The Tragedy of Coriolanus is not one of the Bard’s most popular plays, but it’s certainly worth a reading and well worth an occasional performance. Those who have been in Tokyo more than a few years will remember the exceptional production starring Ralph Fiennes which played here in the year 2000. His film version came out in 2011.

The name of this play is usually pronounced “COR-ee-oh-LANE-us” (by Americans, anyway) but this makes some people laugh because the last four letters sound like a part of the human body. For example, in the musical Kiss Me Kate, Cole Porter wrote the line “If she says your behavior is heinous, kick her right in the Coriolanus!” During the Ralph Fiennes production the name was pronounced “cor-EYE-oh-LAN-us”, which sounds better and makes sense since he was named after the city of Corioli (cor-EYE-oh-li).

The story comes from the Roman book Lives by Plutarch. We believe that Shakespeare was able to read Latin, but he probably relied on an English translation published in 1579 by Sir Thomas North. We know this because in many instances his wording is very similar to North’s version. (The same thing can be said about Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra.) This is not to suggest that Shakespeare copied the story from North, or even from Plutarch. Most of the Bard’s stories are based on earlier versions, but his genius was in creating genuine and memorable characters and giving them glorious speeches to make. The original versions of the play show the title character as unbearably proud and unsympathetic. Shakespeare fixed this by making him a loving and loyal family man, as well as contrasting him to the duplicitous politicians and fickle townspeople who ultimately kill him.

• Menenius tells a parable about the parts of the body in Act I. In this, the body is angry at the stomach because all of the other parts have to do some kind of job, but the stomach just relaxes and waits for the mouth to send it food. The stomach confidently tells them “You can’t do anything about it. If you kill me, or stop giving me food, the rest of you will die too.” Menenius uses this parable to warn the citizens not to get rid of Marcius, who is Rome’s best soldier.
• Marcius’ mother is happy that her son is going to war in Act One, and then she is happy that he was injured in the war. To us this seems crazy, but for her this was a very clear signal that he was brave and distinguished himself in battle, which was important for a society of warriors. A later dictator-general named Vlad the Impaler (some believe that he was the basis for the legend of Dracula) used to reward his soldiers for wounds on the front of their bodies, meaning they received them during combat. However, if he found wounds on their backs, he assumed that they received them while running away from the enemy and so he had them put to death! Another ancient race of warriors used to have a custom of mothers instructing their sons to return from battle either “with your shield (the victors would frequently confiscate the shields of the defeated army) or on it (those killed in battle were brought home for burial on top of the shield.)”
• Marcius greets Menenius in Act II with the jest “Live you yet?” meaning “I’m surprised/disappointed you haven’t died since I saw you last.” This seems to have been a favorite joke of Shakespeare’s, since he used it again in Much Ado About Nothing, when Benedick asks Beatrice “Are you yet living?”
• When the people threaten to kill Marcius by throwing him off of a tall rock, this is an example of adding insult to injury, because that was how they killed the worst and lowest criminals of that time.

Vocabulary:

• Aedile – policeman/guard
• conies – rabbits
• God-den – good evening
• holp – helped
• puling – whimpering
• reechy – filthy
• shent – punished
• tun – cask, large barrel
• And some references from classical literature:
• Galen – the most famous physician of ancient times
• Hydra – many-headed monster. Almost impossible to kill, because when you cut off one head, two more grow in its place.
• Lycurgus – famous statesman
• Penelope – wife of Odysseus (Ulysses)
• Tarquin – Roman tyrant

ACT I

scene i

The people are angry that food costs so much, and they are going to revolt against the nobles. They especially are against Caius Marcius, who is a great soldier, but is too impatient and makes people angry. His friend Menenius warns them not to get rid of Marcius, who is Rome’s best defender. Marcius comes in, and shows his low opinion of the citizens. Suddenly there is news that the Volsces are fighting against Rome, and Marcius must fight them. He is happy, because he loves war and because the other general is his great enemy Tullus Aufidius.

There are two politicians (tribunes) who are jealous of Marcius and afraid that he’ll become too popular and take over the government.

scene ii

Aufidius talks about the war against Rome.

scene iii

Marcius’s wife is sad that he’s going to war, but his mother is very patriotic and happy that he has a chance to get glory.

scene iv

The army is fighting outside the important city of Corioli. Marcius yells at his men for running away, and says he will kill them himself unless they fight more bravely.

Suddenly the gates open, and Marcius runs inside, but his men don’t follow, and the gates close. They’re sure he’s dead, but then the gates open again, and he’s fighting the whole army by himself. The others join him and win the city.

scene v

After the battle, Marcius is badly hurt.

scene vi

Marcius asks for volunteers to help him fight Aufidius.

scene vii

Short scene. The generals are talking.

scene viii

Marcius fights Aufidius, but Aufidius gets away.

scene ix

The generals offer Marcius most of the treasure from the war, but he refuses. They name him Coriolanus in honor of how bravely he fought in the city of Corioli.

scene x

Aufidius learns how badly he lost the war, and plans to go to his home in another city.

ACT II

scene i

Marcius comes back to Rome. His mother is proud that he was wounded.The people praise him for being a hero, but the two tribunes are jealous of him.

scene ii

Marcius’ friends want him to be Consul. The custom is that he has to dress in rags and ask the people humbly for their votes. He asks not to have to do it this way, because he’s so proud, but he wants to be Consul so he does it anyway.

scene iii

He asks the people for their votes, but he’s very sarcastic. They agree anyway, because he’s a war hero. But then the tribunes convince the people to change their minds, because he was being so sarcastic.

ACT III

scene i

In the street he meets the tribunes who are jealous of him, and they make him lose his temper, even though his two friends keep saying things like “that’s enough” and “let’s go now.” The two tribunes get the people to say bad things about him, too.

He keeps getting angrier and angrier, and finally he starts fighting against the people and the police. His friends convince him to stop, and to go wait at his house.

scene ii

His mother and his friends convince him to go back and apologize for losing his temper.

scene iii

The tribunes get the people to yell against him, and he loses his temper again. However, instead of killing him they just banish him from the city, and he agrees to go.

ACT IV

scene i

His wife, mother and friends say goodbye to him at the gates.

scene ii

They yell at the tribunes for what they did.

scene iii

A Roman traitor or spy goes to the Volsces and tells them what happened in Rome.

scene iv

Marcius goes to the house of Aufidius, his main enemy from the war, in disguise. It’s very brave, because if anyone recognized him, he would be killed.

scene v

There’s a funny scene where the servants try to make him go away, but he’s too strong for them. He meets Aufidius and agrees to fight on the army of the Volsces against Rome.

scene vi

A very ironic scene; it starts out with the tribunes congratulating each other on what a great thing they did for Rome when they banished Marcius. Then they learn that Marcius is fighting against Rome. At first they don’t believe it. His friends are very sarcastic about what a great thing the tribunes did for Rome. The citizens, who were saying any terrible thing the tribunes told them to say, now pretend that they were always on the side of Marcius.

scene vii

Aufidius talks about how successful Marcius is as a soldier, but suggests that after they win the war against Rome he will kill Marcius anyway.

ACT V

scene i

The tribunes are worried that he will attack Rome. They ask his friends to go to him and ask for mercy, but he won’t listen to any of them. Menenius agrees to try anyway.

scene ii

Marcius refuses to talk to Menenius.

scene iii

His wife, mother and son all beg him to make peace with Rome, and he agrees. This gives Aufidius an idea for getting rid of him.

scene iv

They learn in Rome that the ladies were successful in bringing peace.

scene v

A very short scene. They welcome the ladies back to Rome.

scene vi

Marcius returns to Corioli, but Aufidius conspires against him, and has him killed for not conquering Rome as he had promised.