
    plebeians. I will be bold to take my leave of you.
                                  [BRUTUS and SICINIUS go aside]

               Enter VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, and VALERIA

    How now, my as fair as noble ladies- and the moon, were she
    earthly, no nobler- whither do you follow your eyes so fast?
  VOLUMNIA. Honourable Menenius, my boy Marcius approaches; for
the
    love of Juno, let's go.
  MENENIUS. Ha! Marcius coming home?
  VOLUMNIA. Ay, worthy Menenius, and with most prosperous
    approbation.
  MENENIUS. Take my cap, Jupiter, and I thank thee. Hoo!
    Marcius coming home!
  VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA. Nay, 'tis true.
  VOLUMNIA. Look, here's a letter from him; the state hath
another,
    his wife another; and I think there's one at home for you.
  MENENIUS. I will make my very house reel to-night. A letter for
me?
  VIRGILIA. Yes, certain, there's a letter for you; I saw't.
  MENENIUS. A letter for me! It gives me an estate of seven
years'
    health; in which time I will make a lip at the physician. The
    most sovereign prescription in Galen is but empiricutic and,
to
    this preservative, of no better report than a horse-drench.
Is he
    not wounded? He was wont to come home wounded.
  VIRGILIA. O, no, no, no.
  VOLUMNIA. O, he is wounded, I thank the gods for't.
  MENENIUS. So do I too, if it be not too much. Brings a victory
in
    his pocket? The wounds become him.
  VOLUMNIA. On's brows, Menenius, he comes the third time home
with
    the oaken garland.
  MENENIUS. Has he disciplin'd Aufidius soundly?
  VOLUMNIA. Titus Lartius writes they fought together, but
Aufidius
    got off.
  MENENIUS. And 'twas time for him too, I'll warrant him that; an
he
    had stay'd by him, I would not have been so fidius'd for all
the
    chests in Corioli and the gold that's in them. Is the Senate
    possess'd of this?
  VOLUMNIA. Good ladies, let's go. Yes, yes, yes: the Senate has
    letters from the general, wherein he gives my son the whole
name
    of the war; he hath in this action outdone his former deeds
    doubly.
  VALERIA. In troth, there's wondrous things spoke of him.
  MENENIUS. Wondrous! Ay, I warrant you, and not without his true
    purchasing.
  VIRGILIA. The gods grant them true!
  VOLUMNIA. True! pow, waw.
  MENENIUS. True! I'll be sworn they are true. Where is he
wounded?
    [To the TRIBUNES]  God save your good worships! Marcius is
coming
    home; he has more cause to be proud. Where is he wounded?
  VOLUMNIA. I' th' shoulder and i' th' left arm; there will be
large
    cicatrices to show the people when he shall stand for his
place.
    He received in the repulse of Tarquin seven hurts i' th'
body.
  MENENIUS. One i' th' neck and two i' th' thigh- there's nine
that I
    know.
  VOLUMNIA. He had before this last expedition twenty-five wounds
    upon him.
  MENENIUS. Now it's twenty-seven; every gash was an enemy's
grave.
    [A shout and flourish]  Hark! the trumpets.
  VOLUMNIA. These are the ushers of Marcius. Before him he
carries
      noise, and behind him he leaves tears;
    Death, that dark spirit, in's nervy arm doth lie,
    Which, being advanc'd, declines, and then men die.

            A sennet. Trumpets sound. Enter COMINIUS the
              GENERAL, and TITUS LARTIUS; between them,
           CORIOLANUS, crown'd with an oaken garland; with
                   CAPTAINS and soldiers and a HERALD

  HERALD. Know, Rome, that all alone Marcius did fight
    Within Corioli gates, where he hath won,
    With fame, a name to Caius Marcius; these
    In honour follows Coriolanus.
    Welcome to Rome, renowned Coriolanus!             [Flourish]
  ALL. Welcome to Rome, renowned Coriolanus!
  CORIOLANUS. No more of this, it does offend my heart.
    Pray now, no more.
  COMINIUS. Look, sir, your mother!
  CORIOLANUS. O,
    You have, I know, petition'd all the gods
    For my prosperity!                                  [Kneels]
  VOLUMNIA. Nay, my good soldier, up;
    My gentle Marcius, worthy Caius, and
    By deed-achieving honour newly nam'd-
    What is it? Coriolanus must I call thee?
    But, O, thy wife!
  CORIOLANUS. My gracious silence, hail!
    Wouldst thou have laugh'd had I come coffin'd home,
    That weep'st to see me triumph? Ah, my dear,
    Such eyes the widows in Corioli wear,
    And mothers that lack sons.
  MENENIUS. Now the gods crown thee!
  CORIOLANUS. And live you yet?  [To VALERIA]  O my sweet lady,
    pardon.
  VOLUMNIA. I know not where to turn.
    O, welcome home! And welcome, General.
    And y'are welcome all.
  MENENIUS. A hundred thousand welcomes. I could weep
    And I could laugh; I am light and heavy. Welcome!
    A curse begin at very root on's heart
    That is not glad to see thee! You are three
    That Rome should dote on; yet, by the faith of men,
    We have some old crab trees here at home that will not
    Be grafted to your relish. Yet welcome, warriors.
    We call a nettle but a nettle, and
    The faults of fools but folly.
  COMINIUS. Ever right.
  CORIOLANUS. Menenius ever, ever.
  HERALD. Give way there, and go on.
  CORIOLANUS.  [To his wife and mother]  Your hand, and yours.
    Ere in our own house I do shade my head,
    The good patricians must be visited;
    From whom I have receiv'd not only greetings,
    But with them change of honours.
  VOLUMNIA. I have lived
    To see inherited my very wishes,
    And the buildings of my fancy; only
    There's one thing wanting, which I doubt not but
    Our Rome will cast upon thee.
  CORIOLANUS. Know, good mother,
    I had rather be their servant in my way
    Than sway with them in theirs.
  COMINIUS. On, to the Capitol.
                 [Flourish. Cornets. Exeunt in state, as before]

                BRUTUS and SICINIUS come forward

  BRUTUS. All tongues speak of him and the bleared sights
    Are spectacled to see him. Your prattling nurse
    Into a rapture lets her baby cry
    While she chats him; the kitchen malkin pins
    Her richest lockram 'bout her reechy neck,
    Clamb'ring the walls to eye him; stalls, bulks, windows,
    Are smother'd up, leads fill'd and ridges hors'd
    With variable complexions, all agreeing
    In earnestness to see him. Seld-shown flamens
    Do press among the popular throngs and puff
    To win a vulgar station; our veil'd dames
    Commit the war of white and damask in
    Their nicely gawded cheeks to th' wanton spoil
    Of Phoebus' burning kisses. Such a pother,
    As if that whatsoever god who leads him
    Were slily crept into his human powers,
    And gave him graceful posture.
  SICINIUS. On the sudden
    I warrant him consul.
  BRUTUS. Then our office may
    During his power go sleep.
  SICINIUS. He cannot temp'rately transport his honours
    From where he should begin and end, but will
    Lose those he hath won.
  BRUTUS. In that there's comfort.
  SICINIUS. Doubt not
    The commoners, for whom we stand, but they
    Upon their ancient malice will forget
    With the least cause these his new honours; which
    That he will give them make our as little question
    As he is proud to do't.
  BRUTUS. I heard him swear,
    Were he to stand for consul, never would he
    Appear i' th' market-place, nor on him put
    The napless vesture of humility;
    Nor, showing, as the manner is, his wounds
    To th' people, beg their stinking breaths.
  SICINIUS. 'Tis right.
  BRUTUS. It was his word. O, he would miss it rather
    Than carry it but by the suit of the gentry to him
    And the desire of the nobles.
  SICINIUS. I wish no better
    Than have him hold that purpose, and to put it
    In execution.
  BRUTUS. 'Tis most like he will.
  SICINIUS. It shall be to him then as our good wills:
    A sure destruction.
  BRUTUS. So it must fall out
    To him or our authorities. For an end,
    We must suggest the people in what hatred
    He still hath held them; that to's power he would
    Have made them mules, silenc'd their pleaders, and
    Dispropertied their freedoms; holding them
    In human action and capacity
    Of no more soul nor fitness for the world
    Than camels in their war, who have their provand
    Only for bearing burdens, and sore blows
    For sinking under them.
  SICINIUS. This, as you say, suggested
    At some time when his soaring insolence
    Shall touch the people- which time shall not want,
    If he be put upon't, and that's as easy
    As to set dogs on sheep- will be his fire
    To kindle their dry stubble; and their blaze
    Shall darken him for ever.

                           Enter A MESSENGER

  BRUTUS. What's the matter?
  MESSENGER. You are sent for to the Capitol. 'Tis thought
    That Marcius shall be consul.
    I have seen the dumb men throng to see him and
    The blind to hear him speak; matrons flung gloves,
    Ladies and maids their scarfs and handkerchers,
    Upon him as he pass'd; the nobles bended
    As to Jove's statue, and the commons made
    A shower and thunder with their caps and shouts.
    I never saw the like.
  BRUTUS. Let's to the Capitol,
    And carry with us ears and eyes for th' time,
    But hearts for the event.
  SICINIUS. Have with you.                                Exeunt

 Back in Rome, a conversation ensues between Menenius and the two tribunes, Sicinius and Brutus, as they anticipate Marcius return. The tone of their conversation soon changes from playful jesting to vindictive anger. Menenius tells the tribunes that a fortuneteller has predicted that significant news of the Roman army will come tonight. But the news will not be in accord with the wishes of the people since they hate Marcius. Sicinius adopts a hostile tone and replies that Nature herself teaches beasts to know their friends. Menenius denounces the plebeians as wolves who would devour the noble Marcius. The situation is fraught with animosity. Menenius then lures the two tribunes into cataloguing Marcius faults. Sicinius and Brutus state that Marcius is a braggart; Menenius responds by deriding the ambition of the tribunes themselves and charging them of being proud. He calls them a brace of unmeriting, proud, violent, testy magistrates --- alias fools Before they can retaliate, Menenius relates his own faults, acknowledging that he is a humorous patrician who enjoys drinking and women, is imperfect as a judge, and inclined to show favors. He also grants that he is short-tempered and gets irritated hearing people criticize him. Despite all these faults, he says that he is a man of integrity who speaks his own mind and spends his malice in breath. He then criticizes the tribunes for their exploitation of the common people despite the fact that they are supposed to serve their interests. Menenius draws this spiteful conversation to a close by remarking that even priests would become mockers if they encountered the likes of Sicinius and Brutus and by emphasizing that Marcius is worth all of their ancestors. As he leaves the tribunes, Menenius runs into Volumnia, Virgilia, and, Valeria who are rushing off somewhere in a great hurry. Menenius tone undergoes a complete change as he greets the ladies respectfully and courteously. When Volumnia informs him that Marcius is coming home and with most prosperous approbation, Menenius declares his amazement and disbelief. They tell him that letters have been sent telling of the news of the Roman victory. Menenius is overjoyed. A discussion follows about the wounds that Marcius has received. Virgilia, with typical wifely concern, shudders at the thought; in contrast, Volumnia thanks the gods for Marcius wounds. Menenius even admits that wounds are the proud marks of a true soldier. As Volumnia boasts about Marcius achievements, Menenius shouts out the news of Marcius triumph to the tribunes, who are standing aside. Suddenly there is a shout and a flourish, signaling the approach of the victorious Roman army. Accompanied by Cominius, Titus Lartius and the soldiers, Marcius enters to the sound of trumpets. A Herald makes a public proclamation of Coriolanus brave deeds, saying that all alone Marcius did fight/ Within Corioli gates: where he hath won / With fame, a name. . .Coriolanus. Embarrassed by this public display, Marcius silences the crowd. Then spying his family, he kneels deferentially to his mother and gently admonishes his wife for crying. Volumnia expresses her happiness and says that this day marks the fulfillment of her dreams and anticipates the consulship that will be bestowed on him. Coriolanus modestly states that he would rather serve the state as a soldier than be a part of the governing body. He then he leaves for the State. The two tribunes, again alone, gossip with envy about the recent developments. Brutus dislikes Rome fawning over Coriolanus, and Sicinius fears that he may be made consul, diminishing the tribunes influence and power. Sicinius insists that Marcius is temperamentally unfit to assume the office of consulship and will not be able to retain his office if elected. He claims that the plebeians will soon forget his services to the state when he shows his insolence and denounces them. The two tribunes plan Marcius downfall, agreeing to make him show his disdain for the commoners. A messenger enters with reports of the public praise for Coriolanus. He also informs them that their presence is required at the Capitol because it is rumored that Marcius is to be made consul.

