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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
Coriolanus
by
William Shakespeare
Know-the-Show
Audience Guide
researched and written by
the Education Department of
The Shakespeare Theatre
of New Jersey
Artwork: Scott McKowen
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
In
This Guide
– CORIOLANUS: Director’s Note................................................................................................. 2
– The Life of William Shakespeare................................................................................................ 3
– CORIOLANUS: A Short Synopsis............................................................................................... 4
– Rome and the Rise of the Republic............................................................................................ 5
– Rome’s Class and Political Structures......................................................................................... 6
– Who’s Who in the Play.............................................................................................................. 7
– CORIOLANUS Through Time.................................................................................................... 8
– Additional Tidbits....................................................................................................................... 9
– Commentary & Criticism......................................................................................................... 10
– In this Production.................................................................................................................... 11
– Explore Online........................................................................................................................ 12
– Sources and Further Reading................................................................................................... 13
1
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
Coriolanus
Director’s Note
a fascinating and multifaceted social and personal
lens through which we
can examine our own
loyalties, politics, and
integrity. There are heroes
to be sure in Coriolanus,
yet they are flawed and
righteous and cruel, and their
adversaries are, despite their
Machiavellian machinations,
frequently honorable or loyal
or forgiving. Shakespeare
does not take sides outright,
and we will attempt to do
the same in this production.
Rather, we hope to present
the full scope of each
faction’s point of view
and allow them to fight
passionately for what they
believe is right.
Increasing divisions between socio-economic classes, threats from
a unrelenting outside foe, a growing sense of disenfranchisement
among the common man, questionable intentions of leaders, and
calculated political manipulation of the masses — is it the 2016
campaign season in America, or Shakespeare’s Coriolanus? Daily,
I am struck by how prescient this political thriller seems and
by how brilliant and relevant Shakespeare’s examination of the
theatre of politics remains to this day.
Back in late 2011, I lobbied to include Coriolanus in the 2012
STNJ season after successful explorations of the play with our
summer interns and in our Lend Us Your Ears play reading series.
For various reasons it did not make it onto the roster that year.
Though disappointed then, I could not be more pleased to be
delving into this play now, during what is perhaps our nation’s
most volatile election in living memory.
Coriolanus is, without a doubt, Shakespeare’s most overtly
political play, and I believe it is also one of his most underrated
and overlooked works. T.S. Eliot called it Shakespeare’s “most
assured artistic success.” In what could be a simple retelling
of the fall of a celebrated Roman hero, Shakespeare provides
An 1800 painting by Richard
Westall of Volumnia pleading with
Coriolanus not to destroy Rome.
2
“In essence, the play
dissects democracy:
it recognizes that
ultimate power lies
in the people, but
demonstrates how
swiftly the masses can
be swayed; it endorses
the need for strong
leadership, but shows
how easily leaders can
become tyrants.”
- Leslie Dunton-Downer & Alan Riding
The Essential Shakespeare Handbook
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
of
The Life
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare, widely
recognized as the greatest English
dramatist, was born on April 23,
1564. He was the third of eight
children born to John Shakespeare
and Mary Arden of Stratford-onAvon in Warwickshire, England.
Shakespeare’s father was a
prominent local merchant, and
Shakespeare’s childhood, though
little is known about it for certain,
National Portrait Gallery, London
appears to have been quite normal.
In fact, it seems that the young
Shakespeare was allowed considerable leisure time because his
writing contains extensive knowledge of hunting and hawking.
In 1582, he married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer.
She was eight years his senior, and the match was considered
unconventional.
playwright. He wrote approximately 38 plays, two epic poems,
and over 150 sonnets. His work was immensely popular, appealing
to members of all social spheres including Queen Elizabeth I and
King James I. While the plays were well-liked, Shakespeare’s
work was not considered by his educated contemporaries to be
exceptional. By 1608, Shakespeare’s involvement with theatre
began to dwindle, and he spent more time at his country home in
Stratford. He died in 1616.
Most of Shakespeare’s plays found
their first major publication
in 1623, seven years after
Shakespeare’s death, when
two of his fellow actors put
the plays together in the First
Folio. Other early printings
of Shakespeare’s plays were
called quartos, a printer’s
term referring to the format in
which the publication was laid
out. These quartos and the First
Folio texts are the sources of all
modern printings of Shakespeare’s
plays.
The Shakespeare Family
Coat of Arms
It is believed that Shakespeare left Stratford-on-Avon and went to
London around 1588. By 1592, he was a successful actor and
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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
Coriolanus
A Short Synopsis
vote of the citizens; however,
two tribunes, representatives of
the common people, Sicinius
Velutus and Junius Brutus, stir up
the resentment of the populace,
who rescind their support. When
Coriolanus rails against the
people, Sicinius and Brutus seize
the opportunity to brand him
a traitor and banish him from
Rome.
Please note: Below is a full summary of the play. If you prefer not
to spoil to plot, consider skipping this section.
Coriolanus recounts the downfall of Caius Martius Coriolanus, a
famed Roman general. The play opens as an angry crowd gathers
to oppose the leaders of Rome, who they charge with hoarding
grain while the city starves. A nobleman of the city, Menenius
Agrippa, goes before the mob to dissuade them from further
action. He is soon joined by Martius, who wastes no time making
his scorn for the common people known. It is at this moment that
word arrives of a Volscian uprising, led by Tullus Aufidius, Martius’
sworn enemy.
“Like Julius Caesar,
Antony and Cleopatra,
and Timon of Athens,
Coriolanus uses Plutarch’s
Lives of Noble Grecians
and Romans as its main
source. But Shakespeare
may have also been
inspired by contemporary
events, not least by
food riots that erupted
in northern England
during the harsh winter
of 1607—08 when the
so-called “Diggers of
Warwickshire” drew up a
political manifesto for the
local authorities.”
The embittered Coriolanus
then travels to Antium, home
of his enemy Aufidius, to seek
an alliance with him against
Rome. Aufidius agrees, and they
lead the Volscian army towards
Rome. When word of Coriolanus
and Aufidius’ approach reaches
- Leslie Dunton-Downer & Alan Riding
the city, the tribunes dispatch
The Essential Shakespeare Handbook
Menenius to the Volscian camp
to negotiate with Coriolanus, but
he is unsuccessful. Volumnia and Virgilia then arrive to plead for
peace. Moved by the women’s eloquent appeal, Coriolanus agrees
to cease his campaign against Rome and to forge a peace with the
Volsces. The women return to Rome; Aufidius and Coriolanus to
Antium. Once inside the city, Aufidius publicly labels Coriolanus a
traitor, inciting the crowd to violence against Coriolanus. Even as
Rome celebrates the peace that the women have won, Coriolanus is
slain by the Volscians.
In the battle that ensues between the two armies at the city of
Corioli, the Romans are driven back; but Martius charges alone
through the city gates. His bravery rouses the soldiers, who follow
after him, turning the tide of the battle. In the fray, Martius and
Aufidius meet; the two men clash fervently and Aufidius retreats,
wounded. After the Roman victory, Cominius, a consul of Rome,
renames Martius “Coriolanus” to honor his conquest of Corioli.
Upon returning home from the war, Coriolanus is greeted by
his wife Virgilia, as well as his mother Volumnia, who presses
her son to seek political authority. The Senate agrees to make
Coriolanus a consul, but he must first submit himself for the
public’s approval, as is custom. Coriolanus tenuously wins the
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and the
Rome
Rise of the Republic
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
its provinces. Though elected by the nobles and the commoners,
it was understood that only one of noble blood could be consul.
The plebeians quickly saw that this new system was no better for
them than life under Tarquin, and they threatened to secede from
the infant republic. The patricians eventually gave in, and the
plebeians were granted representation through tribunes elected by
the people. Not all of the members of the ruling class agreed with
this change.
Plutarch’s Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans serves as the
primary source for Shakespeare’s play, and though Shakespeare
frequently takes artistic license, several passages are pulled nearly
verbatim from the translation to which Shakespeare would have
had access.
Caius Martius was a decorated war hero and a member of the
patrician class of Rome. Following the seige of Corioli (493
BCE), he was given the surname Coriolanus. A few years later a
grain shortage struck Rome. When shipments arrived from Sicily,
Coriolanus proposed distributing the grain evenly among all the
people of Rome, but only if the pro-plebeian government was
expelled. For this, the tribunes charged him with treason. Martius
was eventually exiled for refusing to appear in court. He allied
himself with Aufidius, a leader
of the Volscians, and waged
war against Rome for several
years before the Volscians were
defeated.
Set around 490 BCE, Coriolanus takes place in the early years
of the Roman Republic. Just fifteen years prior to the opening
action of the play, Rome was ruled by a king. Though Rome
had expanded and was considered prosperous under the reign
of Lucius Tarquinus Superbus, the King and his son were brutal
and cruel to the people. Eventually the nobles (patricians) and
the commoners (plebeians)
expelled this last king of
Rome, and created a new
form of government run by
the people. A senate was
formed, and two consuls were
elected to one-year terms.
Consul was the highest office
of Rome, and each month the
consuls alternated in holding
imperium over Rome and
Cicero Denounces Catiline by
Cesare Maccari, which depicts a
scene in the Roman senate.
(Source: Encyclopædia Britannica)
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Rome’
s
Class and Political Structures
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
THE CONSULS
After the expulsion of the monarchy, the Roman Republic was ruled by two Consuls. This way no
single man could have absolute power over Rome again. Consuls were elected to one-year terms,
and had control over all military and civil matters.
COMINIUS is a Consul. CORIOLANUS is nominated for Consul, but is later rejected by the people.
THE SENATE
A collection of 300 men, usually elders, from wealthy
families, the Senate controlled all financial and
administrative powers of Rome, as well as foreign
policy. Members of the Senate served for life, and
included all former Consuls.
THE MILITARY
Though all classes of Rome served in the army, only men
from noble families could obtain the level of officer.
COMINIUS, TITUS LARTIUS, and CORIOLANUS
are all generals in the Roman army.
MENENIUS is a MEMBER of the Senate.
THE PATRICIANS
The Patrician class was made up of men from the wealthy families of Rome. Though women
of this class had some power, they were not able to vote.
VOLUMNIA and her family, as well as the generals and Senators are all members of the Patrician class in the play.
THE TRIBUNES
When the Plebeians threatened to secede from Rome, they were granted a voice in the Senate by
way of plebeian-elected Tribunes. These officials were meant to defend the rights of the common
man in the Senate on civil matters. They had no say in military affairs.
BRUTUS and SICINIUS are newly elected Tribunes.
THE PLEBEIANS
The lowest class of citizens in Rome, this group makes up the vast majority of the population of the Republic.
The plebeians, primarily laborers, had no direct power to vote for laws, though they could approve or deny
the election of Consuls and Tribunes.
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CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
POLITICAL (and related)
TERMS WE HAVE
FROM THE ROMANS
-------------------CANDIDATE: from the Latin
candidatus for “clothed in white”
refering to the unadorned white
togas that men wore when
campaigning for public office
(similar to the “toge of humility”
scene in Coriolanus); one who
seeks public office.
SENATE: from the Latin senex
for “elder” or “old man”; the state
council of the ancient Roman
republic and empire, made up of
older men from wealthy families.
PATRICIANS: from the Latin
patricius meaning “having a
noble father’; a member of a
noble family or class in ancient
Rome.
PLEBEIANS: from the Latin
plebeius meaning “the common
people”; a member of a lower
social class.
MOB: abbreviated from the Latin
mobile vulgus meaning “fickle
masses”.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
Who’s
Who
in the Play
Titus Lartius – Roman general and
friend to Martius
THE ROMAN NOBLES:
Caius Martius, later Coriolanus – a triumphant and celebrated
general in the Roman army, whom the nobles nominate for
Consul; his self pride and contempt for the commoners leads
to his banishment from Rome
Valeria – a noble lady of Rome
The Senators of Rome – members
of the ruling Patrician class of
Rome
Volumnia – the powerful and ambitious mother to Martius; she
raised him to be the warrior he has become; pushes for her
son’s political rise, and later is instrumental in curbing his plan
to destroy Rome
THE COMMONERS OF
ROME:
Sicinius Velutus & Junius Brutus –
newly elected tribunes of the
common people of Rome
Virgilia – wife to Martius; greatly concerned for her husband
while he is away at war
Young Martius – son to Caius Martius
Costume rendering for Brutus
and Sicinius by Tristan Raines
for the 2016 STNJ production of
Coriolanus.
The Citizens of Rome – the common
people and working class of
Rome
Menenius Agrippa – a witty patrician and close
friend to Martius
THE VOLSCIANS:
Cominius – Roman general
in the wars, and Consul; he
rewards Martius with the name
“Coriolanus” following his
victories at Corioli.
Tullus Aufidius – general in the Volscian army and avowed enemy
to Martius; later joins with Martius to attack Rome
Lieutenant to Aufidius – confidante and attendant to Aufidius
Volscian Senators – ruling class of the Volscians
Servingmen – servants in Aufidius’ home
Costume renderings for Volumnia
and Virgilia by Tristan Raines for
the 2016 STNJ production of
Coriolanus.
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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
Coriolanus
Through Time
As with all of Shakespeare’s plays, the social mores and
political views of each era have altered greatly the way that
Coriolanus has been presented over the centuries. In the
1930s, a production presented by Comédie-Francaise incited
riots between Fascist and Communist factions, who each
believed that the play was propaganda for the other party. The
Nazis extolled the heroism of the titular character, stating that
Coriolanus leads, “as Hitler in our days wishes to lead our
beloved homeland.” Subsequently, following World War II,
the play was banned by occupation forces in Germany until
1953. After the ban was lifted, Bertolt Brecht began his own
adaptation of Coriolanus, which depicted the plebeians and
the tribunes as the unquestionable heroes of the play. Though
Brecht died before his adaptation was completed, his theater
company, the Berliner Ensemble, staged a production based
upon his version of Coriolanus in 1964. For much of the latter
part of the 20th century, the popularity of Coriolanus waned in
the U.S., primarily due to the play’s depiction of the citizens
as fickle, thoughtless masses—an image at odds with western
democratic ideals. The play, however, has found resurgence
in the last decade, as Shakespeare’s complex hero, the often
inflammatory rhetoric, and the volatile political arena of the
play mirror our own times to an uncanny degree.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP:
Illustration of a scene from a 1798 production of
Coriolanus • Ellen Terry as Volumnia in 1901 •
Laurence Olivier as Coriolanus and Sybil Thorndike
as Volumnia in the Old Vic Theatre’s 1938 production
• The Berliner Ensemble’s production of Brecht’s
Coriolanus adaptation in 1964 • Ralph Fiennes
as Coriolanus in his 2011 film adaptation of
Shakespeare’s play.
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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
Additional
Tidbits
along the coast, to the south of
Rome. The city of Corioli, where
Caius Martius earned the title
Coriolanus, no longer exits;
but it is believed to have been
located in Volsci, to the north of
the capital city of Antium.
THE TARPEAN ROCK was a steep cliff overlooking the Forum in
ancient Rome. The rock was an execution site for murderers and
traitors, who would be flung from the great height. The name of
the rock is derived from the story of Tarpeia, a Vestal Virgin who
betrayed Rome by letting enemy Sabine forces in through the city
gates. She was subsequently killed by the Sabines, and her body
was buried atop the cliff.
PLUTARCH ON CAIUS
MARTIUS CORIOLANUS:
“He was so choleric and
impatient, that he would
yield to no living creature,
which made him churlish,
uncivil, and altogether
unfit for any man’s
conversation.”
The Roman-Volscian wars
were a series of conflicts
between the peoples of the two
neighboring regions, estimated to have lasted nearly two hundred
years. According to legend, the seventh, and last king of Rome was
the first to declare war on the Volscians. The struggle for power
continued for centuries, until a final Roman victory resulted in the
incorporation of the Volscian cities into the Roman Republic in the
4th century BCE.
THE ROMANS AND
THE VOLSCIANS:
The city of Rome was
founded in Latium, a
region located in the
central western region
of modern-day Italy. The
territory of Volsci, from
which Aufidius and the
Volscians hailed, was
located just to the south.
Antium, the Volscians’
capitol city, was located
THE OAK WREATH, or Corona Civica, was a crown of oak leaves
granted to a soldier who had saved the life of another soldier in
combat. This award was the second-highest military decoration
that a Roman citizen could earn. In order to claim the oak wreath,
a soldier must have not only protected the life of a Roman citizen
in battle, but must also have slain his opponent and maintained
his ground. In addition, the testimony of the soldier whose life was
saved was essential to the conferring of the oak crown.
Map of sites depicted in Coriolanus.
(Source: Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare)
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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
&
Commentary
Criticism
An Enemy of the People: “[The plebeians] are fearful and irascible,
but Caius Martius is dangerously provocative, and they are more
right than not to banish him. His worship of ‘honor’ grants no value
whatsoever to their lives. Still, he is more his own enemy than he
is theirs, and his tragedy is not the consequence of their fear and
anger, but of his own nature and nurture.”
–Harold Bloom, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human (1998)
Artistic Success: “Coriolanus may be not as ‘interesting’ as
Hamlet, but it is, with Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare’s most
assured artistic success. “
On Volumnia: “Perhaps it is also the utter lack of shame with which
[Volumnia] stakes her claim, the cold-blooded effrontery of her
outrageous assertion that she turned her child into a monster, that
so provokes us to condemn her. […] But our negative response to
her prevents us from giving her this deeper understanding, the same
understanding we freely give other, more sympathetic characters.”
– Marvin Krims, PSYART (2001)
–T.S. Eliot, The Sacred Wood (1921)
One Against All: “Coriolanus uses the crowd to bolster his own
identity: he accuses them of being exactly what he wishes not
to be. He does his best to distinguish himself from them by
emphasizing his aloneness and their status as multitude as the
very grounds of their being.”
Far From Emotionless: “Coriolanus has sometimes been charged
with coldness, but those charges are […] misplaced. He loves
his family and is loved in return. And he is far from emotionless.
Indeed, the Tribunes play his emotions like a fiddle in order to gain
political advantage over him.”
- David Wheeler, Coriolanus: Critical Essays (1995)
- Janet Adelman, Suffocating Mothers: Fantasies of Maternal
Origin in Shakespeare’s Plays, Hamlet to the Tempest (2012)
A Problematic Hero: “The plot turns not on psychological drama
but geopolitical intrigue, and the hero is a pain in the neck — a
stickler for virtue whose defining characteristic is his utter inability
to compromise, ever. But with its account of a nation reeling
under economic crisis, rife with internal conflict and embroiled
in a drawn-out military campaign (the setting is Rome during the
Volscian Wars), Coriolanus feels newly relevant.”
The Demise of Coriolanus: “Whereas Volumnia stands firm in her
undying allegiance to Rome, Coriolanus seeks out revenge for a
wrongful banishment. Forced to choose sides, Volumnia chooses
her beloved Rome. It is this decision that seals Coriolanus’s fate, his
death brought on by the consequences of his own mother.”
- Robert Humphrey, The Artifice (2016)
–Ruth Franklin, The New York Times (2012)
10
In
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
This Production
Scenic Design by
Richard Block for the
2016 STNJ production
of Coriolanus.
Right: Preliminary Scenic
Design Sketch
Above: Final Scenic Model
Costume renderings for the
2016 STNJ production of
Coriolanus by Tristan Raines.
Above: Menenius and the
Senators
Above Right: Titus Lartius and
the Roman Soldiers
Right: Roman Citizens
Far Right Above: Volscian Army
Far Right Lower: Volscian
Citizens
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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
Explore Online
Read Shakespeare’s primary source for Coriolanus, a chapter on
the life of Caius Martius from Plutarch’s Lives of Noble Grecians
and Romans
http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/c_marius.html
Visit the Folger Shakespeare Library’s webpage of Coriolanus
http://www.folger.edu/coriolanus
Read a short biography of the real-life Coriolanus’ mother
Veturia (whom Shakespeare renames Volumnia)
http://thedeathofcarthage.com/659/notable-women-of-the-roman-republic-veturia-the-mother-of-coriolanus/
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The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey
CORIOLANUS: Know-the-Show Guide
&
Sources
Further Reading
OXFORD SCHOOL SHAKESPEARE: CORIOLANUS edited by
Roma Gill
THE OXFORD SHAKESPEARE: CORIOLANUS edited by R.B. Parker
A READER’S GUIDE TO SHAKESPEARE by Muriel B. Ingham
THE ANNOTATED SHAKESPEARE, Introductions, Notes, and
Bibliography by A.L. Rowe
SHAKESPEARE A TO Z by Charles Boyce
SHAKESPEARE AFTER ALL by Marjorie Garber
THE ARDEN SHAKESPEARE: CORIOLANUS edited by Philip
Brockbank
SHAKESPEARE FOR BEGINNERS by Brandon Toropov
ASIMOV’S GUIDE TO SHAKESPEARE by Isaac Asimov
SHAKESPEARE FOR DUMMIES by Doyle, Lischner, and Dench
CAMBRIDGE STUDENT GUIDE: CORIOLANUS by Rex Gibson
SHAKESPEARE IN PERFORMANCE, Consultant Editors Keith
Parsons and Pamela Mason
THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO SHAKESPEARE, by Laurie
Rozakis
SHAKESPEARE: THE INVENTION OF THE HUMAN by Harold
Bloom
THE ESSENTIAL SHAKESPEARE HANDBOOK, by Leslie DuntonDowner and Alan Riding
SHAKESPEARE OUR CONTEMPORARY by Jan Kott
FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY: CORIOLANUS edited by
Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine
STUDY OF THE FIRST SCENE OF SHAKESPEARE’S CORIOLANUS
by Bertolt Brecht
FREEING SHAKESPEARE’S VOICE by Kristin Linklater
THEATRE: A WAY OF SEEING, Third Edition by Milly S. Barranger
THE FRIENDLY SHAKESPEARE by Norrie Epstein
SHAKESPEARE SET FREE, edited by Peggy O’Brien
THE NEW CAMBRIDGE SHAKESPEARE: CORIOLANUS edited by
Lee Bliss
SHAKING HANDS WITH SHAKESPEARE, by Alison Wedell
Schumacher
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