Original: I’ll give my reasons, More worthier than their voices.
Modern: I’ll give you my reasons, which are more important than the people’s opinions.

Original: They know the corn Was not our recompense, resting well assured That ne’er did service for’t: being press’d to the war,
Modern: They know the grain wasn’t given as payment for their service, since they’re well aware they never truly served to earn it: when drafted into war,

Original: Even when the navel of the state was touch’d, They would not thread the gates.
Modern: Even when the very heart of our nation was threatened, they refused to march through the city gates to fight.

Original: This kind of service Did not deserve corn gratis.
Modern: This kind of “service” didn’t earn them free grain.

Original: Being i’ the war Their mutinies and revolts, wherein they show’d Most valour, spoke not for them:
Modern: During the war, their mutinies and rebellions—where they showed their greatest courage—didn’t help their case:

Original: the accusation Which they have often made against the senate, All cause unborn, could never be the motive Of our so frank donation.
Modern: the complaints they’ve constantly made against the senate, all without real cause, could never be the reason for our generous gift.

Original: Well, what then?
Modern: So what’s the result?

Original: How shall this bisson multitude digest The senate’s courtesy?
Modern: How will this blind mob interpret the senate’s generosity?

Original: Let deeds express What’s like to be their words: ‘we did request it;
Modern: Let their future actions show what they’ll probably say: “We demanded it;

Original: We are the greater poll, and in true fear They gave us our demands.’
Modern: We are the majority, and out of real fear they gave us what we wanted.”

Original: Thus we debase The nature of our seats and make the rabble Call our cares fears;
Modern: This way we cheapen the dignity of our leadership positions and let the mob call our careful concerns cowardice;

Original: which will in time Break ope the locks o’ the senate and bring in The crows to peck the eagles.
Modern: which will eventually break open the senate’s doors and allow the crows to attack the eagles.

Original: No, take more:
Modern: No, hear more:

Original: What may be sworn by, both divine and human, Seal what I end withal!
Modern: Let everything holy and earthly confirm what I’m about to conclude with!

Original: This double worship, Where one part does disdain with cause, the other Insult without all reason,
Modern: This divided system, where one side rightfully looks down on the other, while the other side insults without any reason,

Original: where gentry, title, wisdom, Cannot conclude but by the yea and no Of general ignorance,
Modern: where nobility, rank, and wisdom cannot make any decision without the yes or no of the ignorant masses,

Original: it must omit Real necessities, and give way the while To unstable slightness:
Modern: it must ignore real urgent needs and instead give in to foolish whims:

Original: purpose so barr’d, it follows, Nothing is done to purpose.
Modern: when real goals are blocked this way, it follows that nothing meaningful gets accomplished.

Original: Therefore, beseech you,—You that will be less fearful than discreet,
Modern: Therefore, I beg you—you who will be more brave than cautious,

Original: That love the fundamental part of state More than you doubt the change on’t,
Modern: who love the foundation of our government more than you fear changing it,

Original: that prefer A noble life before a long, and wish To jump a body with a dangerous physic That’s sure of death without it,
Modern: who prefer a noble life over a long one, and who are willing to risk treating a body with dangerous medicine when it will surely die without it,

Original: at once pluck out The multitudinous tongue;
Modern: immediately silence the voice of the masses;

Original: let them not lick The sweet which is their poison:
Modern: don’t let them taste the sweetness that is actually their poison:

Original: your dishonour Mangles true judgment and bereaves the state Of that integrity which should become’t,
Modern: your dishonor destroys good judgment and strips the state of the integrity it should have,

Original: Not having the power to do the good it would, For the in which doth control’t.
Modern: leaving it without the power to do the good it wants to do, because of the evil that now controls it.

Original: Thou wretch, despite o’erwhelm thee!
Modern: You miserable wretch, may contempt destroy you!

Original: What should the people do with these bald tribunes?
Modern: Why do the people need these worthless tribunes?

Original: On whom depending, their obedience fails To the greater bench:
Modern: By depending on them, the people stop obeying the higher authority:

Original: in a rebellion, When what’s not meet, but what must be, was law, Then were they chosen:
Modern: during a rebellion, when what was necessary rather than what was right became law, that’s when these tribunes were chosen:

Original: in a better hour, Let what is meet be said it must be meet, And throw their power i’ the dust.
Modern: in better times, let what is right be declared as necessary, and cast their power into the dirt.

In Act III, Scene 1 of “Coriolanus,” the scene opens with Coriolanus, accompanied by Menenius, Cominius, and other senators, encountering the tribunes Sicinius and Brutus in a Roman street. The tribunes inform Coriolanus that the people will not allow him to become consul, which immediately provokes his fury. Coriolanus launches into a bitter tirade against the common people and their newly granted political power, arguing that giving them tribunes and a voice in government has undermined Rome’s strength and stability. He openly expresses his contempt for the plebeians and questions the wisdom of granting them any authority whatsoever. His inflammatory words and refusal to moderate his stance alarm his patrician supporters, who recognize the dangerous political situation he is creating.

The confrontation escalates as the tribunes accuse Coriolanus of speaking treasonously against the people’s rights and liberties, ultimately declaring him a traitor to Rome. An Aedile is sent to summon the commoners, and when they arrive, the tribunes incite them against Coriolanus, calling for his immediate execution or banishment. The situation nearly erupts into violence as the plebeians rush upon Coriolanus, but Menenius and the other senators intervene, attempting to calm both sides. Despite efforts by Menenius and Cominius to persuade him to speak more diplomatically, Coriolanus continues his defiant stance. Eventually, his allies manage to remove him from the volatile scene. The tribunes and Menenius negotiate, agreeing that Coriolanus will be given another chance to answer the charges against him in a more formal setting in the marketplace, though the tribunes make clear their intention to hold him accountable.

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.