Milly's Lang and Lit Blog

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The political play of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus is depicted in Ancient Rome. It is set in a time where the Roman Empire transitioned from a monarchy to a democracy thus displaying a major power struggle as some were able to adapt better than others. At the start of the play the plebeians (citizens) are protesting in the streets while the ruling class has all the power. Tullus Aufidius, leader of the Volscian army wages war on Rome and Coriolanus known as the great war hero goes and defeats him. This play is significant in the way that the hero is portrayed. Rather than him being a noble, selfless war hero, Coriolanus is characterized as power-hungry, arrogant and proud which makes him a great warrior but leads to his downfall. Even though he is characterizes negatively, the audience starts feels empathy towards the protagonist as it becomes clear that his personality is a reflection of his mother’s power over him as she influences Coriolanus with her harsh ideologies. Shakespeare uses

In the first act of the Shakespeare’s political play “Coriolanus”, Caius Martius is characterized directly and indirectly to foreshadow the rest of the play.  The very first scene involves the plebeians protesting for the right to set their own price on corn and grain and this is where Caius Martius is first introduced by the plebeians. Starting his character development with the cynical and fatalistic opinions of the plebeians only showing him in bad light, foreshadowing the political storyline of the play.  Shakespeare intentionally makes Caius Martius look like a jerk shown through the words used by the people to describe him. For example “Caius Martius is a chief enemy to the people”  and “a very dog to commonality”. Then when the protagonist is introduced these first personality traits are confirmed through his use of language towards the plebeians.  Shakespeare characterizes Coriolanus as a blunt, inconsiderate and arrogant in the beginning of the play, but as the sto