Introduction & Overview of Coriolanus by William Shakespeare

Coriolanus Introduction

Critics generally agree that Coriolanus was written in 1608, although a variety of composition dates ranging from 1605 to 1609 have been establ1shed as possible. The drama was first published in the First Folio of 1623, and this remains the only authoritative text. According to scholarly opinion this copy of the play was likely printed directly from a manuscript in Shakespeare's own handwriting with little editorial revision. The primary source for Coriolanus is the Greek historian Plutarch's "I.ife of Caius Marcus Coriolanus," included in his lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans. Shakespeare most likely read this work in Sir Thomas North's English translation. In fact, as critics have often noted, Coriolanus derives its characters, Its sequence of events, and even some of its language directly from North

As is true of Shakespeare's work in general, the dramatist took great liberties in altering the source material for Coriolanus. His...
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