Coriolanus, Act 1 Scene 10 runs 36 lines of dialogue, spoken by 2 speakers. That is shorter than the play’s average scene length of about 130 lines. This scene is part of Act 1 of Coriolanus.
Full Dialogue
Aufidius ♂
The town is ta'en!
First Soldier ♂
'Twill be deliver'd back on good condition.
Aufidius ♂
Condition!
I would I were a Roman; for I cannot,
Being a Volsce, be that I am. Condition!
What good condition can a treaty find
I' the part that is at mercy? Five times, Marcius,
I have fought with thee: so often hast thou beat me,
And wouldst do so, I think, should we encounter
As often as we eat. By the elements,
If e'er again I meet him beard to beard,
He's mine, or I am his: mine emulation
Hath not that honour in't it had; for where
I thought to crush him in an equal force,
True sword to sword, I'll potch at him some way
Or wrath or craft may get him.
I would I were a Roman; for I cannot,
Being a Volsce, be that I am. Condition!
What good condition can a treaty find
I' the part that is at mercy? Five times, Marcius,
I have fought with thee: so often hast thou beat me,
And wouldst do so, I think, should we encounter
As often as we eat. By the elements,
If e'er again I meet him beard to beard,
He's mine, or I am his: mine emulation
Hath not that honour in't it had; for where
I thought to crush him in an equal force,
True sword to sword, I'll potch at him some way
Or wrath or craft may get him.
First Soldier ♂
He's the devil.
Aufidius ♂
Bolder, though not so subtle. My valour's poison'd
With only suffering stain by him; for him
Shall fly out of itself: nor sleep nor sanctuary,
Being naked, sick, nor fane nor Capitol,
The prayers of priests nor times of sacrifice,
Embarquements all of fury, shall lift up
Their rotten privilege and custom 'gainst
My hate to Marcius: where I find him, were it
At home, upon my brother's guard, even there,
Against the hospitable canon, would I
Wash my fierce hand in's heart. Go you to the city;
Learn how 'tis held; and what they are that must
Be hostages for Rome.
With only suffering stain by him; for him
Shall fly out of itself: nor sleep nor sanctuary,
Being naked, sick, nor fane nor Capitol,
The prayers of priests nor times of sacrifice,
Embarquements all of fury, shall lift up
Their rotten privilege and custom 'gainst
My hate to Marcius: where I find him, were it
At home, upon my brother's guard, even there,
Against the hospitable canon, would I
Wash my fierce hand in's heart. Go you to the city;
Learn how 'tis held; and what they are that must
Be hostages for Rome.
First Soldier ♂
Will not you go?
Aufidius ♂
I am attended at the cypress grove: I pray you–
'Tis south the city mills–bring me word thither
How the world goes, that to the pace of it
I may spur on my journey.
'Tis south the city mills–bring me word thither
How the world goes, that to the pace of it
I may spur on my journey.
First Soldier ♂
I shall, sir.
36 lines rendered verbatim from the dialogue corpus.
Who’s On Stage
Speaking characters in this scene
| Character | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Aufidius | 32 | 88.9% |
| First Soldier | 4 | 11.1% |
Line distribution
The top speaker in this scene delivers 32 lines, while the scene’s average per speaker is about 18 lines.
Total speakers on stage
2 named characters speak in this scene.
Scene in Context
Position within Act 1
This is Scene 10 of 10 in Act 1 of Coriolanus.
Scene length vs. play average
At 36 lines, this scene is shorter than the Coriolanus average scene in Coriolanus (~130 lines).
Adjacent scenes
Previous: Act 1 Scene 9 · Next: Act 2 Scene 1