The Role Of The Coriolanus’ Sense Of Identity In His Downfall In William Shakespeare’s Play
A sense of self or personal identity is a set of attributes, affiliations, relationships and beliefs that are infused in a person. Through analysis of The Tragedy of Coriolanus by William Shakespeare the reader comes to understand that for Rome, valor is the chief virtue of a Roman, and Caius Martius is the embodiment of this virtue both in the political sphere of Rome and in battle. However, due to these intrinsic principles Coriolanus refuses to acquiesce in the political sphere of Rome which leads to his downfall or banishment from Rome.
The immediate context of this speech is that the citizens are banishing Coriolanus from Rome. Coriolanus refuses to play the role necessary to convince the citizens of Rome for their votes toward his consulship and in this process has not once but twice enraged the citizens. In the very first lines of Coriolanus’ speech, we can see his vehement contempt through the language used. From Coriolanus’ perspective the republican citizen’s duty is to pay homage to those that protect Rome physically through battle as he does. This is why he cannot respect the plebeians, for they are willing to sacrifice the defense of Rome for their appetitive needs. and this attitude stems from Coriolanus’ distortion of Rome. He sees himself as whole and the citizens as fragments. In his speech, he says “I banish you”, which speaks to the idea that Coriolanus truly believes he is the epitome of Roman valor to the level that when he leaves, he is taking the truest form of Rome with him.
Through analysis of this speech and the entire play, the theme of identity, specifically of the main character is uncovered. For me, it begs the question: How does Coriolanus’ sense of identity influence his downfall and ultimately his death? In an analysis of the personal identity of the main character in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, how the downfall and death of Coriolanus is motivated by his sense of self will be revealed. This interpretative question is relevant for understanding the play because the issue of identity is what fuels Coriolanus’ action or inaction. The issue of identity in this play, both personal and social is at the core of Roman society. For Coriolanus, Rome and Roman society is divided into two parts the Rome that he considers a part of his own identity that he believes is authentic and idealistic, and the Rome that he has to incur at his downfall that he would describe as phony and self-preservationist above all.
Additionally, in The Tragedy of Coriolanus by William Shakespeare, three entities have the most influence on Coriolanus’ sense of self: Volumnia, his mother, Tullus Aufidius, his worthy warrior opponent, and the spirit of Rome, the conflict between Coriolanus’ ideal Rome and Roman society and the realistic version of Rome. Through analysis of the play we come to understand that Volumnia’s values have greatly shaped Coriolanus’ identity. Shakespeare uses the characterization of Aufidius as a direct contrast to Coriolanus’ identity. On subjects where Coriolanus demands absolutism Aufidius is relativist and where Coriolanus is ethically sound Aufidius is corrupt, as we see here: Between Acts III and V, Coriolanus joins forces with Aufidius in sacking Rome. He believes he must attack the Rome he hates in order to preserve the Rome he loves. In Aufidius, Coriolanus finds a part of himself, someone who values honor of duty in the battlefield. Unfortunately, Coriolanus doesn’t realize, until later, that just as he refused to do for the plebeians, Aufidius is just playing a role.
Coriolanus’ first speech depicts how Coriolanus’ sense of self inspired his downfall in Rome. Coriolanus’ refusal to omit his values for fame and the consulship, created conflict between him and the citizens of Rome. Coriolanus’ ideal Rome has been perverted by the tribunes and he must deny Rome in order to appease his cognitive dissonance. Instead of mollifying the plebeians’ fear of tyrannical leadership, sincerely or otherwise, Coriolanus felt it more important that he create an authentic image of himself, regardless of how unsavory it might be to the Republic. Absolutism, the political practice of unlimited centralized authority, another virtue of Coriolanus, shows that he was stuck in the past and could not accept the new version of Rome that was developing in front of him. Coriolanus’ value of authenticity over appeasement, favoring of absolutism, and refusal to bend to the times, all contributed to his banishment from Rome.
The context of the second speech in Act V is that Coriolanus has come back to Rome in order to attack the city. His wife, son and mother plead for him not to sack the city and destroy it. After a long dialogue between Coriolanus and his mother, who begs him on her knees for mercy, Coriolanus decides not to attack Rome and Aufidius ostensibly agrees. However, when Coriolanus goes back to Aufidius, he is called a traitor and taunted with the name “boy. ” Subsequently, Coriolanus is killed for his perceived transgressions against Aufidius and Antium. As we move from Acts III to V, Coriolanus’ more salient beliefs are revealed.
Coriolanus’ second speech solutions how Coriolanus’ identity effects his downfall and ultimately death at the hands of Aufidius. It is here that we see the filial piety is Coriolanus’ foremost virtue above authenticity and honor. When Coriolanus see his mother on the ground, kneeling before him, it is the utmost unnatural thing to him. Through Volumnia’s influence, Coriolanus realizes that sacking Rome would be the equivalent to attacking his own body and bloodline. Because Coriolanus can neither separate himself from Rome or Rome from himself, he is made an enemy again to Aufidius, who taunts him with “boy”, alluding to the fact that his mother has convinced him to have mercy on the city. Now, that Coriolanus has no city left to defend with his sword since he’s been banished from Rome and considered a traitor in the Volscian city of Antium, he allows himself to be killed by Aufidius’ conspirators.
In conclusion, this essay identified how Coriolanus’ sense of identity influenced his downfall and ultimately his death. This essay shows that Coriolanus’ downfall and death were motivated by his own self-discovery. In the first acts, Coriolanus holds what he has been taught by his mother and his own values as absolute truths and his unwillingness to bend to avoid conflict is what ultimately gets him banished from Rome. Lastly, Coriolanus’ personal discovery reveals his true virtues and that he cannot destroy Rome, as Aufidius would like him to, thereby making him a traitor to Antium, for which he is punished by way of death.
