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Coriolanus summary
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• Caius Martius can be seen as ambivalent• He’s the very dog to commonality
• He is the enemy of the people
• What has he done for the country- has done everything for himself
• He did it to please his mother and to be proud
• And you slander the helms of the state, who care for you like fathers,
when you curse them as enemies- Menenius Agrippa
• To chain up and restrain the poor- deliberately not giving others grain
• Caius Martius- impatient, irritated, plebs should be grateful for
whatever they receive
• Caius Martius- plebs change their allegiance
• Tribunes appointed are self seeking
• Tullus Aufidius (Volsces leader who wants to invade Rome)- Caius
Martius enemy
• Commenius, general in army and patrician
• Titus Lartius, officer and patrician
• Play is a tragedy
• People sentence Caius Martius to his death
• Tribunes going to use Caius Martius weaknesses against him for own
use (Brutus and Sicinius)
• Volumnia- Caius Martius mother, strong, believes proof of manhood is
in battle and dying in battle is the greatest honour, the more wounds
Caius Martius sustains, the braver he is and the greater the warrior he
is
• Virgilia- Caius Martius wife, fearful (husbands life, war and fighting),
concerned
• Caius Martius son, he is brought up to believe that honour is
achieved by being a warrior
• Was pleased to let him seek danger where he was like to find fame
• Son brought up in a destructive manner, born to fight and kill
• Now put your shields before your hearts and fight with hearts more
proof than shields- ideal act of bravery
• Caius Martius lambastes because they have lost the war, boils and
plagues plaster you soul of geese that bear the shapes of men
• Soldiers- aren’t always loyal, fickle, lack of bravery and fearq
• Thou art, Martius. A carbuncle entire as big as thou art, were so rich a
jewel- tribute to Caius Martius by Lartius as they think he’s dead
• Caius Martius going alone to fight, Brave or Foolish?
• Romans defeat the Volsces- boast about spoils
• Caius Martius fights with Aufidius despite injuries
, • Caius Martius becomes an ambiguous figure- honorability being
questioned, is he just being ridiculous in his decision to pursue
Aufidius, could be honorable (trying to save country) or pig-headed
(stubborn) as he wants he to avoid failure
• Futility of war, links to manhood- can show bravery
• Caius Martius lets his ego get in the way, arrogant
• Caius Martius raised as war machine by mother
• Aufidius insults Caius Martius (stamina) to try get him to stop fighting
• We thank our gods, our Rome hath such a soldier- Commenius
• Romans celebrate heroic soldiers in a open place as it is tradition
• Caius Martius isn’t willing to take any plunders or offers of the war
(fights for country, doesn’t fight to be paid or to receive any gains of
the war/defeat)
• Rejects spoils from war and praises given to him
• Caius Martius knows that he didn’t fight alone
• Caius Martius is given the name Coriolanus and the name comes
from the defeat of Corioles
• Coriolanus- symbolizes their respect and manhood, fits in with the
Roman ideal of a honourable man
• He is arrogant about the way he treats the plebeians. He believes
they need to be told what to do
• Coriolanus can be seen as honourable, wears blood as garland
• He tells the soldiers not to praise him but by doing this, he
encourages more flattery
• Doesn’t accept spoils from war but accepts the horse given to him by
Commenius
• Coriolanus mentions a man who helped him in Corioles an does the
honourable thing and asks Lartius to free the man but he doesn’t
remember his name so ends up dismissing the idea and asks for wine
• Aufidius- battle worn and exhausted, pride is wounded as he lost to
Coriolanus
• If he ever meets Coriolanus again, he will fight him to the death
• Soldier refers to Coriolanus as a devil and
• Aufidius replies by saying Bolder but not so subtle - Coriolanus is
does not have/possess the guile or the shrewdness of the devil to
deceive (he is too open)
• Aufidius is sly and can’t be trusted
• Menius has the ability to speak to the plebeians (says what they want)
• Tribunes threaten Coriolanus with a traitors death
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