In the following excerpt, Watson views Coriolanus's development in the play as a journey from his “natural self,” as a man with a questionable hereditary identity, to an “artificial self,”—an ideal, even divine, warrior.
In the following essay, Wilson interprets Coriolanus as Shakespeare's depiction of an emerging market economy, focusing particularly on his treatment of the fluctuation of values.
In the following essay, Wells reviews the conflict between war and peace in ancient Rome as it is depicted in Coriolanus and examines how these conflicts parallel the political situation of Shakespeare’s own time.
Burton Hatlen, University of Maine at Orono Tonally, Coriolanus is Shakespeare's coolest tragedy. The protagonist does not invite audience identification—if anything, he spurns our sympathy. But the play treats his antagonists no less coolly. As a consequence, audiences and critics have often seen the play as working not so much upon our passions as upon our analytic faculties.1 But what questions does the play address? In our century, many critics have seen the play as turning on p...
In the following essay, Geisler examines the ways in which Coriolanus seems to presage the English Civil War of 1642, arguing that the play accurately dramatizes the way that political petitioning may be used against a monarchy.
In the following essay, Garganigo demonstrates the ways in which Shakespeare used the physical body and the notion of the body politic in Coriolanus to indirectly criticize both James I's plan to unite England and Scotland, and the royal patronage system.
In the following excerpt, Thomas contrasts Shakespeare's dramatic presentation of Coriolanus with Plutarch's historical assessment of the figure, comparing the two authors' divergent handling of character, story, and theme.
John Plotz, Harvard University Young people today can be said to be in a situation where ordinary common sense no longer suffices to meet the strange demands life makes. Everything has become so intricate that mastering it would require an exceptional intellect. Because skill at playing the game is no longer enough; the question that keeps coming up is: can the game be played at all now and what would be the right game to play? (welches ist das rechte Spiel?)
In the essay that follows, Marshall examines the ways in which the figure of Coriolanus challenges the ideal of the impenetrable body as a necessary condition of masculinity.
In the essay that follows, Goldman examines the unique way in which Coriolanus is discussed by the other characters in the play, noting that the other characters experience great difficulty in characterizing him.
In the following essay, originally published in 1985, Barton emphasizes the historical and political themes of Coriolanus and considers the influence of Livy and Machiavelli on Shakespeare's dramatization of republican Rome.
In this essay, Miller understands Coriolanus as Shakespeare's attempt to reconceive the cultural significance of the topical events that shaped the play.
In the following essay, originally presented in 1976, Adelman examines the psychology of Coriolanus in Shakespeare's play of the same name, illuminating his desire for masculine self-sufficiency and dependency on his mother.
Ann C. Christensen, University of Houston I Critical responses to Coriolanus tend to concentrate on two dominant issues: the political and the maternal. Approaches to the former typically address the play's representation of the polis, the conflicts between patricians and plebeians, and draw on Shakespeare's historical sources of Plutarch, Livy, and Machiavelli as well as contemporary contexts such as the food shortages and Midlands enclosure uprisings of the early seventeenth century...
In the essay that follows, Walker studies Coriolanus as a play focused on the battle between “body and speech.” Walker observes that in Coriolanus's derision for speech, a parallel hatred for time is revealed and contends that Coriolanus seeks to live in a single moment that transcends time.
In the following essay, originally published in 1962, Waith dissects Coriolanus's character, finding him to be a praiseworthy, though flawed, hero. Waith maintains that Coriolanus's greatness may be observed in his valor, generosity, and his faithfulness to his personal honor.
In the following essay, Jagendorf relates the play's rhetoric of war to the fractured nature of the political body in Coriolanus, showing that the aristocratic class is associated with wholeness and fullness, compared to the fragmentation and emptiness which characterizes references to the Roman citizenry.
William M. Hawley A skilled practitioner of martial law, Coriolanus ultimately favors the emancipation of peace over war. Convicted of treason in disparate jurisdictions, though, he dies for having twice outlived his usefulness as a warrior. He remains unreflective about death and never questions or alters the hypotheticals leading to his destruction, unlike Hamlet or Macbeth. His hatred of theatrical shows only makes his performance all the more arresting. Because Rome and Antium mete out excessive punishm...
In this essay, Motohashi sees Coriolanus as a critique of societies in which heterogeneous class elements coexist only at the expense of heroic individuals.
In the essay below, Dean examines the play’s politics, dismissing the ‘ideological’ approach and contending that Coriolanus is a “tragedy of thwarted love.”
In the following essay, Luckyj reviews the ways in which Volumnia's silence following her successful plea to Coriolanus to spare Rome has been interpreted. Noting that Volumnia's character is often viewed in extremes (her silence is alternately interpreted as triumphant or devastated, for example), Luckyj argues that Shakespeare provides enough evidence to suggest that Volumnia's motivation is “complex and open-ended.”
In the following essay, Parker contends that, in Coriolanus, Shakespeare puts forward "'the familial link" as the core of political life that resists the flux of historical upheaval
In the following essay, Velz argues that Coriolanus does not reflect a Plutarchian perspective, as is traditionally thought; instead, the play draws on Vergil in its depiction of "the cosmic Necessity that destroys a great but flawed man. "
In the essay below, Crowley contends that in Coriolanus Shakespeare was working within the framework of a mixed genre—an amalgamation of tragic and epic form.
In the essay below, MacIntyre explores the significance of the stage and costume directions in Coriolanus, discussing as well the language related to clothing in the play. The critic demonstrates the way in which these elements, in combination with the play's visual language, support the audience's understanding of the individual characters.
In the following essay, Michael concentrates on Coriolanus as an isolated, tragic figure whose failure involves an inability to assert his own humanity.
In the following essay, Carducci asserts that Coriolanus is a psychologically unbalanced character, and that Shakespeare used various conventions, rhetoric, and staging devices to underscore Coriolanus's isolation from society.
In the following essay, Gurr explores Coriolanus as a critique of the concept of the body politic by examining Shakespeare's topical references to the Midlands riots and parliamentary quarrels.
In the essay that follows, Simmons compares Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra, claiming that the former play glorifies the plebeians as the moral center of the state.
In the essay that follows, Datta states that the central dilemma faced by Coriolanus is his disgust for, and battle to come to terms with, the pragmatism practiced by Rome's leaders and his admirers.
In the following excerpt, Johnson-Haddad praises director William Gaskill's effort to stage a minimalist Coriolanus, but adds that the production suffered from a weak cast and the absence of a unified vision.
In the following review, Brantley evaluates the New York staging of Jonathan Kent's production of Coriolanus, starring Ralph Fiennes. Brantley observes that Fiennes's performance was accomplished but lacked depth, and that the production as a whole was engaging but failed to offer a deep investigation of the play's issues.
In the following excerpt, Jackson comments on the French Revolutionary setting of David Thacker's production of Coriolanus, and states that the liberties Thacker took with the text were effective.
In the following review of Jonathan Kent's New York staging of Coriolanus, Lahr contends that Ralph Fiennes's Coriolanus lacked a sense of heroism and that Kent's direction failed to establish a point of view.
In the following review, Shore approves of Jonathan Kent's staging of Coriolanus, starring Ralph Fiennes in the title role, and praises the psychological treatment of the characters. Shore also finds that despite Kent's decision to ignore the issue of class conflict, the play “emerges whole, and very nearly a great play.”
In the following review, Shore assesses Jonathan Kent's production of Coriolanus for London's Almeida Theater. Shore notes that Kent's production focused on the personal aspects of the play rather than on the social and political elements.
In the following excerpted review of the 2003 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Coriolanus, Jackson praises the production's powerful evocation of the drama's themes of family pride and political strife.
In the following review of Jonathan Kent's London production of Coriolanus, Holder remarks that the formidable setting complemented the play's themes of psychic and physical violence. Holder applauds Ralph Fiennes's portrayal of Coriolanus as subtle and emotionally deep.
In the following review, Smith offers a negative assessment of Ralph Fiennes's Coriolanus, although the critic does praise the efforts of the other principal actors. Smith maintains that the play was unable to effectively dramatize Coriolanus's “martial superiority.”
In the review that follows, Liston offers a generally favorable assessment of Coriolanus, as directed by Tony Taccone. The production, notes Liston, is set in the feudalistic future and features an “eclectic” treatment of costuming and props.
In the following excerpted review, Isherwood assesses director Jonathan Kent's 2000 production of Coriolanus at the Almeida Theatre in London, focusing on Ralph Fiennes's emotionally intense performance in the drama's title role.
In the following review of director David Farr's 2002 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Coriolanus at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Carnegy finds the exotic setting in feudal Japan visually appealing and describes the compelling performance of Greg Hicks as a haughty and aloof Coriolanus.
In the following review, Liston critiques director David Farr's 2003 production of Coriolanus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, remarking on the ritualistic, stylized atmosphere of the production and Greg Hicks's fascinating, contemptuous Coriolanus.
