Summary & Analysis

Coriolanus, Act 2 Scene 3 — Summary & Analysis

Setting: The same. The Forum Who's in it: First citizen, Second citizen, Third citizen, All, Menenius, Coriolanus, Fourth citizen, Fifth citizen, +7 more Reading time: ~14 min

What happens

Coriolanus, wearing the white toga of humility, attempts to win the citizens' votes for consul by showing his wounds and asking for their support. He moves through small groups of citizens, mechanically displaying his scars and requesting their voices. The tribunes watch and coach the crowd, while Coriolanus barely conceals his contempt. Though he secures the votes, the citizens immediately begin to doubt their choice, influenced by Sicinius and Brutus, who remind them of Coriolanus's past mockery and disdain.

Why it matters

This scene dramatizes the unbridgeable gap between Coriolanus's nature and the political performance required to lead. The tradition of displaying wounds and begging votes is presented as hollow theater, yet Coriolanus's failure to perform it convincingly—his visible disgust, his cursory flattery—reveals his absolute incapacity for the role. He moves through the marketplace like an actor who has memorized his lines but despises the play itself. The citizens sense this contempt beneath the ritual gestures, which creates a tragic irony: he wins their votes through minimal effort while making clear how little he values their approval. His mother pushed him toward this moment, but his nature rebels against it, setting the stage for his later explosion.

The tribunes' manipulation of public opinion in this scene is masterfully drawn. They exploit the gap between what citizens feel (gratitude for Coriolanus's service) and what they're told to feel (anger at his arrogance). By reminding the people of past insults and encouraging them to revoke their support, Sicinius and Brutus demonstrate how malleable democratic judgment can be when guided by skilled rhetoricians. The citizens reverse their position almost immediately, moving from 'he deserves the office' to 'he mocked us.' This scene establishes that Rome's political system—supposedly ruled by the people's voices—is actually controlled by those who can shape what those voices say. Coriolanus's refusal to master this skill proves fatal, but so does his failure to recognize its power.

Key quotes from this scene

He has done nobly, and cannot go without any honest man’s voice.

He’s acted nobly, and no honest person can deny his worth.

Sixth Citizen · Act 2, Scene 3

A citizen declares that Coriolanus has earned the support of every honest person through his deeds, and no one can deny his worth. The line resonates because it asserts that honor creates obligation—past service calls for present gratitude. It represents the voice of the people at their most reasonable, acknowledging genuine merit and attempting to honor it.

I cannot bring / My tongue to such a pace

I can't get my tongue to move that slowly

Caius Marcius Coriolanus · Act 2, Scene 3

Coriolanus is trying and failing to flatter the people in the marketplace, the central test the play demands of him. The line endures because it captures his absolute refusal to perform—not from virtue but from an inability to speak anything but his truth. His unwillingness to bend his tongue becomes the hinge on which his entire fate turns.

We have power in ourselves to do it, but it is a power that we have no power to do; for if he show us his wounds and tell us his deeds, we are to put our tongues into those wounds and speak for them; so, if he tell us his noble deeds, we must also tell him our noble acceptance of them. Ingratitude is monstrous, and for the multitude to be ingrateful, were to make a monster of the multitude: of the which we being members, should bring ourselves to be monstrous members.

We have the power to do it, but it’s a power we can’t really use; because if he shows us his wounds and tells us what he’s done, we have to put our words into those wounds and speak on his behalf; so, if he tells us about his noble actions, we have to tell him how much we admire them. Ingratitude is terrible, and if the people were ungrateful, it would turn them into monsters: and as members of that people, we would make ourselves monstrous too.

Third Citizen · Act 2, Scene 3

A citizen acknowledges that the people have the right to vote but also recognizes that refusing a man of such valor would be ingratitude so profound it would make monsters of them all. The passage endures because it articulates the moral bind the people feel—they can technically deny Coriolanus, but doing so would violate their own sense of honor and obligation. It shows the common people wrestling with what justice actually requires of them.

Read this scene →

Original Shakespeare alongside modern English. Synced read-along narration in the app.

In the app

Hear Act 2, Scene 3, narrated.

Synced read-along narration: every line of this scene, words highlighting as they're spoken — so you can read along without losing the line.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play