How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #10
COMINIUS
At sixteen years,
When Tarquin made a head for Rome, he fought
Beyond the mark of others. Our then dictator,
Whom with all praise I point at, saw him fight
When with his Amazonian chin he drove
The bristled lips before him. He bestrid
An o'erpressed Roman and i' th' Consul's view
Slew three opposers. Tarquin's self he met
And struck him on his knee. In that day's feats,
When he might act the woman in the scene,
He proved best man i' th' field, and for his meed
Was brow-bound with the oak (2.2.103-114)
What were you doing when you were 16 years old? Maybe getting a driver's license and bargaining for a later curfew? Not Coriolanus. He was becoming an insta-war hero by helping defeat Tarquin, Rome's former tyrant king.
Quote #11
SICINIUS
We charge you, that you have contrived to take
From Rome all seasoned office and to wind
Yourself into a power tyrannical,
For which you are a traitor to the people.
CORIOLANUS
How? Traitor? (3.3.83-86)
Throughout the play, we hear over and over again that the Roman plebeians and the tribunes think Coriolanus is a tyrant who wants to take away their rights, despite the fact that Coriolanus is the guy mainly responsible for getting rid of Rome's last tyrant king, Tarquin. Why do you think Shakespeare goes out of his way to make this point in the play? Is he suggesting that a government run by elected officials is unrealistic? Or is he just saying that Coriolanus isn't the right man for the job?