SOURCE: Jackson, Russell. Review of Coriolanus. Shakespeare Quarterly 54, no. 2 (2003): 167-85.

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.

[This] Coriolanus offered an articulate, sardonic view of heroism, which rose on occasion to great power. The stage was lacquered a rich, smooth red, and colored banners hung from the gallery at the back of the platform. With the opening clash of percussion, three figures were revealed at the rear, seated on stools with their backs to the audience. The citizens, roused by a vehement female worker wielding an ax, were stationed around the auditorium during the first exchanges and then moved onto the platform. Menenius (Richard Cordery), suave and ineffably patronizing, made it clear that, for all his affability, he knew he could command the temperament and power...