Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
Act 4 - Scene 4
Antium. Before Aufidius’s house.
Coriolanus : A goodly city is this Antium. City,
[p]'Tis I that made thy widows:
many an heir
[p]Of these fair edifices 'fore my wars
[p]Have I heard
groan and drop: then know me not,
[p]Lest that thy wives with spits
and boys with stones
[p]In puny battle slay me.
[p][Enter a
Citizen]
[p]Save you, sir.
Citizen : And you.
Coriolanus : Direct me, if it be your will,
[p]Where great Aufidius lies: is he in
Antium?
Citizen : He is, and feasts the nobles of the state
[p]At his house this night.
Coriolanus : Which is his house, beseech you?
Citizen : This, here before you.
Coriolanus : Thank you, sir: farewell.
[p][Exit Citizen]
[p]O world, thy slippery
turns! Friends now fast sworn,
[p]Whose double bosoms seem to wear one
heart,
[p]Whose house, whose bed, whose meal, and exercise,
[p]Are
still together, who twin, as 'twere, in love
[p]Unseparable, shall
within this hour,
[p]On a dissension of a doit, break out
[p]To
bitterest enmity: so, fellest foes,
[p]Whose passions and whose plots
have broke their sleep,
[p]To take the one the other, by some
chance,
[p]Some trick not worth an egg, shall grow dear friends
[p]And
interjoin their issues. So with me:
[p]My birth-place hate I, and my
love's upon
[p]This enemy town. I'll enter: if he slay me,
[p]He does
fair justice; if he give me way,
[p]I'll do his country service.
Previous: Act 4 - Scene 3
Next: Act 4 - Scene 5



