Original: My name is Caius Martius, who hath done
Modern: My name is Caius Martius, and I have caused

Original: To thee particularly and to all the Volsces
Modern: You personally and all your Volscian people

Original: Great hurt and mischief; thereto witness may
Modern: Great harm and damage; as proof of this

Original: My surname, Coriolanus: the painful service,
Modern: My earned name, Coriolanus: all the difficult battles,

Original: The extreme dangers and the drops of blood
Modern: The deadly risks and the blood I’ve shed

Original: Shed for my thankless country are requited
Modern: Fighting for my ungrateful country were repaid

Original: But with that surname; a good memory,
Modern: Only with that title; a lasting reminder,

Original: And witness of the malice and displeasure
Modern: And proof of the hatred and anger

Original: Which thou shouldst bear me: only that name remains;
Modern: That you should feel toward me: only that name is left;

Original: The cruelty and envy of the people,
Modern: The vicious jealousy of the common people,

Original: Permitted by our dastard nobles, who
Modern: Allowed by our cowardly upper class, who

Original: Have all forsook me, hath devour’d the rest;
Modern: Have all abandoned me, has destroyed everything else;

Original: And suffer’d me by the voice of slaves to be
Modern: And let me be voted out by worthless citizens

Original: Whoop’d out of Rome. Now this extremity
Modern: And driven from Rome with jeers. Now this desperate situation

Original: Hath brought me to thy hearth; not out of hope—
Modern: Has brought me to your home; not because I hope—

Original: Mistake me not—to save my life, for if
Modern: Don’t misunderstand me—to save my life, because if

Original: I had fear’d death, of all the men i’ the world
Modern: I was afraid of death, of every man in the world

Original: I would have ‘voided thee, but in mere spite,
Modern: I would have avoided you, but out of pure revenge,

Original: To be full quit of those my banishers,
Modern: To get complete payback against those who exiled me,

Original: Stand I before thee here. Then if thou hast
Modern: I stand before you here. So if you have

Original: A heart of wreak in thee, that wilt revenge
Modern: A vengeful heart in you, one that will get revenge for

Original: Thine own particular wrongs and stop those maims
Modern: Your own personal injuries and heal those wounds

Original: Of shame seen through thy country, speed thee straight,
Modern: Of dishonor that your country has suffered, act quickly,

Original: And make my misery serve thy turn: so use it
Modern: And make my suffering work for your benefit: use it so

Original: That my revengeful services may prove
Modern: That my desire for revenge can become

Original: As benefits to thee, for I will fight
Modern: Advantages for you, because I will fight

Original: Against my canker’d country with the spleen
Modern: Against my diseased homeland with the fury

Original: Of all the under fiends. But if so be
Modern: Of all the demons in hell. But if it happens

Original: Thou darest not this and that to prove more fortunes
Modern: You don’t dare do this and you’re tired of testing your luck

Original: Thou’rt tired, then, in a word, I also am
Modern: Any further, then, simply put, I am also

Original: Longer to live most weary, and present
Modern: Very tired of living any longer, and I offer

Original: My throat to thee and to thy ancient malice;
Modern: My throat to you and to your old hatred;

Original: Which not to cut would show thee but a fool,
Modern: Not to cut it would only prove you’re a fool,

Original: Since I have ever follow’d thee with hate,
Modern: Since I have always pursued you with hatred,

Original: Drawn tuns of blood out of thy country’s breast,
Modern: Spilled barrels of blood from your countrymen,

Original: And cannot live but to thy shame, unless
Modern: And can only live to dishonor you, unless

Original: It be to do thee service.
Modern: I can be of service to you.

In Act IV, Scene 5 of Coriolanus, the banished Roman general arrives at the home of his former enemy Aufidius in the Volscian city of Antium. Coriolanus enters disguised and encounters several servants who initially try to turn him away, not recognizing the legendary warrior. When Aufidius appears, Coriolanus reveals his identity and offers a stunning proposal: he will either submit to be killed by Aufidius as revenge for their past battles, or he will join forces with the Volscians against Rome, the city that has cast him out.

Aufidius, after recovering from his shock at seeing his greatest adversary in his own home, welcomes Coriolanus with surprising warmth and enthusiasm. He declares that he values Coriolanus’s offer of alliance more than his own marriage day and immediately begins planning their campaign against Rome. The scene concludes with Aufidius embracing his former enemy as a partner, while the servants marvel at the dramatic turn of events, discussing how this alliance between the two greatest warriors will spell doom for Rome. The Volscian soldiers express their eagerness to march against the Romans under the leadership of both Aufidius and Coriolanus.

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.