Coriolanus (2011)

Ralph Fiennes: Caius Martius Coriolanus

Photos 

Quotes 

• Caius Martius Coriolanus : I'll fight with none but thee, for I do hate thee.

  Tullus Aufidius : We hate alike.

• Caius Martius Coriolanus : O, a kiss Long as my exile, sweet as my revenge!

• Tullus Aufidius : What's thy name?

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : A name unmusical to the Volscians' ears, and harsh in sound to thine.

  Tullus Aufidius : Say... what's thy name? Thou has a grim appearance. What's thy name?

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : [taking a step forward]  Know'st thou me yet?

  Tullus Aufidius : I know thee not. Thy name?

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : My name is Caius Martius, who hath done to thee particularly, and to all the Volsces, great hurt and mischief. Thereto witness my surname... Coriolanus. Only that name remains. The cruelty and envy of the people who have all forsook me, hath devoured the rest and suffered me by the voice of slaves, be whooped out of Rome. Now this extremity hath brought me to thy hearth. Not out of hope, mistake me not to save my life. For if I had feared death, of all men in the world I would have avoided thee. But, in mere spite, to be full quit of those my banishers, stand I before thee here. I will fight against my cankered country with the spleen of all the under fiends. But if thou dares not this, then I present my throat to thee and to thy ancient malice. Which not to cut would show thee but a fool, since I have ever followed thee with hate, and cannot live but to thy shame, unless it be to do thee service.

• Caius Martius Coriolanus : He that will give good words to thee will flatter beneath abhorring. What would you have, you curs that like nor peace nor war? The one affrights you, the other makes you proud. He that trusts to you where he should find you lions, finds you hares; where foxes, geese. Who deserves greatness, deserves your hate.

• Caius Martius Coriolanus : Tullus Aufidius then has assembled a new army?

  Titus Lartius : He has, my lord.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : Saw you Aufidius?

  Titus Lartius : He's retired to Antium.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : Spoke he of me?

  Titus Lartius : He did, my lord.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : How? What?

  Titus Lartius : How often he had met you, sword to sword. That of all things upon the earth, he hated your person most.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : At Antium lives he?

  Titus Lartius : At Antium.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : I wish I had cause to seek him there, to oppose his hatred fully.

• Caius Martius Coriolanus : [shouting agitated]  By Jove himself, it makes the consuls base, and my soul aches to know when two authorities are up, neither supreme, how soon confusion may enter twixt the gap of both and take the one by the other. Thus we debase the nature of our seats and make the rabble call our cares fears, which will, in time, break open the locks of the senate, and bring in the crows to peck the eagles!

• General Cominius : The news is the Volsces are in arms. They have a leader, Tullus Aufidius, that'll put you to it.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : I sin in envying his nobility. And were I anything but what I am, I wish me only he.

  1st Senator : You have fought together?

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : He is a lion that I am proud to hunt.

• [last lines] 

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : I am returned your soldier, no more infected with my country's love than when I parted hence, but still subsisting under your great command. We have made peace with no less honor to the Volscians than shame to the Romans.

  Tullus Aufidius : Tell the traitor, in the highest degree, he hath abused your powers.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : Traitor? How now?

  Tullus Aufidius : Aye, traitor, Martius.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : Martius?

  Tullus Aufidius : Aye, Martius. Caius Martius. Dost thou think I'll grace thee with that robbery, thy stolen name Corioloanus?

  [to his soldiers] 

  Tullus Aufidius : Perfidiously he hath betrayed your business and given up, for certain drops of salt, your city, Rome. I say "your city", for his wife and mother, breaking his oath and resolution like a twist of rotten silk. Never admitting counsel of the war, but at his nurse's tears, he whined and roared away your victory.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : Hear'st thou, Mars?

  Tullus Aufidius : Name not the god, thou boy of tears.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : Measureless liar, thou has made my heart too great for what contains it. "Boy"? O slave. Cut me to pieces, Volsces! Men and lads, stain all your edges on me! "Boy"? If you have writ your annals true, 'tis there that, like an eagle in a dovecote, I fluttered your Volscians in Corioles. Alone I did it. "Boy".

  Tullus Aufidius : [to his soldiers]  Let him die for it.

• Menenius : [taking Coriolanus to meet the commoners]  Have you not known the worthiest men have done it?

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : Custom calls me to it. What custom wills, in all things should we do it. What must I say? "Look, sir, my wounds. I got them in my country's service."

  Menenius : O me, the gods! You must not speak like that. You must desire them to think upon you.

  Caius Martius Coriolanus : Think upon me? Hang 'em. I would they would forget me.