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Product Description
The story of an Ancient Roman soldier whose political machinations and military might gain him heroic status, but ultimately lead to his assassination.
Customer Review: Shakespeare's Most Underrated Play!
4 stars would probably be more accurate, but seeing that this play is so underrated, I'll be generous. It's not quite "Julius Caesar," "Hamlet," or "King Lear." But like "Timon of Athens," it probably won't ever get the attention it deserves. This play really shows the dark side of war and patriotism. Coriolanus is the central character of this play, and he is first portrayed as fighting valiantly on behalf of Rome vs Aufidius of the Volscians. I'm not sure Shakespeare intended this, but Aufidius almost comes off as the devil incarnate. (But even if this was an accident on Shakespeare's part, it DOES work.) Coriolanus defeats Aufidius and Aufidius has to retreat. (He doesn't like it, but he has to admit under the present conditions he can't beat Coriolanus.) Moving on, we learn of a dark side of Coriolanus. His doting mother who encourages her son's behavior proudly says that Coriolanus enjoyed tormenting butterflies as a child. (Tormenting butterflies?! Talk about a child trait that foreshadows a not so benevolent man!) Well, the people of Rome elect to make Coriolanus part of the Senate. At this point in time, Coriolanus reveals his contempt for the people of Rome. (If we think that someone who is adored of the public will always adore them back, we should THINK AGAIN! Or if we think that people who fight others supposedly under the cause of patriotism always love the people of the country, again we should THINK AGAIN! In fact, these people may only be after feeding their own ego.) Not everyone is a benevolent Rocky! Well, Coriolanus reveals his swollen ego, and as a result he is banished. Well, Coriolanus wants revenge and proving my theory he is willing to make peace with his former enemy Aufidius to destroy the people he supposedly fought on the behalf of! Aufidius welcomes him with open arms and they make peace and plan to move against Rome. Not much later, Aufidius contemplates the consequences of the deal. (He is afraid his own people will abandon him and join Coriolanus. Why not? The Romans loved him for some time. Aufidius couldn't defeat Rome on his own. But maybe Coriolanus at the helm will make all the difference.) Nevertheless, Aufidius is willing to take the chance. Coriolanus might prove useful, and at the same time his ego might again swell, and if that's the case, perhaps Aufidius can use Coriolanus' vanity to destroy him. (Not unlike the devil himself!) In the meantime, Coriolanus and Aufidius gain the advantage over Rome. Even surrender is not enough. The (probably psychotic) Coriolanus wants to see Rome in flames. But his one weakness restores order. His mother pleads for him to stop. While Aufidius would have liked to defeat Rome, he is far from through. Coriolanus falls out with his new friends, and while not exactly telling lies, Aufidius uses the truth to his advantage which ends in Coriolanus being stabbed to death by several men in Aufidius's employ. To be sure, Aufidius meets with some danger and must consent to arrest. But we can easily picture him remaining ever so calm and already knowing exactly what he will have to say to seduce the people who arrested him. Like the devil, Aufidius could not exactly destroy Coriolanus. But later, Aufidius was able to manipulate Coriolanus's vanity which would lead to his destruction. In this case, the devil did win. Maybe the devil can NOT destroy us, but he CAN persuade us to lay the groundwork for our destruction. Again, like I said, granted this play is not exactly on par with "Julius Caesar," "Hamlet," "King Lear," or "Macbeth." But it's A LOT better than some of Shakespeare's overrated plays like "Othello" or "Romeo and Juliet."
Customer Review: Shakespeare's Last Tragedy: An Overlooked Gem!!!
+++++
This play, written circa 1608, is the last of William Shakespeare's (1564 to 1616) eleven (some say ten) known tragedies. Even though it is known as a "Roman" or "political" play, serious readers will discover that it so much more. I found that it stayed with me long after I read it.
This play is set in ancient Rome. It is essentially the story of warrior Caius Marcius (later known as "Coriolanus") whose honor, pride, and sense of social rank essentially dominates his life and interferes with his ability to function effectively when he's not on the battlefield.
One of the great attributes of this play is that it does not have many characters and thus is easy to follow. The major characters are as follows:
(1) Coriolanus (originally Caius Marcius): a valiant warrior and patrician (nobleman) with a non-overbearing wife. "A soldier to Cato's wish" and a modest hero who "hath deserved worthily of his country" but who lacks tact and refuses to placate "the mutable, rank-scented many."
(2) Volumnia: his overbearing mother. "In anger, Juno-like."
(3) Menenius Agrippa: "a humorous patrician" and an old and true friend of Coriolanus who is trusted by the plebeians (lower class)
(4) Titus Lartius and Cominius: fellow generals with Coriolanus.
(5) Sicinius and Brutus: tribunes (representatives of the plebeians) of the common people and Coriolanus' political enemies. "A pair of strange ones."
(6) Tullus Aufidius: general of Rome's enemies and rival in glory to Coriolanus.
This book (published by Signet Classics in 2002) has some interesting material before and after the play proper. I found the introduction to the play and the six scholarly commentaries especially informative.
I would recommend, in order to get the full impact of this play, to either see it on film (the BBC production is excellent) or to see it on the stage.
Finally, I cannot understand why this play has been overlooked as one of Shakespeare's great works. (It was, in fact, written during Shakespeare's greatest period, 1599 to 1608.) The story itself is interesting with many subtle themes. The only thing I can think of is that there are some terms that you must know to properly understand the play (such as patrician, plebeian, tribune, etc.). These terms can be easily looked up in a good dictionary.
In conclusion, this play, in my opinion, is an overlooked gem. This book published by Signet Classics is an excellent resource for students, teachers, theatre professionals, and anyone interested in discovering this great play!!
+++++
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