Saturday, September 30, 2023

 

Hear me speak:--

As I do know the counsel’s worthiness,

So can I name his faults,-

 

Menenius Agrippa

Coriolanus                      Act III, Scene i, Line 276


But Menenius doesn’t get to finish his sentence, as he gets interrupted by one of the congressmen (I think it might be Matt Goetz) yelling,

Consul!- what consul?

Menenius wants to try to mediate, but they don’t even want to recognize the fact that Coriolanus was properly appointed as consul/leader even though he was (sound familiar?)

Again, this is a great play, but it’s a complicated one. The congressmen (the tribunes) are painted by Will as pretty weaselly (yes, that’s a word, and it means suggestive of a weasel – not the animal, the person). On the other hand, Coriolanus, albeit a great warrior, is not necessarily cut out for politics.

Shall I say it for the umpteenth time? Why don’t they teach this play in school? It’s fabulous, and relevant, and it’s got the fairly recent Ralph Fiennes version to watch. It’s a shame. Then again, I suppose the twenty-first century tribunes would have none of it.  


No pic needed today.



1 comment:

Squeaks said...

What a wildly pertinent line. Almost as though it t'wasn't random!

  Today’s Totally Random Lines   I’ll wait upon them: I am ready.   Leonato Much Ado About Nothing      Act III, Scene v, Line 53...