Coriolanus Act 5.3.3 & 5.3.4

Scene 5.3.3

A son’s duty

Volumnia looked to the others; all men which some were close to her age. She saw in them some signs of sympathy for her. Those were trained army officers but inside most of them were still a Man with a family, with loved ones. She worked her sadness onto them then.

“Is there’s no man in the world more bound to his mother, yet here he lets me prate like one in the stocks. Thou hast never in thy life showed thy dear mother any courtesy, when she, poor hen, fond of no second brood, he clucked thee to the wars, and safely home laden with honor.” Volumnia searched for her son’s conscience. There were some in the hearing who shook their head. It was gaining ground for her and she went on with it.

“Say my request unjust, and spurn me back; but if it be not so, thou are not honest, and the gods will plague thee, that thou restraint from me the duty which to a mother’s part belongs.” Volumnia pleaded with her son but Coriolanus turned away. The later was feeling frustrated by her mother’s pleas and it was placing him in shame with his new found allies. He had come there to turn the tides on Rome who had forsaken him when he should had been triumphed as a hero. He knew nothing better than how to win the war but never had he ever won over his mother in her battles with him. He had lost to her out of his love for her, and sometimes out of desperation for her not to pursue the matter then. He had been obedient to her, and turned his wrath on those who served him. With those words, she had turned his allies to look at him more than a traitor but also an unworthy son.

“He turns away: down ladies; let us shame him with our knees to his surname Coriolanus who long more pride than pity to our prayers. This is the last. We will march to Rome and die among our neighbors. Come, let us go. This fellow had a Volsces to his mother; his wife is in Corioli and his child like him by chance.” Volumnia turned to leave with her last scathing words at her own son. The assembled officers stood up not in defiant or in alliance with their leader, but to side with the older lady. One of them stepped forth and offered to escort the ladies back to Rome unharmed. The others looked away as if in shame by the refusal of the son to heed his mother’s voice. Coriolanus had then cleared his seat and approached his mother. He held out his arms to her but she rejected him.

“Oh, mother, mother. What have you done? Behold the heaven do open, the Gods look down, and in his unnatural scene; they laugh at us.” Coriolanus looked with pleas of sanity to his mother. He knelt before her and cried. “Mother, I begged of thee as your son. You may have won a happy victory to Rome but for son, believe it; oh, believe it, most dangerously you have with him prevailed, it not most mortal to him.”

The last few words, he had whispered to his mother’ ears lest it be heard by others. She in turn shuddered at the thought but he held her close to him.

“Say nothing, my mother for I am always your son. As you was a daughter of Rome. We do our best for the country and its people including our mothers. It’s what we do when we swore as officers.” Coriolanus whispered on. He then pulled away to speak to Audifius. ”

Scene 5.3.4

One man’s peace is another man’s war

“Audifius, though I cannot make true the outcome of this war, I will frame ….convenient peace.” Coriolanus looked to Audifius. “Would you in my stead, would you have heard a mother less? Or granted less, Audifius?”

Audifius took a step but when he saw the looks on his officers, he stopped. He had seen those faces spoke well of their intentions. Bastards they were, all of them; crying for the bosom of their mothers. Audifius had none to recall for, but the pains of the kicks and punches. He looked at Coriolanus and sighed before he could reply. 

“I was moved.” Audifius nodded.

“I dare be sworn you were! And sir, it is no little thing to make thy eyes to sweat compassion.” Coriolanus used his hand to wipe the tears at his eyes. “Good, sir. What peace you will make, advise me. For my part, I will not to Rome, I will back with you, and pray you stand with me in this cause.”

Coriolanus approached Audifius and whispered to him.

“I am glad thou hast set thy mercy and thy honor at difference in thee.” Coriolanus patted the other back before he approached his family. They left together leaving Audifius with his officers. Those too made their ways out; tired of the war and relief of the outcome. Audifius sat there by himself, looking to the seat that was taken over by Coriolanus of late. The man he had invited with his arms into the inner sanctuary of friends, the one he had given the command of half his army yet led the whole planning of the war, the man who had brought him close to victory over his lifetime enemy, and then stopped short to declare peace. Ever since he had donned the uniform of the Volsces, it had been his dream to win over Rome. The army was his army, his father and mother was the Generals and Colonels who gave him a new life from the streets. He fought his way up the ranks by killing Romans, and won his medals with his heroic acts. He was the hero until one named Marcius came to deny him victory. They had met as enemies and with the last act it looked like they may never be real friends.

“Caius…” Audifius whispered the name out. “Do you …Do we actually knew peace?”

If Coriolanus does win over with peace treaty, even with Volsces earning its stripes with compensations, what does it do to one like him? Audifius laughed out. Peace is a sad word to him; a definition to him of training and more training with no real battles. Only training with idiots when the real thing to do was to wage war for that was the real workout. Volsces was a poor country with millions to feed and little fertile land to grow. With peace there would little they take by force when they could not afford to pay with gold. The people will suffer and then the army would be sent out to quell the unrest.

Volsces killing Volsces.

Audifius hoped then Caius Marcius would be one of them then.

“That would be truly peace to all of us when I laid my dagger into your heart.” Audifius muttered to himself.