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Characterization of Coriolanus


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 story goes on the audience meets other characters such as his mother, Volumnia and therefore begin to understand where his harsh personality developed. Creating a sense of empathy from the audience as by the end of the play he decides not to attack Rome. Coriolanus shows his vulnerable side, which contrasts greatly with the negative impressions that are put upon him in Act 1. 


Comments

  1. Nicole RaghuMarch 4, 2018 at 9:59 PM

    I really the phrase, "character development with the cynical and fatalistic opinions of the plebeians..." You have the right idea when concerning coriolanus's portrayal in the act, however i think you could improve in terms of relating the setting and genre to the purpose of the characterization.

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