QUOTES FROM THE BARD

PLAY: Coriolanus ACT/SCENE: 2.1 SPEAKER: Brutus CONTEXT: CORIOLANUS
Know, good mother,
I had rather be their servant in my way,
Than sway with them in theirs.
COMINIUS
On, to the Capitol!
BRUTUS
All tongues speak of him, and the bleared sights
Are spectacled to see him: your prattling nurse
Into a rapture lets her baby cry
While she chats him: the kitchen malkin pins
Her richest lockram ’bout her reechy neck,
Clambering the walls to eye him: stalls, bulks, windows,
Are smother’d up, leads fill’d, and ridges horsed
With variable complexions, all agreeing
In earnestness to see him: seld-shown flamens
Do press among the popular throngs and puff
To win a vulgar station: or veil’d dames
Commit the war of white and damask in
Their nicely-gawded cheeks to the wanton spoil
Of Phoebus’ burning kisses: such a pother
As if that whatsoever god who leads him
Were slily crept into his human powers
And gave him graceful posture.
SICINIUS
On the sudden,
I warrant him consul. DUTCH: Weet, moeder, liever ben ik
Op mijne wijs hun dienaar, dan met hen
Op hun wijs heerscher. MORE: Sway=Rule
Bleared sights=Those with poor sight
Spectacled=Put on spectacles
Chats=Gossips about
Malkin=Woman of the lower classes
Lockram=Coarse fabric
Reechy=Filthy
To eye=To see
Horsed=Straddled
Complexions=Temperaments
Seld-shown=Seldom seen
Flamen=Priest
Phoebus=Apollo (god of many things, including the sun, music, art and poetry)
Pother=Disturbance
Compleat:
To bear sway=Heerschappy voeren
To sway=(govern) Regeeren. To sway the scepter=Den schepter zwaaijen
To blear the sight=Het gezigt verduisteren
Chat=Gekakel, gesnap, gepraat
Malkin=Een bakkers stokdweil
Lockram=Zeker grof doek
Complexion=Aart, gesteltenis, gesteldheid
Pother=Leeven, opschudding
Topics: leadership