Original: All tongues speak of him, and the bleared sights
Modern: Everyone is talking about him, and even people with poor eyesight

Original: Are spectacled to see him: your prattling nurse
Modern: Put on their glasses to get a look at him: your chattering nanny

Original: Into a rapture lets her baby cry
Modern: Gets so excited she lets her baby cry

Original: While she chats him: the kitchen malkin pins
Modern: While she gossips about him: the kitchen servant girl pins

Original: Her richest lockram ‘bout her reechy neck,
Modern: Her finest linen around her dirty neck,

Original: Clambering the walls to eye him: stalls, bulks, windows,
Modern: Climbing up walls to see him: market stalls, shop fronts, windows,

Original: Are smother’d up, leads fill’d, and ridges horsed
Modern: Are packed with people, rooftops filled, and roof peaks crowded

Original: With variable complexions, all agreeing
Modern: With people of all different looks, all united

Original: In earnestness to see him: seld-shown flamens
Modern: In their eagerness to see him: priests who rarely appear in public

Original: Do press among the popular throngs and puff
Modern: Push through the common crowds and struggle for breath

Original: To win a vulgar station: or veil’d dames
Modern: To get a spot among the ordinary people: while veiled ladies

Original: Commit the war of white and damask in
Modern: Risk the battle between their white face powder and natural pink color

Original: Their nicely-gawded cheeks to the wanton spoil
Modern: On their carefully made-up faces to the damaging effects

Original: Of Phoebus’ burning kisses: such a pother
Modern: Of the sun’s burning rays: what a commotion

Original: As if that whatsoever god who leads him
Modern: As if whatever god is guiding him

Original: Were slily crept into his human powers
Modern: Had secretly slipped into his human abilities

Original: And gave him graceful posture.
Modern: And given him such elegant bearing.

In Act II, Scene 1 of “Coriolanus,” Menenius encounters the tribunes Brutus and Sicinius on a Roman street, where they engage in heated verbal sparring about Coriolanus’s character and worthiness. Menenius defends the warrior while the tribunes criticize his pride and temperament. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Volumnia, Virgilia, and Valeria, who bring news of Coriolanus’s military victories. Volumnia speaks with fierce maternal pride about her son’s battlefield accomplishments and his wounds, which she views as badges of honor that will help secure his election to consul.

The scene builds to Coriolanus’s triumphant entrance with Cominius and other senators, where he receives a hero’s welcome from his family and supporters. Despite the celebration of his military achievements, tension remains evident between Coriolanus and the tribunes, who observe the proceedings with skepticism. The gathering emphasizes the contrast between the patrician celebration of Coriolanus’s martial virtues and the tribunes’ concerns about his fitness for political office. The scene establishes the central conflict between Coriolanus’s military excellence and the political maneuvering required for advancement in Roman civil society, while showcasing the strong influence of his mother Volumnia on both his character and his public image.

Coriolanus tells the tragic story of a Roman military hero whose pride and contempt for the common people ultimately leads to his downfall. The play opens with Roman citizens rioting over grain shortages, angry at the patrician class’s indifference to their suffering. Caius Marcius, a fierce Roman general, successfully leads the siege against the Volscian city of Corioles, earning the honorary name “Coriolanus.” Despite his military prowess, he openly despises the plebeians (common citizens) and reluctantly agrees to seek the consulship only at his mother Volumnia’s urging.

When Coriolanus runs for consul, he must follow tradition by displaying his war wounds to the citizens and asking for their votes. Though initially successful, the tribunes Brutus and Sicinius manipulate the fickle crowd against him, exploiting his arrogant nature and aristocratic disdain. When Coriolanus explodes in rage against the people’s ingratitude and the democratic process itself, he is banished from Rome. His famous response - “I banish you!” - reveals his wounded pride and inability to bend to political necessity.

In exile, Coriolanus seeks out his former enemy Aufidius, leader of the Volscians, and offers to help destroy Rome in revenge. Together they march on the city with devastating success. As Rome faces imminent destruction, various delegations plead with Coriolanus to spare the city, but he remains unmoved until his mother Volumnia, wife Virgilia, and young son appear before him. In the play’s climactic scene, Volumnia’s emotional appeal finally breaks through his resolve, and he agrees to make peace - knowing this decision will likely cost him his life. True to expectation, Aufidius and his conspirators kill Coriolanus for his “betrayal,” viewing his mercy toward Rome as weakness and treachery to their cause.