Coriaolanus Act 1.4.9 & 1.4.10

Scene 1.4.9

The foes meet at the walls.

Marcius saw his hated adversary across the clearing. It was Tullus Aufidius, who was dressed in his battle fatigue and armed with the blaster favored by the Volsces.

Their eyes met. He shouted out to the other.

“I will fight with none but thee, for I do hate thee worse than a promise breaker.”

“We hate alike”, Aufidius replied. “I have not seen a serpent that I abhor more than thy fame and envy.”

Aufidius saw the bandage on Marcius leg.

“Fix your foot?” Aufidius laughed. His foe wounded.

“Let the first one die the other’s slave.” Marcius snapped back. “The Gods will doom him after.”

Aufidius laughed off the threat.

“Alone I fought in your walls.” Marcius recalled his earlier battle. “And made me work that I pleased. These are not my bloods.”

“You bragged too much. That was the whip of your kind but you should not escape me here.”

With those words, Tullus leveled the blaster to shoot but Marcius had found cover. He returned cover with his own blaster, and then saw the arrival of the reinforcements. They were three in numbers and had backed up their leader.

“Officious and not valiant, you have shamed me in your condemned seconds.” Marcius taunted the other and he got his reply in blaster shots. His cover was minimal and would not stand much battering. He crouched up and looked to his odds. There were four of them and well concealed. He looked for any surprised of his own, like grenades or a bloody rocket cannon.

There was none. It was him and them.

Marcius saw the surprise that he could use. He opened fire with his blaster with full clip at the broken wall that was perched precariously over the Volsces position. It worked when the broken wall fell on the Volsces. He heard the shouts of alarm and then the painful screams. It was too tempting for Marcius that he had to look. He saw then was retreat of 

Tullus shouldered by two others.

Marcius heard then the sound of retreat from the Volsces side.

Scene 1.4.10

The war is over.

Marcius looked to the Roman lines. He saw Cominius standing there with his army and tanks. He was obviously well guarded compared to Marcius lone position. The General took a ride on the carrier to meet Marcius.

“If I should tell you o the day’s work, thou will not believe the deeds you done but I will report it. Where Senators shall mingle with tears with smiles; where the great patricians shall attend, and shrug, I on the other end will admire with the ladies frightened of the details.” Cominius was in a pleased mood then. “And gladly quaked, hear more; the dull tribunes, that with the fusty plebians would hate thine honors, shall we say against their hearts.”

“The Gods be praised our Rome had such a hero.” General Cominius announced for all to hear. “You can partake in the feast for this hero.”

It was then Lartius stepped up with his personal troopers. He was in pursuit of the stragglers.

“General, I have brought your personal carriers to continue …”

“Pray no more”, Marcius raised his arms to declare defeat. His was not a defeat of a battle; but of defeat for the compliments. “My mother who has a charter to praise her own bloodline; when she does praise me actually grieves me.”

“I have done as you have done; that’s what I can for my country.” Marcius sighed when he felt the tiredness on him since the war had started.

“You shall not be.” Cominius declared. “The grave of your deserving; Rome must know the value of her own. It would be concealment worse than a theft, no less than a traducement, to hide your doings; and to silence that, which to the spire and top of praises vouched, would seem but modest. Therefore I beseech of you not to reward what you have done before our army hear me.”

Marcius heard his General and understood the meaning. The General needed his platform to work his popularity as a leader. He then smiled and reminded the General of his wounds.

“I have some wounds that had reminded me remembered.” Marcius smiled and grim his expression.

“Should they not? Well, might they fester against your ingratitude and covered them with death.” A tone of sarcasm the General took then. “Of all the bounties we had taken, take a tenth for yourself before the common distribution.”

“I thank you, General.” Marcius saluted the General. “I cannot take that to pay for my services.”

Marcius would not partake for his pride as Noble. He would not be seen to share like the Commoner. He was soon greeted by the shouts of jubilation of the troopers. He looked to them, and drew a forced smile across his face. He turned to look towards Cominius with his side to the troopers.

“May these same instruments sound no more…” Marcius whispered. “No more, I say. For that I have not washed my nose bleed, or fouled some debile wench.  You shout me forth in acclamations as if loved by them in praises sauced with lies.”

Marcius then felt ashamed to be lauded by the ones that he had thought of lesser in person but Cominius felt otherwise.

“Too modest are you; more cruel to your good report than grateful to us that gives you truly.” Cominius had gestured his own generosity in the matter. “By your patience, if against yourself you be incensed, we will put up in manacles before we reason with you.”

The words were spoken in jest but the General meant his hard on his intention. He will suck dry the worshipping that day for his own fame too. The General then continued on with his own drawn smile.

“Reason safely with yourself. Therefore be it known, as to us, to the world, that Caius Marcius wears this war’s garland; in token of my personal carrier I give him to ride back to Rome. For what he did in Corioli, call him with applause and clamor of hero; CAIUS MARCIUS CORIOLANUS.”

The troopers heard the call of the honor onto the Colonel given the honorific name of Coriolanus. Soon the name of Caius Marcius reverted among the troopers.

CAIUS MARCIUS CORIOLANUS.

It was an honor to given such name but the hero of the battle felt the overwhelming feeling and asked to be excuse.

“I will go and wash; and when my face is fair, you shall perceive whether I blush or not.” Caius smiled. “However, I thank you. I mean to ride your carrier and at all times, be modest under your command.”

Caius was not always a military person but picked up some diplomacy. The General was glad that the heroic tribulations did not rub too deep into his Colonel ego. He invited the Colonel to his personal tent.

“So to our tent.” The General leading the way there. He turned to look at Lartius who had remained standing there diligently like a poster boy. “Move to Corioli while we return to Rome.”

Lartius took to carry out his order. Marcius still groggy from his wounds saw the walk was to the General’s tent. He feigned reluctance to go there.

“The Gods begin to mock me. I, that now refused most princely gifts, am bound to beg of my Lord General.”

“Take it” General Cominius laughed the hero was going to beg from him.

“I sometimes lay here in Corioli and at a poor man’s house; he used me kindly. He cried to me, I saw him prisoner; but then when Aufidius was within my view and wrath overwhelmed my pity. I request you to give my poor host freedom.”

“Oh well begged! Were he the butcher of my son, he should be free as is the wind. Deliver him, Titus.” The General motioned to Lartius.

“Marcius, his name?” Lartius asked. Marcius looked to his friend. He made that tale to test the General on his motive. The General was leeching on his fame and would do anything to propel him higher up the stakes of fame. The fictitious poor man will made Marcius a ‘kinder’ hero, and it would be good for the publicity.

“By Jupes, I forgot. I am weary, yes, my memory is tired.” They have reached the tent. Martius changed the focus on the topic. “Have we no wine?”

“Go we to our tent; those bloods upon you had dried.” General Cominius pushed Marcius into the tent. He had a need to shackle this hero and what better place than his own tent.