Monologue

Coriolanus Monologue

From Coriolanus by William Shakespeare

male · defiant · 55 sec

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Well, I must do’t. Away, my disposition, and possess me Some harlot’s spirit! My throat of war be turned, Which choired with my drum, into a pipe Small as an eunuch or the virgin voice That babies lulls asleep! The smiles of knaves Tent in my cheeks, and schoolboys’ tears take up The glasses of my sight! A beggar’s tongue Make motion through my lips, and my armed knees, Who bowed but in my stirrup, bend like his That hath received an alms! I will not do’t, Lest I surcease to honour mine own truth And, by my body’s action, teach my mind A most inherent baseness.

About this piece

Coriolanus grapples with his internal struggle between his warrior identity and the expectations of political engagement, expressing his disdain for the softer aspects of leadership.

30s · determination · honor · identity · power · conflict

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