Description:Shakespeare's source for Coriolanus's mother, Volumnia.
On this page from Plutarch’s ‘Life of Coriolanus’, Volumnia, Patrician mother of Coriolanus, agrees to go with Virgilia, his wife, to try to persuade her son not to lead the Volsces in an attack on Rome. To the Roman nobles she says ‘if you think we can do good, we will willingly do what you will have us’. Shakespeare does not present this scene, preferring the more dramatic confrontation of mother, wife and son in the Volsci camp (Coriolanus, 5,3, lines 21-210).
[The central portion of page 238 in the story of Coriolanus begins as Valeria, wife to Martius speaks as follows:]:
[Valeria, wife of Caius Martius, speaks:]... ‘Come good Ladies and let us go all together unto Martius to entreat him to take pity upon us and also to report the truth unto him, how much you are bound unto the citizens who, notwithstanding they have sustained great hurt and losses by him, yet they have not hitherto sought revenge upon your persons by any discourteous usage, neither ever conceived any such thought or intent against you, but to deliver you safe into his hands though thereby they look for no better grace or clemency from him.’
When Valeria had spoken this unto them all the other ladies together with one voice confirmed what she had said. Then Volumnia in this sort did answer her:
‘My good ladies, we are partakers with you of the common misery and calamity of our country and yet our grief exceeded yours the more by reason of our particular misfortune: to feel the loss of my son, Martius’ former valiancy and glory, and to see his person forthcoming and safe kept, than of any love to defend his person. But yet the greatest grief of our heaped mishaps is to see our poor country brought to such extremity that all the hope of the safety and preservation thereof is now unfortunately cast upon us simple women: because we know not what account he will make of us since he hath cast from him all care of his natural country and common-weal, which heretofore he has held more dear and precious than either his mother, wife, or children. Not withstanding if you think we can do good we will willingly do what you will have us [do]: bring us to him I pray you. For if we cannot prevail we may yet die at his feet as humble suitors for the safety of our country’. Her answer ended she took her daughter-in-law and Martius’ children with her and being accompanied with all the other Roman ladies they went in troop together unto the Volsces’ camp.
Full title: Plutarchus The lives of the noble Grecians and Romaines compared together Plutarch of Chaeronea. Translated out of Greeke into French by James Amiot, Abbot of Bellozane with the lives of Hannibal and Scipio African translated out of Latine into French by Charles de l'Escluse and out of French into English by Sir Thomas North, knight. London, printed by Richard Field, 1612.