This is
strange now: do you two know how you
are censured here in the city, I mean of
us o’the
right-hand file? Do you?
-Menenius
Agrippa
Coriolanus Act Ii, scene i Line 15
What we have here is a bit of a rhetorical question by this
Menenius Agrippa fellow to the two guys he’s chatting with. These two have just
been criticizing Coriolanus as proud and boastful, and Menenius is about to rip
into these guys telling him that they’re the ones who are proud as well as
stupid. In fact, he’s going to spend the next little while telling these two
what shmucks they are. And these guys are tribunes (politicians).
Now if I’m not mistaken (and I’m not because I just checked)
we had one previous Totally Random Daily Shakespeare line from Coriolanus and
it was also commenting about someone’s character, and that instance also had to
do with politicians. In fact, I gave you a pic of the Donald and Hillary on
that occasion. From which I guess we can draw the conclusion that this play is
about politics? Well, in fact it is, albeit slightly different politics than
what we have today. Nonetheless, it’s about the people who are leading, or
trying to lead, the country.
So here’s what I’m gonna do. I have to run some errands
right now and one of them is at the library. I’m going to get the Arkangel CD
of Coriolanus and I’m going to try to listen to it tonight. My wife and son are
away at the Minnesota State Fair for a few days, so I have the place to myself.
Tonight is Coriolanus night. I’ll give you a report tomorrow on whether I get
through it or not.
Wish me luck!
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