Coriolanus: Act 1, Scene 8 Translation

A side-by-side translation of Act 1, Scene 8 of Coriolanus from the original Shakespeare into modern English.

  Original Text

 Translated Text

  Source: Folger Shakespeare Library

Alarum, as in battle.
Enter Martius and Aufidius at several doors.

Back on the battlefields, Caius Martius meets up with his mortal enemy, Tullus Aufidius. (Cue dramatic music.)

MARTIUS
I’ll fight with none but thee, for I do hate thee
Worse than a promise-breaker.

AUFIDIUS We hate alike.
Not Afric owns a serpent I abhor
More than thy fame and envy. Fix thy foot. 5

MARTIUS
Let the first budger die the other’s slave,
And the gods doom him after!

AUFIDIUS If I fly, Martius,
Hollo me like a hare.

MARTIUS Within these three hours, 10
Tullus,
Alone I fought in your Corioles’ walls
And made what work I pleased. ’Tis not my blood
Wherein thou seest me masked. For thy revenge,
Wrench up thy power to th’ highest. 15

AUFIDIUS Wert thou the
Hector
That was the whip of your bragged progeny,
Thou shouldst not scape me here.

Here they fight, and certain Volsces come in
the aid of Aufidius.

As these two go at it in man-to-man combat, some very impressive trash talk ensues.

Just as Caius Martius gains the upper hand, Aufidius' troops come to his rescue and the Volscians run away with their tails between their legs.

(To the Volsces.) Officious and not valiant, you have 20
shamed me
In your condemnèd seconds.

Martius fights till they be driven in breathless.
Aufidius and Martius exit, separately.

Aufidius tells us he is totally "sham'd" that his soldiers had to save his life.