How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #10
AUFIDIUS
Name not the god, thou boy of tears!
[...]
CORIOLANUS
Measureless liar, thou hast 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'? False hound!
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'! (5.6.120; 123-124; 133-138)
When Tullus Aufidius taunts Coriolanus by calling him "boy," Coriolanus lets his pride get the better of him. Basically, he flips out over the insult and starts bragging about killing a bunch of Volscians during the siege of Corioles. Then he dares the Volscians to go ahead and kill him (which they do).