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PlayShakespeare.com: The Ultimate Free Shakespeare Resource
PlayShakespeare.com: The Ultimate Free Shakespeare Resource
PlayShakespeare.com: The Ultimate Free Shakespeare Resource
  Tuesday, 10 July 2007
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Caius Martius, called Coriolanus, is a Roman general of aristocratic birth, a deeply proud man of deep integrity and an astounding lack of social skills. 

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10 years ago
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#4216
Informative for someone who has not read the play, but without nuance ; for example , it is exaggerated to call Caius Martius an extreme right winger, just like it is erroneous to conclude that he is 'Finally broken by his care for his mother', for it is then that he reveals his humanity.
10 years ago
·
#4217
That is well put: Caius Martius had an astounding lack of social skills. It seems that Shakespeare writes about the human condition, and we may find ourselves in the position of any of the actors at different times of our life on different scales. This may help us with a situation which we find ourselves in; to think on a comparable situation in the Plays . If we are honest with ourselves we may find that we are thinking or acting similar to Coriolanus.
One idea which sticks with me from this Play is The description of Caius Martius by his nemesis Aufidius. Act 4 scene :
" First he was A noble servant to them; but he could not Carry his honours even: whether 'twas pride, which out of daily fortune ever taints The happy man; whether defect of judgement, To fail in the disposing of those chances Which he was lord of; or whether nature, Not to be other than one thing, ... but one of these- As he had spices of them all, not all , For I dare so far free him - made him fear'd, so hated, so banish'd: but he has a merit, to choke it in the utterance. So our virtues Lie in the interpretation of the time: "

We each have 'spices' of all human traits.

The Play: Coriolanus may be contrasted with the Play: Titus Andronicus. Caius Martius was about to destroy Rome; what meant a great deal to him; yet he was checked by that which he cared about, his mother and family. There was good in him, something which was above revenge and pride. In Titus Andronicus it seems that all meaning was lost, Titus looked for justice in crude ways and in the end gave himself over completely to revenge. As with all of the Shakespeare Plays there are many ideas to contemplate .
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