SHAKESPEARE ON DISK. CORIOLANUS. Copyright (c) 1990 Interconnection Publications Inc. DRAMATIS PERSONAE. CAIUS MARCIUS, later CAIUS MARCIUS CORIOLANUS. A noble Roman. VOLUMNIA. Mother of Coriolanus. MENENIUS AGRIPPA. Friend of Coriolanus. VIRGILIA. Wife of Coriolanus. TITUS LARTIUS. General against the Volscians. COMINIUS. General against the Volscians. SICINIUS VELUTUS. Tribune of the people. JUNIUS BRUTUS. Tribune of the people. TULLUS AUFIDIUS. General of the Volscians. VALERIA. Friend of Virgilia. A CITIZEN OF ANTIUM. GENTLEWOMAN Attending on Virgilia. YOUNG MARCIUS. Son of Coriolanus. LIEUTENANT. Under Aufidius. TWO VOLSCIAN GUARDS. CONSPIRATORS. With Aufidius. A ROMAN HERALD. CITIZENS, ROMAN SENATORS, VOLSCIAN SENATORS, PATRICIANS, AEDILES, LICTORS, SOLDIERS, MESSENGERS, SERVANTS, and ATTENDANTS. SYNOPSIS. 1/1 Rome. A street. The CITIZENS resolve to rebel against Coriolanus and the patricians; MENENIUS AGRIPPA enters and tries to dissuade them from this; CAIUS MARCIUS enters and snubs the mob but says that they have been granted tribunes. A MESSENGER enters with the news that the Volsces are arming themselves; COMINIUS, TITUS LARTIUS, SENATORS, JUNIUS BRUTUS and SICINIUS VELUTUS enter and the FIRST SENATOR asks CAIUS MARCIUS to serve under COMINIUS. All exit but JUNIUS BRUTUS and SICINIUS VELUTUS who disparage Caius Marcius. 1/2 Corioli. The Senate-house. TULLUS AUFIDIUS and the SENATORS discuss their strategy against Rome. 1/3 Rome. A room in Marcius' house. VOLUMNIA praises Caius Marcius' martial virtues to VIRGILIA; a GENTLEWOMAN enters, announces a visitor and exits; an USHER and a GENTLEWOMAN enter with VALERIA who tries to coax VIRGILIA to go out with them. 1/4 Before Corioli. CAIUS MARCIUS, TITUS LARTIUS, CAPTAINS, and SOLDIERS enter and speak; a MESSENGER enters with news of the enemy; the ROMANS parley with two SENATORS from Corioli. The VOLSCIAN ARMY enters and drives back the ROMANS; CAIUS MARCIUS enters, curses his men, and follows the VOLSCES into the city; TITUS LARTIUS enters and asks for CAIUS MARCIUS who enters and leads the army into Corioli. 1/5 Within Corioli. A street. ROMANS enter with their spoils; CAIUS MARCIUS and TITUS LARTIUS enter; CAIUS MARCIUS leaves TITUS LARTIUS to hold the city and exits to relieve Cominius. 1/6 Near the camp of Cominius. COMINIUS and SOLDIERS retreat; a MESSENGER enters with bad news; CAIUS MARCIUS enters, describes his victory and his determination to fight Aufidius; the SOLDIERS volunteer to follow him. 1/7 The gates of Corioli. TITUS LARTIUS, a LIEUTENANT, SOLDIERS and a SCOUT enter, and TITUS LARTIUS entrusts the defence of the city to the LIEUTENANT. 1/8 A field of battle between the Roman and the Volscian camp. CAIUS MARCIUS fights with TULLUS AUFIDIUS, who retreats despite being backed by some VOLSCES. 1/9 The Roman camp. COMINIUS praises CAIUS MARCIUS in the presence of the ROMANS; TITUS LARTIUS enters and concurs; CAIUS MARCIUS is embarrassed by their adulation and refuses any booty; he is named CAIUS MARCIUS CORIOLANUS. CORIOLANUS asks only for a favour for a poor prisoner and exits. 1/10 The camp of the Volsces. TULLUS AUFIDIUS, who enters with SOLDIERS, says that he will kill Coriolanus however he can; he then sends a SOLDIER to discover the terms of Corioli's ransom. 2/1 Rome. A public place. MENENIUS AGRIPPA criticises SICINIUS VELUTUS and JUNIUS BRUTUS. VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, VALERIA and ATTENDANTS enter and tell MENENIUS AGRIPPA of Coriolanus' victory. COMINIUS, TITUS LARTIUS, CORIOLANUS, CAPTAINS and SOLDIERS enter with a HERALD who proclaims CORIOLANUS' valour; CORIOLANUS greets his family; all exit but the TRIBUNES who conspire against Coriolanus; a MESSENGER enters and calls them to the Capitol. 2/2 Rome. The Capitol. Two OFFICERS analyze Coriolanus. PATRICIANS, TRIBUNES, LICTORS, MENENIUS AGRIPPA, COMINIUS, SICINIUS VELUTUS, and JUNIUS BRUTUS enter and consider CORIOLANUS' merits; he exits while they do so, then re-enters and is made consul. The others exit but the TRIBUNES decide to rouse the crowd. 2/3 Rome. The Forum. CITIZENS enter, consider how to vote and exit. MENENIUS AGRIPPA and CORIOLANUS enter; MENENIUS AGRIPPA tries to moderate CORIOLANUS' scorn and exits; two CITIZENS enter, endorse CORIOLANUS and exit; two more CITIZENS enter, give him their voices and exit; three CITIZENS enter, approve him and exit; MENENIUS AGRIPPA, JUNIUS BRUTUS and SICINIUS VELUTUS enter and tell CORIOLANUS that he has been passed; CORIOLANUS and MENENIUS AGRIPPA exit. The CITIZENS are instigated to retract their votes by the TRIBUNES, and exit. 3/1 Rome. A street. CORIOLANUS, MENENIUS AGRIPPA, COMINIUS, TITUS LARTIUS, SENATORS and GENTRY enter and consider the Volscian situation. SICINIUS VELUTUS and JUNIUS BRUTUS enter and announce that the people have revoked the election; CORIOLANUS accuses them of fomenting disaffection and warns the nobles against the commons; the TRIBUNES accuse him of treachery and call for AEDILES to arrest him; these enter with CITIZENS, and fighting breaks out; the crowd is held back and CORIOLANUS is persuaded to leave, which he does with all the patricians save MENENIUS AGRIPPA and two others. The TRIBUNES and CITIZENS re-enter; they want to lynch Coriolanus, but MENENIUS AGRIPPA convinces them that they should proceed legally. 3/2 Rome. A room in Coriolanus' house. CORIOLANUS and PATRICIANS enter and speak; VOLUMNIA enters and deplores CORIOLANUS' bluntness; MENENIUS AGRIPPA and SENATORS enter and support VOLUMNIA, who advises CORIOLANUS to placate the mob; CORIOLANUS reluctantly agrees and VOLUMNIA exits. 3/3 Rome. The Forum. SICINIUS VELUTUS and JUNIUS BRUTUS enter; an AEDILE enters and they scheme to destroy Coriolanus; the AEDILE exits. CORIOLANUS, MENENIUS AGRIPPA, COMINIUS, SENATORS and PATRICIANS enter; the AEDILE enters with the CITIZENS; the TRIBUNES provoke CORIOLANUS and incite the crowd to banish him; CORIOLANUS, COMINIUS, MENENIUS AGRIPPA, SENATORS and PATRICIANS exit. 4/1 Rome. Before a gate of the city. CORIOLANUS enters with VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, MENENIUS AGRIPPA, COMINIUS and PATRICIANS, and takes his leave of his friends. 4/2 Rome. A street near the gate. SICINIUS VELUTUS and JUNIUS BRUTUS enter with an AEDILE, who exits to disperse the mob. VIRGILIA and MENENIUS AGRIPPA enter with VOLUMNIA, who curses the TRIBUNES till the men exit. 4/3 A highway between Rome and Antium. A VOLSCE meets a ROMAN who describes the unrest in that city and suggests that Aufidius attack it. 4/4 Antium. Before Aufidius' house. CORIOLANUS enters and speaks; a CITIZEN enters, tells him that they are in front of Aufidius' house, and exits; CORIOLANUS soliloquises on the reversals of fate. 4/5 Antium. A hall in Aufidius' house. Two SERVING-MEN enter and exit; CORIOLANUS enters and the SERVANTS, joined by a THIRD SERVING-MAN, try to throw him out. One of them returns with TULLUS AUFIDIUS to whom CORIOLANUS discloses himself; TULLUS AUFIDIUS welcomes him as an associate and they exit. The two SERVING-MEN compare the commanders; a third enters and describes Coriolanus' reception. 4/6 Rome. A public place. SICINIUS VELUTUS and JUNIUS BRUTUS enter and congratulate themselves; MENENIUS AGRIPPA enters and they speak; CITIZENS enter, greet the tribunes respectfully, and exit; an AEDILE enters, with news of a Volscian invasion; a MESSENGER enters, confirms this, and reports that Coriolanus leads the enemy; a second MESSENGER enters with more details; COMINIUS enters and blames the TRIBUNES for this attack; CITIZENS enter and deny all responsibility; COMINIUS and MENENIUS AGRIPPA exit; and the TRIBUNES send the CITIZENS home. 4/7 A camp, at a small distance from Rome. TULLUS AUFIDIUS and his LIEUTENANT discuss Coriolanus' alarming popularity; TULLUS AUFIDIUS determines to defeat the Roman once he has taken Rome. 5/1 Rome. A public place. MENENIUS AGRIPPA, COMINIUS, SICINIUS VELUTUS, JUNIUS BRUTUS and others enter; at first MENENIUS AGRIPPA refuses to beg Coriolanus for mercy, for COMINIUS already has been rejected; the TRIBUNES urge him to try and he exits; COMINIUS believes that Volumnia is Rome's only hope. 5/2 The Volscian camp before Rome. Two SENTINELS refuse to let MENENIUS AGRIPPA pass. CORIOLANUS enters with TULLUS AUFIDIUS and acknowledges his fondness for MENENIUS AGRIPPA but refuses to listen to him; CORILANUS and TULLUS AUFIDIUS exit; and the SENTINELS mock MENENIUS AGRIPPA. 5/3 The tent of Coriolanus. CORIOLANUS impresses upon TULLUS AUFIDIUS and OTHERS his loyalty to the Volscian cause. VIRGILIA, VOLUMNIA, YOUNG MARCIUS, VALERIA and ATTENDANTS enter and implore CORIOLANUS to spare Rome; initially he resists, but eventually he accedes to VOLUMNIA, although he knows he may pay for it with his life. TULLUS AUFIDIUS exults in CORIOLANUS' weakness. 5/4 Rome. A public place. MENENIUS AGRIPPA tells SICINIUS VELUTUS that there is no hope of mercy from Coriolanus; a MESSENGER enters and says that a mob is threatening Junius Brutus; another MESSENGER enters with news of the peace; and all exit to meet the Ladies. 5/5 Rome. A street near the gate. Two SENATORS and LORDS escort the LADIES through the streets of Rome and praise and welcome them. 5/6 Corioli. A public place. TULLUS AUFIDIUS enters with ATTENDANTS whom he dispatches to the Lords; they exit. Some CONSPIRATORS enter and plot with the resentful TULLUS AUFIDIUS to murder Coriolanus. The LORDS enter, soon followed by CORIOLANUS and the COMMONERS; CORIOLANUS describes his triumphant campaign; TULLUS AUFIDIUS accuses him of treachery; CORIOLANUS responds angrily; the conspirators sieze the chance to kill him. The shocked LORDS order an honourable burial for CORIOLANUS.