SOURCE: Luckyj, Christina. “Volumnia's Silence.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900 31, no. 2 (spring 1991): 327-42.
In the following essay, Luckyj asserts that Volumnia's speechlessness in Act V, scene v of Coriolanus represents not triumph but despair, for she understands that her son will die because he yielded to her supplication. The critic emphasizes the Roman matron's vulnerability as well as her vitality, describing various ways she has been represented in performance.
This is a free excerpt of 71 words. There are 6,318 words (approx.
21 pages at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Silence: Critical Essay by Christina Luckyj Access Pass.
