How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #1
FIRST CITIZEN
I say unto you, what he hath done
famously he did it to that end. Though soft-conscienced
men can be content to say it was for
his country, he did it to please his mother and to be
partly proud, which he is, even till the altitude of
his virtue. (1.1.35-40)
Nobody denies that Coriolanus has performed a great military service for Rome. There is, however, a big debate about what motivates Coriolanus to achieve so much on the battlefield. Here, a Citizen accuses Coriolanus of doing it all to "please his mother" and not because he loves Rome or cares about the common people. Translation: Coriolanus is nothing but a mama's boy.
Quote #2
MENENIUS
You are transported by calamity
Thither where more attends you, and you slander
The helms o' th' state, who care for you like fathers,
When you curse them as enemies. (1.1.77-80)
When the starving Citizens riot against the patricians and accuse them of hoarding Rome's food supply, Menenius claims that the people have got it all wrong. See, the patricians love them and take care of them, just like "fathers" take care of their children. Uh, maybe. Or maybe Menenius is just a big liar because the patricians don't seem to care about the plebeians at all. Or maybe, in Coriolanus, parents can't be counted on to take care of and nurture their kids—which means that the patricians are like parents to the plebeians. You know, bad parents.
Quote #3
VOLUMNIA
Away, you fool! It more becomes a man
Than gilt his trophy. the breasts of Hecuba,
When she did suckle Hector, looked not lovelier
Than Hector's forehead when it spit forth blood
At Grecian sword, contemning. (1.3.39-43)
We've suggested that the patricians are a lot like bad parents withholding food from the plebeians, who are kind of like their "children." It turns out this whole "parents not feeding/nurturing their kids" idea is something that gets repeated throughout the play. Like here: Volumnia says that she thinks a warrior's bloody forehead is "lovelier" than a mother breastfeeding her infant. Literary critic Janet Adelman sees this as evidence that Volumnia withheld food and nutrients from Coriolanus when he was a baby. Is that why he's such a hot mess? Do you buy this psychological reading?