Original: O world, thy slippery turns! Friends now fast sworn,
Modern: Oh world, how quickly things change! Friends who have made firm promises to each other,

Original: Whose double bosoms seem to wear one heart,
Modern: Who seem to share one heart between their two chests,

Original: Whose house, whose bed, whose meal, and exercise,
Modern: Who share the same home, bed, meals, and activities,

Original: Are still together, who twin, as ‘twere, in love
Modern: Who are always together, who are like twins in their love for each other,

Original: Unseparable, shall within this hour,
Modern: Who can’t be separated, will within an hour,

Original: On a dissension of a doit, break out
Modern: Over a disagreement about something worthless, explode

Original: To bitterest enmity: so, fellest foes,
Modern: Into the most bitter hatred: and likewise, the most savage enemies,

Original: Whose passions and whose plots have broke their sleep,
Modern: Whose anger and schemes have kept them awake at night,

Original: To take the one the other, by some chance,
Modern: Each trying to destroy the other, through some accident,

Original: Some trick not worth an egg, shall grow dear friends
Modern: Some trivial event not worth anything, will become close friends

Original: And interjoin their issues. So with me:
Modern: And unite their children in marriage. This is what’s happening to me:

Original: My birth-place hate I, and my love’s upon
Modern: I hate the place where I was born, and my loyalty is given to

Original: This enemy town. I’ll enter: if he slay me,
Modern: This enemy city. I’ll go in: if he kills me,

Original: He does fair justice; if he give me way,
Modern: He’s only being fair; if he lets me pass,

Original: I’ll do his country service.
Modern: I’ll serve his country.

In Act IV, Scene 4 of “Coriolanus,” the banished Roman general Coriolanus arrives in Antium, the chief city of the Volscians, his former enemies. Disguised and travel-worn, he seeks out the house of Aufidius, the Volscian leader who has been his greatest military rival. Coriolanus reflects on the irony of his situation, noting how fortune can transform enemies into allies and allies into enemies. He observes that friends can become bitter foes over trivial matters, while sworn enemies may unite when circumstances change.

When Coriolanus encounters Aufidius, he reveals his identity and offers his services to the Volscian cause against Rome. He explains that despite his past military successes for Rome, the city has banished him unjustly, driven by the fickleness of the common people and their tribunes. Coriolanus proposes that Aufidius either accept his assistance in seeking revenge against Rome or kill him on the spot. Aufidius, initially surprised, ultimately welcomes his former enemy with enthusiasm, declaring that Coriolanus’s offer brings him more joy than his own wedding day. The two former adversaries embrace their new alliance, with Aufidius eager to march against Rome with Coriolanus as his partner.

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.