Analysis Of The Character Of Volumnia In Coriolanus By William Shakespeare
In Coriolanus, Volumnia is a strong, powerful mother who has raised the seemingly perfect soldier. She is constantly talking of the joys of war and how she hopes to see her son wounded. These wounds and the admiration that comes with them are a place of pride for her. But does she feel this pride on behalf of her son or for herself? Does she want Coriolanus to be a great warrior or does she want to be in his place? When analyzing the text one can see that Volumnia has the traits many would want in a soldier. She is strong, able to manage her emotions, and doesn’t flinch at the idea of blood or carnage. If this had been a different time, we may have been reading about Volumnia the great warrior instead of her tragic son who couldn’t suck up his pride. But Rome wasn’t ready for powerful women so Volumnia used Coriolanus as a way to live vicariously as a soldier. When Coriolanus was unable to fulfill this role, she was easily able to forget her maternal duties and manipulate herself into an admirable role. This can be seen through analyzing the text and referencing sources on gender roles in Ancient Rome.
Volumnia didn’t fit the ideal traits of a Roman woman. Although difficult to pinpoint, based off of descriptions on tombstones Roman wives were often “chaste, obedient, friendly, old-fashioned, frugal, content to stay at home, pious, dressed simply, good at spinning thread, and good at weaving cloth”. While some of these may apply to Volumnia the majority certainly don’t. It’s hard to imagine the strong, outspoken Volumnia being content at home weaving and many would probably describe her attitude as more fierce than friendly. Volumnia can be perceived as old-fashioned given her love and dedication to Rome, but when looking at how comfortable she was sharing her opinion, she may not be as old-fashioned as she seems. Volumnia will always give her honest opinion. Even in a room of powerful men. She often tells Coriolanus what to do, even in front others and reminds him that she “framed” him. Even though as a man Coriolanus should be above Volumnia, she doesn’t let this stop her. While Volumnia is obedient it is only to Rome and herself. As mentioned, she isn’t afraid to share her opinions and there isn’t a moment in the play where she does something without her own interest in mind. She isn’t obedient to a man, but to her country, much like a soldier.
Volumnia didn’t only not fit the stereotypical traits of a Roman woman, but also didn’t stay in the typical role of a woman. Volumnia was also outside the norm because she had to step into the role of main caregiver. Although men would typically take the role of raising their sons, Volumnia did this and shaped Coriolanus in her image. She instilled in him that his main goal should be to be a great soldier and representation of Rome and herself. She treated her household like a “military school”. She valued honor and bravery above all else and would rather have these traits and the admiration of those around her than a son at all. She often spoke of how she would rather have multiple sons die than have one not be brave, “Then his good report should have been my son; I therein would have found issue. Hear me profess sincerely: had I a dozen sons, each in my love alike and none less dear than thine and my good Martius, I had rather had eleven die nobly 25 for their country than one voluptuously surfeit out of action. ” She made it clear multiple times that Coriolanus as a person meant little to her, it was his accomplishments that mattered. By raising Coriolanus this way she left out affection and understanding, which can be essential for true connections. By doing this she created a weakness in Coriolanus that she and Aufidius would go on to exploit. Volumnia thought she was raising the perfect soldier, but she actually left him with a great weakness. While Volumnia didn’t fit the ideal traits of a roman woman Virgilia did. Virgilia is often depicted as softer than Volumnia. When discussing if Coriolanus will return from battle injured Virgilia says, “His bloody brow? O Jupiter, no blood!”. Volumnia replies, “Away, you fool! It more becomes a man Than gilt his trophy. The breasts of Hecuba, When she did suckle Hector, looked not lovelier Than Hector’s forehead when it spit forth blood At Grecian sword, contemning. — Tell Valeria We are fit to bid her welcome. ” They also later in act two have an exchange where Virgilia is distraught to hear that Coriolanus is actually hurt and Volumnia celebrates it saying “O, he is wounded, I thank the gods for ‘t”.
Virgilia is painted as the stereotypical frail, emotional, feminine woman. She fits the descriptions of Roman women she’s friendly and has little interest in war or the political affairs of Coriolanus. She only worries that he comes home safe. Although not mentioned in the play, it is easy to picture that Virgilia would be content to stay home. Virgilia is also obedient. She typically tries to agree with whatever Volumnia says forgetting her personal opinion. Virgilia is also silent. Upon seeing her after the war Coriolanus says, “My gracious silence, hail. Wouldst thou have laughed had I come coffined home, That weep’st to see me triumph? Ah, my dear, Such eyes the widows in Corioles wear And mothers that lack sons”. He calls his wife silent and is commenting on emotional reaction to his return. Volumnia would never be referred to as silent and lacks this emotion. For Volumnia, Coriolanus returning dead or alive wouldn’t matter as long as he died in battle. Virgilia is an ideal woman in Rome and when compared to Volumnia its easy to see how far Volumnia is form this standard. Although Volumnia doesn’t fit this role it’s possible that given different rules she would have been better as a soldier.
Volumnia didn’t fit the stereotypical traits or roles of an Ancient Roman woman, but she did possess traits that would have made her a great soldier. Roman soldiers needed both virtus and disciplina. Virtus is virtue or courage. Disciplina is discipline or traits like self-control and following orders Volumnia has courage because she speaks of war as if it is merely a part of life not something to panic about, as evidenced by her conversations with Virgilia. She also isn’t afraid to speak her mind in a time when a woman’s opinion wasn’t considered important. Self-control is not clear in the play, but this certainly wouldn’t be a surprising trait in Volumnia. She also shows determination, another important quality by how she wants to make her son a politician. She never really gives up and continually tries to push Coriolanus to do as she says. She is also determined until the end to put herself in an admirable light, even at the cost of her son’s life. Volumnia is comfortable with following orders she doesn’t question that Coriolanus needs to show his wounds and is fine to continue with typical procedure. Volumnia demonstrates that she possesses both virtus and disciplina throughout the play and she made her best efforts to instill this in Coriolanus.
