Original: I shall lack voice: the deeds of Coriolanus
Modern: I won’t have a strong enough voice: the actions of Coriolanus

Original: Should not be utter’d feebly. It is held
Modern: Shouldn’t be spoken about weakly. People believe

Original: That valour is the chiefest virtue, and
Modern: That courage is the greatest virtue, and

Original: Most dignifies the haver: if it be,
Modern: Brings the most honor to whoever has it: if that’s true,

Original: The man I speak of cannot in the world
Modern: The man I’m talking about cannot anywhere in the world

Original: Be singly counterpoised. At sixteen years,
Modern: Be equally matched by anyone. At sixteen years old,

Original: When Tarquin made a head for Rome, he fought
Modern: When Tarquin raised an army against Rome, he fought

Original: Beyond the mark of others: our then dictator,
Modern: Far better than everyone else: our leader at that time,

Original: Whom with all praise I point at, saw him fight,
Modern: Who I mention with great respect, saw him fight,

Original: When with his Amazonian chin he drove
Modern: When with his smooth, beardless chin he pushed back

Original: The bristled lips before him: be bestrid
Modern: The bearded men in front of him: he stood over

Original: An o’er-press’d Roman and i’ the consul’s view
Modern: An overwhelmed Roman soldier and right in front of the consul

Original: Slew three opposers: Tarquin’s self he met,
Modern: Killed three enemies: he met Tarquin himself,

Original: And struck him on his knee: in that day’s feats,
Modern: And knocked him to his knees: in that day’s achievements,

Original: When he might act the woman in the scene,
Modern: When he could have played the weak, feminine role,

Original: He proved best man i’ the field, and for his meed
Modern: He proved to be the best man on the battlefield, and as his reward

Original: Was brow-bound with the oak. His pupil age
Modern: Was crowned with an oak wreath. His youth

Original: Man-enter’d thus, he waxed like a sea,
Modern: Having entered manhood this way, he grew like the ocean,

Original: And in the brunt of seventeen battles since
Modern: And in the heat of seventeen battles after that

Original: He lurch’d all swords of the garland. For this last,
Modern: He left all other swordsmen behind in winning honors. In this most recent battle,

Original: Before and in Corioli, let me say,
Modern: Both outside and inside Corioli, let me tell you,

Original: I cannot speak him home: he stopp’d the fliers;
Modern: I cannot fully describe his deeds: he stopped the soldiers running away;

Original: And by his rare example made the coward
Modern: And by his extraordinary example made the coward

Original: Turn terror into sport: as weeds before
Modern: Turn fear into a game: like seaweed before

Original: A vessel under sail, so men obey’d
Modern: A sailing ship, that’s how men followed his orders

Original: And fell below his stem: his sword, death’s stamp,
Modern: And fell beneath his bow: his sword, death’s seal,

Original: Where it did mark, it took; from face to foot
Modern: Wherever it struck, it killed; from head to toe

Original: He was a thing of blood, whose every motion
Modern: He was covered in blood, and his every movement

Original: Was timed with dying cries: alone he enter’d
Modern: Was accompanied by the screams of dying men: by himself he entered

Original: The mortal gate of the city, which he painted
Modern: The deadly gate of the city, which he painted

Original: With shunless destiny; aidless came off,
Modern: With unavoidable fate; without help he came back out,

Original: And with a sudden reinforcement struck
Modern: And with a surprise counterattack he struck

Original: Corioli like a planet: now all’s his:
Modern: Corioli like a destructive force of nature: now everything belongs to him:

Original: When, by and by, the din of war gan pierce
Modern: When, soon after, the noise of battle began to reach

Original: His ready sense; then straight his doubled spirit
Modern: His alert awareness; then immediately his renewed energy

Original: Re-quicken’d what in flesh was fatigate,
Modern: Revived what in his body was exhausted,

Original: And to the battle came he; where he did
Modern: And he came back to the battle; where he did

Original: Run reeking o’er the lives of men, as if
Modern: Run steaming with blood over the lives of men, as if

Original: ‘Twere a perpetual spoil: and till we call’d
Modern: It were an endless slaughter: and until we claimed

Original: Both field and city ours, he never stood
Modern: Both the battlefield and city as ours, he never stopped

Original: To ease his breast with panting.
Modern: To rest and catch his breath.

In Act II, Scene 2 of “Coriolanus,” the Roman Senate convenes to discuss granting Coriolanus the consulship following his military victories against the Volscians at Corioles. Menenius opens the proceedings and calls upon the tribunes Sicinius and Brutus to take their places. Cominius then delivers a formal oration recounting Coriolanus’s military prowess, describing how even as a youth of sixteen, Coriolanus proved himself in battle against Tarquin, and how his valor has only increased with time. Cominius emphasizes Coriolanus’s role in the recent victory at Corioles, where he fought with extraordinary courage, entering the city gates alone and emerging covered in blood but triumphant.

Following Cominius’s speech, the Senate unanimously agrees to recommend Coriolanus for the consulship. However, this appointment requires the traditional custom of Coriolanus appearing before the common citizens in the marketplace, wearing the gown of humility and showing his wounds while asking for their voices (votes). Menenius informs Coriolanus of this requirement, and though Coriolanus expresses reluctance and disdain for this ceremonial duty, he ultimately agrees to perform it. The tribunes Sicinius and Brutus remain behind after the others exit, expressing their private concern that the proud Coriolanus will refuse to humble himself properly before the plebeians, which they hope will turn public opinion against him and prevent his election to consul.

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.