Coriolanus

Act 4 Scene 2

Original Text	Modern Text
The same. A street near the gate.	The same street, near the gate.
Enter SICINIUS, BRUTUS, and an Aedile	SICINIUS, BRUTUS, and an aedile enter.
SICINIUS Bid them all home; he’s gone, and we’ll no further. The nobility are vex’d, whom we see have sided In his behalf.	SICINIUS Tell them all to go home. He’s gone, and we won’t go any further. The nobles who sided with him are angry.
BRUTUS Now we have shown our power, 5Let us seem humbler after it is done Than when it was a-doing.	BRUTUS Now that we’ve exerted our power, let’s at least pretend to be humble, like before.
SICINIUS Bid them home: Say their great enemy is gone, and they Stand in their ancient strength.	SICINIUS Tell them to go home. Explain that their great enemy is gone and that their freedoms have been restored.
BRUTUS 10Dismiss them home.	BRUTUS Send them home.
Exit Aedile	The aedile exits.
Here comes his mother.	Here comes his mother.
SICINIUS Let’s not meet her.	SICINIUS Let’s not talk to her.
BRUTUS Why?	BRUTUS Why?
SICINIUS They say she’s mad.	SICINIUS They say she’s crazy.
BRUTUS 15They have ta’en note of us: keep on your way.	BRUTUS They’ve seen us. Keep walking.
Enter VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, and MENENIUS	VOLUMNIA, VIRGILIA, and MENENIUS enter.
VOLUMNIA O, ye’re well met: the hoarded plague o’ the gods Requite your love!	VOLUMNIA Some coincidence, running into you. May the gods repay you for this with the plague!
MENENIUS Peace, peace; be not so loud.	MENENIUS Calm down. Don’t be so loud.
VOLUMNIA If that I could for weeping, you should hear,— 20Nay, and you shall hear some.	VOLUMNIA If I could cry quietly I would. You should hear me cry— No, you will hear me.