R The Complete Guide and Resource for Grade 12
ON
T
I
OR
T
O
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CA
ON
I
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E
OT
L
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C
EP
M
R
SE
R
SA
E
L
FO
P
ON
T
M
I
T
A
N
S Themes andNmotifs
C
NO
IO
E
T
O
S
TI or topic in a work of literature (or art) is referredLto
E as its theme. A sophisticated
The central subject
EC
A
S
C
P
work will usually
themes. A motif is aMrecurring
idea or contrast Eexamined
N
LI explore several, interrelated
O
P
A
I
PL
in a work Eof literature and will usually
relate
to
the
themes
being
explored.
There areMseveral
major
T
S
R
C
A
themes
R and motifs in The Tragedy
S
SE of Coriolanus.
FO
E
T
PL
O
M
LE
N
ON
I
N
A
P
War
S
O
AT
AM
TI
C
I
A
S
L a fundamental aspect
In Ancient Rome, war was a necessityPand
C of life. Surrounded by rival city
LI
E
states andNtribes, Rome was pretty much
in a constant state ofP war. This meant that having a strong
R
R
IO skilled soldiers was extremely
RE As a result, military Nskill was highly
army and
important to Rome.
T
O
R
Fwas an excellent way ofOachieving
IO
CA and serving in the army
prized
honour and status.
T
I
T
F
A
L
O
T
P
Ncommon
IC
E
O
Even
though
it
was
less
during
Shakespeare’s
time,
war
was
still
a
regular feature of lifeON
L
R
N
P
TI
E
and a legitimate way of defeating enemies and expanding the wealth
and
influence
of
a
nation.
A
R
C at
Elizabethan England
is considered a relatively ‘peaceful’ time, but, R
even so, the country wasLIstill
N
O
P
O
F
war with Spain
TI and Ireland in the period
Tof The Tragedy of Coriolanus.
ON preceding the writing
RE
I
C
O
T
R important
The subject
SE of war and warfare EisCexamined throughout theNplay. Perhaps one of the
Omost
F
E
S Volumnia and Virgilia in Scene 3 of Act I. Virgilia
scenes
laments the fact
E
PL is the discussion between
OT ‘Hear me/profess
M
that her husband might P
beL killed in action, which prompts Volumnia to declare,
N
N
M sons, each in my/loveIOalike,
SAsincerely: had I a dozen
and none less dear than thine and my/good
A
T
S
C
Martius, I had rather had eleven die nobly/for
their
country,
than one voluptuously surfeit out/of
OR
E
F
N
S a dead son to a cowardly
action’ (Act I, Scene 3, lines 22-27). Preferring
one might appear aTstrange
IO
E
O
Tacceptable
L
N
C
declarationNfor a mother to make, but
it
would
have
been
more
during
Roman
times as
P
E
O
M
I
S
a coward
AT would dishonour himself
SA and his family.
LE
C
I
P
N
L their friend, Lady Valeria, joins
M
PWhen
IO
A
E
the
conversation,
she
praises
Virgilia’s
T
S
R
N
EC
son for tearing butterflies
apart with
ON
IO
I
S
T
T
A
E
his hands, saying,
L
C
CA ‘I saw him run afterN
I
I
P
a gilded/butterfly,
and when he caught
M
PL
IO
PL
E
A
T
E
it, he letRit go again/and after it again,
S
R
CA
I
R
R
andOover and over he comes,/and
up
PL
FO
F catched it again. Or
E
again,
whether
T
T
R
ON
ON
NO
I
I
NOhis fall/enraged him, OorRhow ’twas, he
F and/tear it! Oh, I
AT
AT
did so set his teeth
T
C
C
I
I
warrant how heNO
mammocked it!’ (Act I, PL
PL
N
E
E
O
Scene 3, lines 63-68). Praising such
R
R
TI
R
R
violent behaviour would have Omade
C
©LionsgateSE
FO
N in context because TitF would
sense
O
T
O inherited
LE
TI suggested the boy N
have
had
P
NO freelier rejoice
C
‘If my
son were my/husband, I should
E
M
S his father’s aggression and would likely
in that absence/wherein he won honour than in the
SA
also earn honour on the battlefield in
embracements/of his bed where he would show
N
the future.
ON
ON
most love.’ (Act 1,IO
Scene 3, lines 2-5)
I
I
N
CT
CT
CT
O
E
E
E
I
S
S
S
T
A
E
E
E
L
L
C
P
P
PL
LI
M
M
P
M
E
A
A
A
S
S
R
S
© THE ENGLISH EXPERIENCE 2015
57
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
THE MINI ESSAY
THE PLAY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Themes, motifs and symbols
FOREWORD
FO
CORIOLANUS
FO
R
ON
I
OR
T
F
A is a fearless warrior and
N there is no doubt thatIChe
From the minute
T a man
ON we meet Coriolanus,
I
E
Othe
L
L
T
N
who believes
in
solving
conflicts
by
fighting
and
vanquishing
his
enemies.
In
Act
I
of
play, he
P
P
C
E
E
M
responds
R make a quarry/With thousands of these
S to the protests of the
A plebeians by saying,R‘I’d
S
E
quartered
slaves
as
high/As
I
could
pick
my
lance’
(Act
I, Scene 1, lines 213-215). The respect
L
O
F
Passociated
ONwill still vote to make
with military success is such, nonetheless,
that the plebeians
T
M
I
T
A
O
N
S Coriolanus Consul Neven though he is openly Ncontemptuous
of them. EC
IO
T
O
S
I
Tplay,
E to examine what makes
Throughout the
Shakespeare appears to use the theme of L
war
ECa fight
A
S
C
P
honourable.
in the
N On the one hand, war
LI Does he glorify war itself?
M presents the main characters
LE
O
P
A
I
P
play with
opportunity and bringsTthem success. On the other,
it
produces
anxiety
and
dread
when
it
E
S
M
R
C
A
looms
and, ultimately, it leads to the death of Coriolanus.
Accordingly,
R over most of the characters
S
SE
FitOappears that Shakespeare
E
is
less
concerned
with
the
question
of
under
what
circumstances
war
L
T
P
N
and principles and the
Mmore interested in using
LE
NO is justified or not and
Othe theme to explore morality
I
N
A
P
manner in which S
people fight.
O
AT
AM
TI
C
I
A
S
In The Tragedy of Coriolanus, thereLare battles that
C
P
LI
involve swords
(notably, the takingRofECorioles, the sword
P
N
O
RAufidius, and the final RE
fightTIbetween
Coriolanus and
O
R
ON
F
I
scene
is
slain)
and
there
CA of the play, when Coriolanus
O
T
I
F
A
Lare battles of another kind:
OT battles fought withTwords
P
N
IC
E
O
L
ON
R (notably, the fights between Coriolanus and NMenenius
I
P
AT
RE
and the Tribunes). During the play, it becomes clear that
C
I
some battles
than others.
OR
PL
ONare fought more honourably
I
F
N
E
T
O
R
CT Act, Menenius debates
In theEfirst
TI the necessity of NO
R
C
S with one of the commoners,
protest
saying, ‘Why,
FO
E
SE
L
T
Pmasters, my good friends,
LEmine honest/neighbours,/Will
M
NO
P
N
A
you
undo
yourselves?’
(Act
I,
Scene
1,
lines
63-65).
His
S
IO
AM
debate with the S
protestors
constitutes anThonourable
R
EC chance to
FO
verbal war as each man is allowed anSequal
N
O
E
OT
state his case.
TI
L
N
C
N
P
Mfought by the Tribunes SE
IO
In contrast,
the ‘war of words’
A
T
LE
is
CAless honourable. TheyS use words to damage
I
P
N
M
PLCoriolanus’s reputation, stirring up discontent amongst
IO
A
E
T
R the people in order
N
N to have him banished. SAfter the
EC
O
IO
I
S
T
people have voted
that
Coriolanus
become
Consul,
for
T
A
E
Shakespeare
explores the nature of war
L
C
CA sways them by deliberately
I
instance, Brutus
exaggerI
N
P
the many battles — both
PL of sword
IO was your enemy, AMthrough
PL
ating Coriolanus’s
haughtiness, T‘He
E
and
of
word
—
in
the
text.
Stephen
Moorer
E
A and the charters that S
R
R
ever spake
against/Your liberties
C
as Coriolanus (Wikimedia
LI 199-200).
OR Commons)
ORbear’ (Act 2, Scene 3, Plines
F
Fyou
T
RE
N
OT
O
Similarly,
the
one-on-one
sword fight IObetween
R
ON
N
I
N
O
F
Coriolanus and Aufidius
that occurs in ActATI is very different from the fight in which Coriolanus
AT is
T
C
C
I
I
slain in the final
L first instance, the two men are enemies on thePbattlefield
L
NO scene of the play. InEPthe
Nstates, ‘Let the first budger
E
who face each other openly and fight
honourably.
Coriolanus
die the
O
I
R
R
T
R
R
other’s slave,/And the gods doom
him after!’ (Act I, Scene
8,
lines
6-7).
Prior
to
the
latter
battle,
C
O
O
E
F
F
N
S uses misleading wordsT to incite violence in
however, Aufidius plots behind
T Coriolanus’s back and
E Coriolanus by calling
IO
O
L
T
the marketplace of Antium,
even
deliberately
taunting
N
P
NO him a ‘boy of tears’
C
E
M
S (Act 5, Scene 6, line 120). Aufidius engineersACoriolanus’s death without having to commit the act
S after Aufidius calls him an ‘insolent villain’ (Act 5,
himself. Aufidius’s conspirators slay Coriolanus
N
Scene 6, lineO155).
ON
ON
I
I
I
N
CT
CT
CT
O
E
E
E
I
S
S
S
T
A
E
E
E
L
L
C
P
P
PL
LI
M
M
P
M
E
A
A
A
S
S
R
S
OT
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
THE MINI ESSAY
THE PLAY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
58
PHOTOCOPYING OF THIS RESOURCE IS IN CONTRAVENTION OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT (NO.98 1978)
R The Complete Guide and Resource for Grade 12
ON
T
I
OR
T
O
F
N
CA
ON
I
I
E
OT
L
L
T
N
‘RATHER
SAY I PLAY THEP MAN I AM’
C
EP
M
R
SE
R biography of former President Thabo
SA In the introduction toOhis
E
L
F
P
Mbeki, Mark Gevisser
notes that The Tragedy
of Coriolanus was
ON
T
M
I
T
A
O
Mbeki’s favourite
man studying at ON
S
C
N play when he was aEyoung
N
TI
O
the Lenin Institute in Moscow in 1969.SMbeki believed Coriolanus
I
C
T
LE revolutionary and someone
to be the model for a 20th Century
SE
CA
P
I
E selfN ‘truthfulness, courage,M self-sacrifice, absence Lof
fullIOof
PL
A
P
E
T
S optimism’. His friends
brotherliness, heroism,
R
Cseeking,
AM protested
E
R
S
S
that
Coriolanus
was
a
tyrant
driven
by
hubris,
but
Mbeki argued
FO
E
L
that the Roman general was a revolutionary because he was
T
P
E
M
prepared to go
who had become PL
NO
OtoN war against his own people,
I
N
A
T
S
O
a ‘rabble’, Aan ‘unthinking mob, with
TI its cowardice, its lying,SAitsM
C
I
A
ordinary
C
PL people-ness’.
LI
E
P
N
R
Coriolanus’s
insistence on being who he was at all costs, ‘Rather
say I play/The man I am’ (Act 3,
E
R
IO
Rformer
T
O
Scene
2,
lines
17-18),
resonated
strongly
with
Mbeki.
The
president
explained
A
R
ON to Gevisser:
F
I
C
O
T
I
T
… If you convey
F an image of yourself Athat’s not correct,
L ‘It was this thing of notOdissembling
T
P
N
ICI believe.’ Gevisser
in
the
end
you
get
caught.
It’s
fatal.
It’s
really
better
O to behave as yourself,
L
ON
RE
I
N
P
saw evidence of Mbeki’s determination to ‘play the man I am’ throughout
AT
RE his presidency: in Ihis
C
dogged anti-populism
and
in
his
refusal
to
‘spin’
the
media
or
to
‘play
to
the
crowd’.
OR
PL
ON
I
F
N
E
T
It’s not C
without
some irony that Mbeki’s
Tchart a similar course to that
R of his
IO political career would
O
T
E
R
favourite
Just as Coriolanus was turned on by the people O
of Rome and
S Shakespearean hero.
EC was banished into the Npolitical wilderness by the
F
E
S
exiled,
an
aloof
and
isolated
Mbeki
L
T ANC when it
E
P‘recalled’
O
him and dismissed
in the middle of his second
term in office.
M
N
PL him from the presidency
N
M
SA ©Antônio Milena/Agência
O
TI
SA Brasil (Wikimedia Commons)
C
OR
E
F
N
S
O
E
OT
TI
L
N
C
N
P
IO and the self AM
SE
Society
T
E
A
S
IC
PLversus the ‘collective’N in The Tragedy of
Shakespeare
explores the theme of the ‘individual’
L
M
O
P
the plebeians or
TI
SA an individual, mostCnotably,
RE Coriolanus. Time andNagain, a group is pitted against
N
E
common people ofIO
Rome against Coriolanus, of course. The plebeians
always appear as a group.
IO
S
T
T communal and there is never a dissenting opinion
A is
E among them. The C
Their ‘voice’ is always
same
L
CA
I
I
N
P
true of the group
who speak in unity
O
M as if they are one person.
PL In stark
PL of patricians in theTISenate,
E
A
E
contrastRare the characters who display
and opinions throughout
the play,
A uniquely individual voices
S
R
C
I
R
R
suchOas Coriolanus and Volumnia.
PL
FO
F
E
T theme has a distinctlyR political flavour. In many
This
N respects, it is a fundamental
OT political question:ON
R
O
N
I
NOat what point is the individual’s
life no longer Tjust about him or her, but also about the society T
ofI
FO
A
A
which he or she isTa part? Is it ever right forICan individual to put the interests of the community
Cthat
L
LI
NOher ahead of his or herEPown?
supports him or
P
N
IO
R
RE
T
This question is likely to have beenRespecially pertinent andCinteresting to Shakespeare’s
R audiences
O
E
FO being openly questioned
F
as theN ‘divine right of kings’ was
in
Elizabethan
England.
The current
S
T
O
T
E
I
monarch,
James I, was frequently
in conflict with the LEnglish Parliament as a result,
T
NO
P
NO and the tension
C
E
M
and
upheaval
of
the
Rome
portrayed
in
the
play
would
have
echoed
the
political
climate at the time.
S
SA
In essence, Parliament viewed its relationship with the king as a partnership, with equal rights and
N could overrule the legislature
ON
ON but James believed he was superior and thatIOhe
different functions,
I
I
N struggle that, ultimately,
CT and the
CT It was a 50-year power
as he wished.
CTled to his son’s execution
O
E
E
E
I
S
S
T
creation
Commonwealth
of EnglandS in 1649.
A
E
E of a republic called the
E
L
L
C
P
P
PL
LI
M
M
P
M
E
A
A
A
S
S
R
S
© THE ENGLISH EXPERIENCE 2015
59
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE PLAY
THE MINI ESSAY
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
FOREWORD
FO
CORIOLANUS
FO
R
ON
I
OR
T
F
N the play, Menenius compares
N
At the startOof
Rome with the human
body, likening the TSenate to
CA
I
I
E
O
L
L the limbs (Act 1, Scene
T the common peoplePto
the bellyCand
1,
lines
98-170).
He usesNthis imagery
P
M the disgruntled limbs
allegorically
and tells a story A
about
RErebelling against the belly, claiming that
SE
they
LE did all the work, while Sthe belly received all the
ORfood. In the story, theNbelly counters this by
F
Pobserving
that, although it receives all of the food,
T it distributes these nutrients
M
IO throughout the body
T
A
O
N
S so that the limbs and
Cthat the limbs cannot exist
N in other words, arguing
N brain can do their work;
IO
E
T
O
without the belly,
TI just as the belly cannot exist without the limbs.LE S
EC
A
S
C
P
I Belly and the Members’,
Known asL‘The
N this fable was extremely
M popular in Shakespeare’s
LE time. It
O
P
A
I
P
even produced
the widely known
phrase
‘the
body
politic’,
which
is
still
used
today
to
E
T
S
M describe the
R
C
A
group
R of people that make up
S fable in a speech
SE a society or country. King James I even quoted the
FtoOparliament, except heLElikened the role of the king to that of the head in the body. Unsurprisingly,
T
P
E
N the body works and could even choose to cut Loff
M dictates how the rest
NO he argued that theAhead
Oof
I
N
P
limbs if it so desired.
interpretation of theMfable
S It is not hard to imagine
O
AT Coriolanus adopting aTIsimilar
C
to King James I as he often appears somewhat
contemptuous ofAthe ‘voice’ of the common
SApeople.
LI
C
I
P
Shakespeare,
though, appears to
PL and Menenius’s interpretation of
N
REquestion both King James’s
E
O
R Senate or belly does appear
the fable
to act in its own best
R
N interests and,
TI in the play. At times,
Othe
A
R
O
F
I
equally,
the
plebeians
or
limbs
eventually
get
rid
of
Coriolanus,
believing
that
T to be in their best
IC
T
FO
A
L
O
T representatives of theICpeople and the ‘commonN
P interests. Likewise, theNTribunes, despite beingOthe
O
RE good’, seem to act in their own selfish interests
N only. Is Shakespeare Equestioning
whether ‘the body
PL
TI
A
politic’ can ever act in harmonious unity? Is he suggesting that theRvarious parts, like the belly
IC and
R
N
L
limbs, are merely
held
in
an
uneasy,
tense
truce
while
their
interests
are
aligned?
IO
FO
N
EP
T
T
O
R
I
C
O
T
N
C
SE
OR
E
F
E
S
E
PL
OT
L
M
N
P
N
M
SA
IO
A
T
S
C
OR
E
F
N
S
O
E
OT
TI
L
N
C
N
P
M
IO
SE
A
T
E
A
S
IC
PL
N
L
M
P
IO
A
E
T
S
R
N
EC
ON
IO
I
S
T
T
A
E
L
C
CA
I
I
N
P
M
PL
IO
PL
E
A
T
E
S
R
R
CA
I
R
R
PL
FO
FO
E
T
R
N
OT
R
O
ON
N
I
I
NO
O
F
AT
AT
T
C
C
I
I
NO
PL
PL
N
E
E
O
R
R
TI
R
R
C
FO
FO
N
SE
T
O
T
O
LE
TI
N
P
NO
C
E
M
S
SA
N
ON by
ON Belly’, this picture lampoons politicians for being lazy,IOself-interested
Entitled ‘The Legislative
and bloated. Lithograph
I
I
N of Art, New York) (Wikimedia
CT
CT (1834) (Metropolitan Museum
CTCommons)
Honoré Daumier
O
E
E
E
I
S
S
S
T
A
E
E
E
L
L
C
P
P
PL
LI
M
M
P
M
E
A
A
A
S
S
R
S
OT
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
THE MINI ESSAY
THE PLAY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
60
PHOTOCOPYING OF THIS RESOURCE IS IN CONTRAVENTION OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT (NO.98 1978)
R The Complete Guide and Resource for Grade 12
ON
T
I
OR
T
O
F
N
CA
ON
I
I
E
OT
L
L
T
N
P
C STRUGGLE FOR POWER
THE
EP
M
R
SE
SAin the midst of change,OR
E The play depicts a society
struggling to adjust to a new form of
L
P government. Until recently, Rome was ruled byF a king and the plebeians
ONor common
T
M
I
T
A
O
N
S
Cthey participate in
people had no N
say or ‘voice’. Now, in the N
early years of the Republic,
IO
E
T
O
I Consuls and they have Tribunes to represent theirSinterests and defend C
the electionTof
E
A
Lruling
SE
them against
elite.
C abuses of power byNthe aristocratic patricians or
P
I
M
LE
O the patricians and the plebeians
PL
A
I
P
TheE struggle for power between
is
central
to
the
play.
It
T
S
M
R
C
A
of
Ropens with the plebeiansSEangry, suspicious and in open revolt, accusing the patricians
S
FO hoarding grain while Lthey
E starve. The patricians, equally, mistrust and scorn the plebeians,
T
P
considering themMignorant
and fickle and easily
LE
NO
ON manipulated.
I
N
A
P
T
S between the politicalAtransition
OSouth Africa in 1994 M
Are there parallels
that took placeTIin
A
C
I
A
and the transition of Rome from P
a Lmonarchy to a republic?ICIs the conflict between the S
patricians
and the plebeians similar
in contemporary South
PL
N
RE to the struggle forEcontrol
O
R
I
R
Africa
between
the
rich
and
the
poor,
the
capitalist
and
the
worker,
the old eliteNand the
T
O
A
R
F
IO
C dissatisfied majority? T
O
T
I
F
A
T
PL
NO
IC
E
O
L
ON
R
I
N
P
AT
RE
C
I
N
L
OR
P
O
I
F
N
E
Although heTis a symbol of ‘rugged O
is
T man’ in many ways, Coriolanus
R
I individualism’ and ‘his own
O
T
EC
R
also anShonourable
Roman citizen
and
does
what
is
right
for
Rome,
even
if
it
is
at
odds
with
what
is
N
C
O
rightLE
for himself. Until his banishment,
he has a very clear individual point of viewFand yet behaves
SE
T
in P
a way that benefits all ofLE
Rome. After he has been banished, his individualism
M
NO comes to the fore
P
N
A
revenge,
but, even then, does
M
S and he seeks selfish A
IO he do so partly for the collective good because
T
S
he feels Rome has dishonoured
itself and needs
C to be rebuilt?
OR
E
F
N
S
As noted, the Tribunes (the equivalent of
selfish throughout
IO
E modern politicians) areTreliably
OTthe play.
L
N
C
P supposed to act as a E‘mouthpiece’ for the people. Instead of
This is not N
without irony since they are
M
IO the interests of the plebeians,
S
A
representing
however, theyEmanipulate
the people in order to maintain
T
A
S
L
C
their
P Consul because they
N believe that he will
LI own power. They do not want Coriolanus to become
M role. In Act 2, Scene 1,IOSicinius
P
ignore
their
concerns
or
even
disregard
their
official
predicts that
A
T
S
RE Coriolanus will become
C
N
goN
E may,/During his power,IO
O Consul, to which Brutus replies, ‘Then our office
I
S
T
sleep’ (lines 244-245).
E Tribunes to instigateCaAbitter
AT It is this fear of losing power that motivatesLthe
C
I
N
argument between
the lauded general and the common people. P
LI
L
O
M
P
I
P
AT
SA
RE
RE
C
R
LI
OR
P
F
FO
T
T
RE
N
O
ON
NO for their own
One could seeOaRsimilarity between howIOthe Tribunes use the people
I
N
Fand how Julius MalemaAThas championed socio-economic issues in AT
political aims
T
C
C
O power. The political party
LI he founded, the Economic Freedom FightersPLI
order toNgain
P
N
(EFF), promotes itself as socialist
IO has attracted a significant
RE and anti-capitalist and
RE
T
R
C Given the widely documented
following of disgruntled, financially
marginalised people.
OR
O
E
F
F
N
S could view his championing
of
T Malema has enjoyed,E one
IO ostentatious life of luxury
O
OT
L
T
the
poor
and
calls
for
revolutionary
socialism
with
wry
scepticism.
N
P
N
C
M
SE
SA
ON
ON
ON
I
I
I
N
CT
CT
CT
O
E
E
E
I
S
S
S
T
A
E
E
E
L
L
C
P
P
PL
LI
M
M
P
M
E
A
A
A
S
S
R
S
© THE ENGLISH EXPERIENCE 2015
61
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
THE MINI ESSAY
THE PLAY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
i
FOREWORD
FO
CORIOLANUS
HonourION
LE
CT
N
OT
FO
R
I
PL
O
TI
A
C
N
NO
T
FO
R
FOREWORD
P
The idea
explored throughout TheETragedy of Coriolanus. It was a powerful
E of honour is repeatedly
M
R
S
A
notion
for Romans and some
academics have argued
it was akin to an invisible glue that held
R
S
E
L
FOwhich strive for equality,
PRoman
society together. Unlike modern societies,
ON Roman society was
T
M
I
T
A
N
influence and power.
S maintained throughN prestige. Honour was how
C
NO an individual gainedEstatus,
IO It
It remains a nebulous,
hard
to
define
concept
that
does
not
have
a
direct
modern
equivalent.
T
O
S
C
TI individual’s reputation, moral standing, accomplishments
E
Ethe
encompassedAan
and wealth. On
one
L
S
C
P
I was used by the ruling
E
N
L
hand, honour
minority
to
justify
their
status
and
authority.
On
the
other,
it
M
L
O
P
A
I
P
E
T
S
encouraged
those in power to C
conduct
themselves with integrity
and in a manner that
would benefit
R
AM
E
R
society
as
a
whole.
S
S
O
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
N
OT
F
E
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
After Caius Martius leaves
PL for Corioles, Volumnia
N and Virgilia have a discussion about the nature
M
LE
O
of honour and war.AVolumnia states that an honourable
man bears battle
scars and that she would
I
N
P
S
O
M 1,
AT because a cowardly son
rather have a dead son than a cowardly C
son
A(Act
TI would have no honour
I
A
S
Scene 3, lines 22-27). This appears PtoL be a rather unusual and
IC extreme attitude for a mother, but
Lhonour
E
P
it wouldNhave made more sense R
at the time because losing
meant losing social rank and
E
O
R
I
R
status,
N
T which would compromise
O a family’s lifestyle and future wealth.
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
R
F
IO
CA
O
T
I
T
F
Aof honour as anything
O is banished from Rome
T as much for his sense
PLThe irony is that Coriolanus
Nsoldier
IC and, in turn, his militaryN
E
O
else.
He
is
a
successful
because
he
is
honourable
and
brave
in
battle
L
O
R
N
TI
EP his strong sense of honour
success has elevated him socially, winning him fame and respect.RYet
A
C
becomes a weakness
in the political limelight because it makes R
him reluctant to be anything
N
LI other
O
P
O
F
than honest
TI and brave. He prefersIOtoNspeak plainly and truthfully
T and to behave in a straightforward,
RE
C
O
direct E
ferociously.
Yet he
R
CT he has been taught toN act swiftly and to fight O
S manner. As a career soldier,
E
F
finds
where he would be best served by being placid and conciliatory.
S
LE himself in a politicalEsituation
PMenenius
OTthat he is a soldier to
highlights
this
when
he
suggests Coriolanus should use the fact
L
M
N
P
N
M
SA excuse his brash manner.
IO
A
T
S
OR or
If Coriolanus is punished for being anEC
honourable man, the Tribunes illustrate how honour
F
N
S
O
stature can be won through dishonourable
means. They deliberately
manipulate events
E
OT to ensure
TI
L
N
C
Coriolanus
N is banished and are Prewarded with political Esuccess as a result. In the eyes of the
IO the Tribunes have helped
S enemy and even the patricians believe
plebeians,
AM rid them of a perceived
T
E
A
S
L
IC the Tribunes have helped win Coriolanus mercyP and exile rather than death.
N
Lthat
M
P
IO
A
E
T
S
R
N
EC
ON
IO
I
S
T
T
A
E
L
DYING
C
CAWITH HONOUR N
I
I
P
L
M
PL
IO
P
E
A
T
E
The
A only society to have placed
S a huge emphasis on the
R concept of
R ancient Romans are notCthe
R
honour. It was also popularLIin
feudal Japan and was the central principle of ‘bushido’,
the samurai
R
O
P
F
FOwarrior code. In fact, being
T
RE honourable was soN important among
OT
O
the
Japanese
ruling
class
(Daimyos) and theirIO
samurai soldiers that
R
ON
N
I
N
O
F had brought shame upon
an individual who
AT himself and his family
AT
T
C
C
I
I
— by beingOdishonest or cowardly in Lbattle, for example — would
N
Porder to regain his honour.
PL
N
E
E
commit ‘seppuku’ or ritual suicide
in
O
R
R
TI
R
R
C
Also known as ‘harakiri’, the
FO practice involved killingSEyourself by
FO
N
slicing
your
stomach
open.
The
individual
would
eat
a
last
meal,
T
O
T
O
LE on his ‘death
TI wash and dress himself
N
P
NO
carefully and seat himself
C
E
M
S
cloth’. Seated, he would write a final death
SApoem and then open
the top of his kimono, pick up his blade and stab himself in the
ON
ON
ON
abdomen.
I
I
I
N
CT Tamayo
CT
©Reynerio
CT
O
E
E
E
I
S
S
S
T
A
E
E
E
L
L
C
P
P
PL
LI
M
M
P
M
E
A
A
A
S
S
R
S
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
THE MINI ESSAY
THE PLAY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
62
PHOTOCOPYING OF THIS RESOURCE IS IN CONTRAVENTION OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT (NO.98 1978)
R The Complete Guide and Resource for Grade 12
ON
T
I
OR
T
O
F
N
Friendship
CA
ONand enmity
I
I
E
OT
L
L
T
N
P
EP
The bondEC
of friendship is anotherM
significant
theme in The Tragedy
of Coriolanus. The play depicts
R
S
A
constantly
shifting alliances right
R who are rioting violently because of the
S from the start. The people
E
FO end up fighting alongside
PL shortages in the beginning of the play, for instance,
corn
ON the generals they
T
M
I
T
A
N
when the city of Corioles
S were protesting against
C just given Coriolanus
NO is taken. Similarly, having
N people turn against him,
IO
E
their votes, the common
claiming
that
he
mocked
them:
‘He
mocked
us
T
O
S
TI voices’ (Act 2, Scene 3, line 175).
E
EC
when he beggedAour
L
S
C
P
N
LI Coriolanus is shunned
M
LE
O
Caius Martius
by his
P
A
I
P
E
S
R and goes from beingCaT ‘friend of
homeland
‘Only that name/remains./The cruelty and
AMenvy of
E
R
S
S
Rome’
Likewise,
the people,/Permitted by our dastard nobles, who/
FO to ‘an enemy of theLpeople’.
E
T
Aufidius,
his
sworn
enemy,
embraces
the
P
N Have all forsook me, hath devoured the rest’ (Act 4,
LE
NOexiled general withAM
O
Scene 5, lines 81-85). Coriolanus
explains his status
open arms. Yet this I
N
P
S
AT
as an exile to Aufidius.IO
new-found ‘friendship’ is not entirely out Cof
AM
T
I
A
S
L
C
altruism. It is a tactical alliance as wellPsince
LI
E
P
both men N
need the other’s help toRconquer
O
R
RE
Rome.TI
O
R
ON
F
I
CA
O
T
I
F
InL this way, Shakespeare
A
OT examines the
T
P
N
IC
E
O
nature
of
friendship
throughout
the
play.
By
L
ON
R
I
N
P
having characters and crowds appear to shift
AT
RE
C
I
allegiances swiftly
N and frequently, he appears
L
OR
P
O
I
F
N
E
to be implying,
rather cynically, that friendship
O
R
CTa matter of convenience
OT
TI
E
exists as
and
R
N
C
S
FO
E
expedience
in most cases. In
SEother words,
L
T
E
P ties of friendship are Lformed
that
only when
M
NO
P
N
A
The behaviour O
M
S these are mutually beneficial.
TI
SAthe play suggests that
of the characters in
C
OR
E
F
N
those ties are easily broken as well. SThe
O
E
OT
TI
suggestion is that friends can become
L
N
C
N
P
enemiesIO
as easily as ice becomesMwater — a
SE
A
T
E
©Seattle
A
S
change
L Shakespeare Company
C in the environment is all that it takes.
I
P
N
M
PDoL you agree with this assessment?
IO
A
E
T
S
R
N
N
Consider the exiledIO
Coriolanus’s
pessimistic musings on the nature of friendship
in Act 4, SceneIO4:
EC
S
T
A
E
AT
L
C
C
I
I
N
P
‘O world,
thy slippery turns! Friends
PL
IO now fast sworn, AM
PL
E
T
E
R
Whose
double bosoms seems
R
CA to wear one heart, S
I
R
R
PL whose meal and exercise
FO
FO Whose hours, whoseEbed,
T
R
N
OT
Are still together,Rwho twin, as ’twere, in love
O
ON
N
I
I
NO
O
Fshall within this hour, AT
AT
Unseparable,
T
C
C
I
I
NO
PL
PL
On a dissension
of a doit, breakEout
N
E
O
R
R
TI
To bitterest enmity; so fellestRfoes,
R
C
FO plots have broke theirSE
FO
NWhose passions and whose
T
O
T
O
LE
TI
N
P
NO
C
sleep
E
M
S
SA
To take the one the other, by some chance,
Some trick
ON
ON not worth an egg, shall grow dear friends
ON
I
I
I
T
N
CT
Cinterjoin
CT ©WJSolha (DeviantArt.com)
And
their issues.’ IO
E
E
E
S
S
S
T
A
E
E
E
L
L
C
P
P
PL
LI
M
M
P
M
E
A
A
A
S
S
R
S
© THE ENGLISH EXPERIENCE 2015
63
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE PLAY
THE MINI ESSAY
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
FOREWORD
FO
CORIOLANUS
FO
R
ON
I
OR
T
F
N
Another of the
of Coriolanus is ‘Nature
teaches beasts to T
know their
CA
ON famous lines from TheE Tragedy
I
I
O kinship.
L
L
T 2, Scene 1, line 6), which
N
friends’ C(Act
suggests
that
friendship
is
more
about
survival
than
P
EP
E
M
R
S
The
R
E cynical exploitation ofSAfriendship is
L
N
FO
Pcertainly evident in the realm of politics.
M One pertinent South African example is the OT
IO
T
A
N
S relationship between
C
N Jacob Zuma and Julius N
IO
E
T
O
S
TI used Malema to remove
E
Malema. Zuma
EC
A
L
S
C
P
Thabo Mbeki
in 2007,
LI as leader of the ANCON
M
LE
P
A
I
P
but swiftly
distanced himself fromTthe younger
E
S
R
C
AM
man
when the relationshipE was deemed
R
S
S
O
Fsuperfluous
and even potentially
damaging
LE
T
P
M triggered a bitter ION
LE
NO politically. This rejection
N
A
P
rivalry between them
S and Malema recently
O
AT
AM
TI
C
called his former friend and benefactor
‘a
I
A
S
C
PL how
©Moeketsi Moticoe
champion of corruption’, suggesting
LI
E
P
N
R
E Zuma and Julius Malema in happier times.
deep Itheir
O enmity now runs. R
PresidentRJacob
T
O
R
ON
F
I
CA
O
T
I
F
A
L
OT
T
P
N
IC
E
O
L
Gender
roles
ON
R
I
N
P
E
ATthat
In Ancient Rome (as well as Elizabethan England) there were very R
strict social and legal rules
C
I
R
ORome,
governed acceptable
male and female
behaviour. In Ancient
the law often reflected
the
PL
ON
I
F
N
E
T
T
O
R
double standards
of
the
time.
A
paterfamilias
(male
head
of
a
family)
was
legally
allowed
to
murder
I
C
O
T
SE
OR no punishment
his daughter
if she was guiltyEC
of committing adultery, forN example, but would incur
F
E
SIn Elizabethan England there were many professions
E
PifLhe himself was unfaithful.
OT that women were
L
M
N
prohibited from entering.
a woman to be an actress, for example, and all
P It was unheard of for
Mand female, were played
SA theatrical roles, male
ON
I
by
men.
A
T
S
C
OR
E
F
N
These strict codes of conduct and societal
expectations
regarding
the
demeanour
and
behaviour
of
S
T
O
I
E
O
women are epitomised by Virgilia. L
She is chaste, obedient, silent
N that both
CT and nurturing, qualities
NRomans and ElizabethanP audiences would haveEconsidered
O
Ancient
the
‘ideals’
of
womanhood.
M
I
S
A
T
E
A
S
Yet,
through the character of Volumnia, ShakespeareLappears to subvert these feminine ideals. She
ICstrong, domineering and vocal and, even thoughPsocietal
N
L
is
expectations constrict
her role to some
M
P
IO
A
E
T
to be heard and to exert
S her influence.
R extent, she still manages
N
EC
ON
IO
I
S
T
In a blurring of T
gender roles, Volumnia is depicted as a kind of warrior
herself: not only praising
her
LE against him and convincing
CA him
CAscarred by battle, but Nin courageously squaringPoff
I
son for being
I
L
M traits of being brash
Pand
IO the typically ‘masculine’
PL Rome. She also exhibits
not to attack
painfully
E
A
T
E
A
S
R exactly how
R She doesn’t mince her
C
honest.
words
with
the
Tribunes,
for
instance,
and
they
know
R
LI
O‘ ’Twas
ORfeels about them after PCoriolanus
F
is
banished
and
she
pointedly
exclaims,
you incensed
Fshe
E
T
T
R
N
the
rabble’
(Act
4,
Scene
2,
line
45).
She
is
also
extremely
ambitious
and
convinces
Coriolanus
O
R
O
OtoN
N
I
I
NO run for Consul. SheOeven
tells her heroic son
F
AT that she gave him all his bravery and courage:
AT‘Thy
T
C
C
valiantness was
mine;
thou
suck’st
it
from
me’
(Act
3,
Scene
2,
line
157).
I
I
NO
PL
PL
N by the gender role heEhas
E
Even Coriolanus, the paragon of masculinity,
appears
restricted
to play.
O
I
R
R
T
R
R
He seems to have to act the part
of the tough, unsentimental
uncomfortable
EC man and is extremely
FO break through, making
FO
N
S
and
surprised
when
his
emotions
him
feel
weak
and
vulnerable.
When he
T
T
E
IO
O
O
L
T
family outside the gates
of Rome, for example,
N
P
N he breaks down and
C is confronted by his Roman
E
M
weeps,
saying,
‘I
melt,
and
am
not/Of
stronger
earth
than
others’
(Act
5,
Scene
3, lines 31-32).
S
SA
By blurring masculine
and female qualities and roles in this manner,
is Shakespeare questioning
N
N
ONsocially
O
O
I
I
I
the idea that
gender
is
something
predetermined
or
fixed
and
suggesting
that
it
might
be
N
CT
CT instead?
CT
constructed
O
E
E
E
I
S
S
S
T
A
E
E
E
L
L
C
P
P
PL
LI
M
M
P
M
E
A
A
A
S
S
R
S
OT
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
THE MINI ESSAY
THE PLAY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
64
PHOTOCOPYING OF THIS RESOURCE IS IN CONTRAVENTION OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT (NO.98 1978)
R The Complete Guide and Resource for Grade 12
ON
T
I
OR
T
O
F
N
CA
I
E
OT
L
L
N
P
EP
M
R
R
SA
FO
ON
T
I
T
N
C
NO
IO
E
T
S
E
EC
L
S
P
M
LE
ON
A
I
P
S
M
CT
E
SA
S
SA
M
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OR
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Volumnia valiantly pleads with Coriolanus to spare the city of Rome. Engraving by
OJames Caldwall (1803) OT
E
TI
L
(Folger Shakespeare
Library,
Washington,
D.C.)
N
C
P
E
ON
M
I
S
AT
SA
LE
C
I
P
N
L
M
PSymbols
IO
A
E
T
S
R
N
EC
ON
IO
I
S
T
Symbols are objects,
A an
E something else, usually
AT characters, shapes or colours used to represent
L
C
C
I
I
N
abstract ideaL or quality. Symbols usually
represent something Pelse by association, resemblance
M
PL
IO symbolism throughout
P Shakespeare employs
E
A
T
or convention.
his
plays,
using
physical
E
A
S
R things to
R
C
represent
R intangible or invisibleLIideas or qualities in particular.
OR
P
F
FO
T
RE
N
OT
O
R
O
ON
N
I
I
N
O
F
Animal imagery
AT
AT
T
C
C
I
I
L
Shakespeare makes
NO use of animal imagery
PL throughout the play.
N Coriolanus comparesEPAufidius
E
O
R Scene 1,
to a lion and is himself compared byR Menenius to a bear who
TI ‘lives like a lamb’ (Act 2,
R
R
C
line 12). In other words, Menenius
Martius Coriolanus is both
FO is implying that Caius
FO brave and
N
SE
T
O
T
humble.
The
Tribunes,
on
the
other
hand,
assert
that
Coriolanus
is
a
‘lamb…that
E
I
O
O baas like a bear’
L
T
N
P
N
C(Act 2, Scene 1, line 11), implying that ‘his bark isMworse than his bite’, an expression that suggests
SE he would not be able to carry out the unpleasant
SA threats he makes. In this exchange, the Tribunes
reveal an astuteNawareness of Coriolanus’s weakness. The conversation takes place before
his
ON
O
ON they can exploit the Isoldier’s
political manipulation
and downfall and the Tribunes are hinting Ithat
I
N to speak his mind bluntly
CT
CtoT ‘baa’ — in other words,
CT— against him.
willingness
O
E
E
E
I
S
S
S
T
A
E
E
E
L
L
C
P
P
PL
LI
M
M
P
M
E
A
A
A
S
S
R
S
S
C
SE
© THE ENGLISH EXPERIENCE 2015
65
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
O
TI
A
C
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
LI
TI
A
C
E
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
M
SA
PL
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
EP
F
R
I
ON
THE MINI ESSAY
R
OT
OR
L
EP
TI
A
C
THE PLAY
N
M
E
C
N
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
SA
PL
SE
O
TI
FOREWORD
FO
CORIOLANUS
FO
R
ON
I
OR
T
F
N
Shakespeare
of butterflies in particular.
He uses butterfly
imagery
CA
ONmakes repeated use ofE images
I
I
OT first hear
L
L
T
N
to emphasise
the
similarities
between
Coriolanus
and
his
son,
Young
Martius.
When
we
P
C
EP torturing and killing butterflies for fun
M
of Young
3,
we
learn
that
he
was
R
SE Martius, in Act 1, Scene
SA
E 63-68) and Volumnia remarks
(lines
that he is just like
L
ORhis father. Then, in ActN4, Scene 6, Cominius
Pdescribes how Coriolanus is leading the VolsciansFinto
battle against Rome
T
M
IO by saying, ‘they follow
T
A
O
N
S him/Against us brats
C butterflies/Or butchers
boys pursuing summer
N
N with no less confidence/Than
IO
E
T
O
S
I Scene 6, lines 117-120).
killing flies’ (ActT4,
E
EC
A
L
S
C
P and Young Martius Eare pleading
We are reminded
of the butterfly yetNagain when Volumnia, Virgilia,
LI
M
L
O
P
A
I
with Coriolanus
to spare Rome.TYoung Martius says to his
father ‘He shall not treadPon me./I’ll run
E
S
R
AM
ECI’ll fight’ (Act 5, Scene 3, lines 147-148). YoungSMartius
away
till I am bigger, but then
insists that
R
S
O father will not ‘tread’ Eon him as one may tread on a butterfly. Rather he will run away and train
Fhis
T so that, when he is older
PL and not as small and N
O
M
LE
N
O fragile as a butterfly, heNwill be able to return to fight
I
A
P
his own father. S
O
AT
AM
TI
C
I
A
S
Another image of butterflies is used when
IC are discussing Rome’s fate at the
PL Menenius and Sicinius
L
E
hands ofN Coriolanus. Menenius tells
the
Tribune
that
‘There
P is differency between a grub and a/
R
E
O
butterfly,
from man to dragon’
R
N (Act 5, Scene 4,
TI yet your butterfly was
ORa grub. This Martius/ isRgrown
A
O
F
I
lines
11-13).
He
is
suggesting
that,
just
as
a
butterfly
grows
from
a
grub,
so,
too,
has Coriolanus
T
IC
T
FO
A
L
O
that can destroy it.ICHis anger and desire forN
T
P grown from a man thatNdefended Rome into aOdragon
O
RE revenge are such that he has become as powerful
N
as a fire-breathing dragon.
PL
TI
E
A
R
C
R
N
LI
O
P
O
I
F
TMartius’s
T
ON
RE
Caius
praise
name
I
C
O
N
CT
SE
ORMartius, adding
E
F
In E
Act I, Scene 9, after capturing
the
city
of
Corioles,
the
soldiers
rename
Caius
S
L
T
E
P‘Coriolanus’
to the end of
his
name. The new name is meant as a recognitionOof his military prowess
L
M
N
P
M it also becomes a symbol
SA and determination,Abut
ON of the violence and bloodshed he has caused in
I
T
the city of Corioles.
S This is important because
C this scene represents a turning point for the general:
OR
E
F
N
it is after he returns to Rome with his new
name
that
things
start
to
go
awry.
It
is
almost
as
S
T though
O
I
E
O
war and bloodshed are, literally, following
him around in the form
N
CT of his name.
N
PL
E
O
M
I
S
In many
African cultures, praise
songs are used to celebrate a person in the form of a spoken
AT Each praise song consists
SA of several praise names
LE for the person, which form descriptions
C
poem.
I
P
N
M song is intended toIOcapture
PLof his or her personality, standing and skills. A Apraise
the ‘essence’ of
E
T
R a person, object orNego. Thus, by adding theSword ‘Coriolanus’ to C
N
E
O
IO
I
S
T
Caius Martius’sTname, Cominius and the other soldiers add to the
A
E
L
C
CA
I
general’s essence.
This captured city
and the violence associated
I
N
P
M
PL
IOthe essence of the great
PL comes to represent
with itsEtaking,
warrior,
E
A
T
A
S
R
R
Cdemise.
foreshadowing
his own violent
I
R
R
PL
FO
FO
E
T
R
N
OT
R
O
ON
N
I
I
NO The oak garland
O
F
AT
AT
T
C
C
I
I
The oak garland
NO is mentioned twiceEinPLthe play: by Volumnia and
PL
N by
E
O
Menenius. In both instances, the R
characters are referring to
Caius
R
TI
R
R
C
Martius Coriolanus. The oak garland
was
a
symbolic
adornment
worn
FO the life of another Roman
FO
N
SE
by
a
warrior
who
had
either
saved
soldier
T
O
T
I
O
LE different types
Tor
shown great valour in
battle. It was made of three
N
P
NO
C
E
M
S of oak and was known as the Corona Civica.A This was the highest
S
honour you could achieve as a soldier and shows that Coriolanus
Bust of the Emperor Augustus
N
was loyal toIO
Rome and an honourable warrior; however, the explicit
ON
ON
wearing the Corona
Civica
I
I
T
T of his utmost loyalty toNRome ironically foreshadows
T his
mentioning
(Glyptothek, Munich)
C
C
C
O
E
SE of the city.
SE
(WikimediaSCommons)
betrayal
TI
A
E
E
E
IC
PL
PL
PL
L
M
M
P
M
SA
SA
RE
SA
OT
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
THE MINI ESSAY
THE PLAY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
66
PHOTOCOPYING OF THIS RESOURCE IS IN CONTRAVENTION OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT (NO.98 1978)
R The Complete Guide and Resource for Grade 12
ON
T
I
OR
T
O
F
The voices
CA
ONof the people E N
I
I
OT
L
L
T
N
P the Senate, he is required
EP to have his appointment ratified by
Once Coriolanus
is elected ConsulMby
EC
R
S
A ‘voices’. The Tribune,R Sicinius Velutus, reminds Coriolanus, ‘Sir,
asking
E the common people forStheir
L
FO 164-165). This meansON
P people/Must have their voices’ (Act 2, Scene 2, lines
the
that the people have
T
M
I
T
A
N
decision of the Senate toOelect him through a vote.
S the right to validate the
C
N
N
IO
E
T
O
S
It is ironic that theTIpeople, and their voices, end up playing such aEsignificant
role in Coriolanus’s
EC
A
L
S
fate since, at Ithe
they are protesting about
grain
shortages,
he
dismisses
C start of the play, when
P
N
L saying that, if it wereOup
M In a further twist, the
LE ‘voices’
their opinions,
to him, he would killAthem.
P
I
P
E
R
CT lack of a say or ‘voice’Sbecause it is as a result
of the people
highlight Coriolanus’s
AMof their vocal
E
R
S
S
opinions
FO that he is banished.
LE
T
P
M
LE
NO
ON
I
N
A
P
S
O
AT
The toga
AM
TI
C
I
A
S
C
PL unembellished
When Coriolanus is required to wear a plain,
LI
E
P
N
R
O 2, Scene 3, he is putting
toga in IAct
R on a garment that RE
T
O
R
ON
represents
humility. Yet he knows
F that he is not a humble
I
CA
O
T
I
F
A
L and, truthfully, he does
man
OTnot believe that the people’s
T
P
N
IC
E
O
L
votes
should
count
at
all.
He
feels
that
wearing
the
toga
ON
R
I
N
P
AT
will betray his personal code of honour because he will
RE
C
I
appear to be something
that he is not, but he is persuaded
OR
PL
ON
I
F
N
E
to do it against
O
R
CT his better judgement.
OT
TI
E
R
N
C
S the donning of the toga
In a sense,
symbolises a turning
FO
E
SheE is allowing himself to be
L
T
point
for
Coriolanus
because
P
LE and Tribunes, foreshadM
NO
manipulated
by
the
patricians
P
N
A
M
S owing how he will eventually
O exile.
be manipulatedTIinto
SA
C an act of
OR
He is also putting his battle wounds on display,
E
F
N
S
O
apparent humility that foreshadows the
E fact that he will
OT
TI
L
N
C
N
P death.
soon be O
brought
to the ultimate humility:
M
I
SE
A
T
E
A
S
There
is irony in this event. By putting on the toga, the
IC warrior’s battle wounds are on display, which should
PL
N
L
great
M
P
IO
A
E
T
S
honour, but Coriolanus is punished
R be a source of great N
N
EC
O curt manner in which he interacts
IO
for the haughty and
I
S
T
T
A
E
with the Tribunes
L
C
CA and commoners and Nso, ultimately, the
I
I
P
displaying of
source of shame.
M
PL
PLhis wounds becomes TaIO
E
A
E
S John Philip Kemble as a proud
R Coriolanus.
R
CA
I
R
Painting
by
Thomas
Lawrence
(circa 1798)
R
L
O
P
F
FO
(Victoria
and
Albert
Museum,
London)
T
RE
N
OT
O
R
O
ON
N
I
I
N
O
F
AT
AT
T
C
C
I
I
NO
PL
PL
N
E
E
O
R
R
TI
R
R
C
FO
FO
N
SE
T
O
T
O
LE
TI
N
P
NO
C
E
M
S
SA
ON
ON
ON
I
I
I
N
CT
CT
CT
O
E
E
E
I
S
S
S
T
A
E
E
E
L
L
C
P
P
PL
LI
M
M
P
M
E
A
A
A
S
S
R
S
© THE ENGLISH EXPERIENCE 2015
67
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE PLAY
THE MINI ESSAY
SUMMARIES
AND ANALYSES
BACKGROUND
TO THE PLAY
SHAKESPEAREAN
LANGUAGE
INTRODUCTION
TO SHAKESPEARE
FOREWORD
FO