Coriolanus

Coriolanus – a historical figure of Ancient Rome who lived four centuries before Julius Caesar, has a play on his life written by the Bard. Despite it being one of his lesser-known works, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading it.

In a nutshell, Shakespeare’s Coriolanus is a killing machine, who after winning many a battle for Rome, is made a consul. But knowing little else apart from war, his crudity and no-nonsense language make him fall afoul of the masses. Instead of retiring gracefully, Coriolanus teams up with the enemy. He finally agrees to lay down his arms only when his mummy intervenes (Freud, wink wink). This is too much for the enemy camp. They stab him to death in the end.

Coriolanus is considered to be one of Shakespeare’s most political play. Its little wonder that its often hailed by both the left and the right. For the former, its Occupy-Wall Street vibes and the for the latter, the military prowess of the ruler have always been attractive motifs.

Shakespeare, living under the Elizabethan Christian monarchy, read Plutarch, reimagined life in Ancient Rome and wrote Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus. These plays are Shakespeare’s mirror held up to his own times—an Elizabethan England grappling with questions of monarchy, rebellion, civic duty, and the will of the people.

The 2011 adaptation by Ralph Fiennes was fun to watch. Here, the action is set in the 21^st century, with modern-day politicians, media channels and blazing guns holding the fort. The Tom Hiddleston (Night Manager wala) adaptation is also highly rated from what I read online.

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The Shakespeare Project so far: Macbeth | The Tempest | The Merchant of Venice | Twelfth Night | As You Like It | Much Ado About Nothing | King Lear | Hamlet | Julius Caesar | Antony and Cleopatra