The character of Coriolanus is commonly considered
representative of Shakespeare’s play by the same name, critically regarded as
unpopular and lacking emotion. This, however, does not take away from the
complexities of the context and characterization of the play. In his play Coriolanus,
Shakespeare characterizes Caius Martius Coriolanus as a war-minded hero in
order to emphasize the disparities between military and political success, and
the typical struggle to gain both.
When the word ‘hero’ is mentioned, images of quintessential
heroes such as Superman or King Arthur may be evoked, however Coriolanus
embodies a more realistic hero: the anti-hero. This suggests that although
displaying heroic traits (which will be discussed), he also possesses notable
flaws, perhaps even overpowering his heroism. From the beginning of the story,
Coriolanus (or Caius Martius as he is known at this point) is portrayed as
unlikeable, or in fact hated, by the general public, being described as “chief
enemy to the people” (Act 1 Scene 1). This is a result of his distaste, even
considered to be fear by some scholars, for the plebeians, or “curs” (Act 1
Scene 1), “rogues” (Act 1 Scene 1) and “parasites” (Act 1 Scene 9) as he refers
to them among a multitude of names. This detrimental relationship, along with his
excessive pride, is a prominent fault characterized within Coriolanus in the
first act which foreshadows the hero’s inevitable downfall. It is the way in
which this anti-heroic character is implemented by Shakespeare into the story
of Coriolanus however, which provides the play with the complexity which
it has.
The fact that Coriolanus is a political play and not
that of war is frequently discussed when talking about Shakespeare’s
characterization of his characters. As aforementioned, Coriolanus depicts a
typical anti-hero, or tragic hero, therefore his role has greater significance
as you delve further into the play. What seems to be the primary notion
presented is that being a war hero rather than a distinguished political
figure, the traits and attributes which provide so much success for Coriolanus
on the battlefield are those which cause him to fail in the political
battlefield. Although telling his soldiers, “You shames of Rome! you herd of –
Boils and plagues” (Act 1 Scene 4) may motivate them to continue fighting for
him and their country, speaking to the public saying, “Go, get you home, you
fragments!” (Act 1 Scene 1) will not engender the same results, but rather
enrage the plebeians due to his hostility and disregard for them.
In this way, Shakespeare uses Coriolanus as a tool,
almost like the Roman society who consider the hero to be a war machine as seen
when he exclaims “make you a sword of me?” (Act 1 Scene 6), to embody the
disparity between military and political success, contrasting with characters
such as Cominius who resides in the political game rather than that of war. Through
the faults that Coriolanus exudes, Shakespeare intends on showing the audience
that success in one thing may cause a fiasco in another, and success doesn’t
always carry over.
