Coriolanus: One Page Summary

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage | One Page Summary

Before we leave Coriolanus behind, here's a quick one-page summary of the entire play, for those of you who haven't been paying attention:

And that's a wrap for Coriolanus! Fear not - I am sure he will reappear in various other cartoons. 

Having run the marathon that was Coriolanus in an attempt to get through the entire play in time for the National Theatre live broadcast, I will now be returning to my more sedate Monday-Wednesday-Friday update schedule. Content will still be mostly Shakespeare-related, with the occasional non-Shakespeare one thrown in for variety's sake. 

As for the next Shakespeare play to get the full Tickle Brain treatment? Well, one of my friends just finished his run as Edgar in a local production of King Lear... and the National Theatre's current production of King Lear will be broadcast live in May... and I will be going to see the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's production of King Lear in August... so I think the universe is trying to tell me something.

Gong Xi Fa Cai! 

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage | One Page Summary

Coriolanus: Death and Marriage Totals

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

It is a truth universally acknowledged that if a Shakespeare play ends with a lot of dead people, it's a tragedy, and if it ends with a lot of marriages, it's comedy. Let's see how Coriolanus measures up:

For a play that starts out so bloody, it's kind of surprising what a low death toll there actually is in the end. Aufidius doesn't massacre Volumnia and throw Young Martius from the walls of Rome, Virgilia doesn't eat hot coals, Menenius doesn't impale himself on a sword. It's relatively demure. In fact, the only other tragedy I can think of with such a low body count is Timon of Athens. 

Tune in again tomorrow, where I will be presenting a one-page summary of the entire play. 

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

Coriolanus, part 17

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

LAST TIME ON CORIOLANUS: Coriolanus's attack on Rome is forestalled when his mother Volumnia successfully intercedes with him on behalf of Rome. Coriolanus agrees to make peace with Rome and orders the Volscian army to retreat back to Corioles.

"There is no more mercy in him than there is milk in a male tiger" is one of those great lines that just sums up everything. 

Note that the people have completed their cycle of fickleness. First they didn't like Coriolanus. Then they banished Coriolanus. Then they were all "Oooh, we didn't really mean to banish him". And now they're ready to lynch one of their own representatives for banishing him. 

Coriolanus has been staged as both pro-democracy and pro-fascist, and both interpretations (and a host of other interpretations along the political spectrum) are valid and can work. However, if you look purely at the text, the people do come off looking like idiots.

Another candidate for "shortest scene in Shakespeare". What's interesting here is Volumnia's reaction to receiving the accolades of Rome. She isn't given any lines in this scene, so we don't know how she reacts. Is she happy about saving Rome and getting the glory that she has previously only received vicariously through her son? Is she sad because she knows her son is probably doomed? Is she angry at the fickleness of the population? All of the above?

A couple points:

1. "Kill kill kill kill kill him!" is a direct quote. Shakespeare sure has a way with words, no?

2. In the text, Aufidius is not one of the people who actually kills Coriolanus; the conspirators do all the dirty work. However, in just about every performance I have seen, Aufidius most certainly gets his hands dirty.

And that's the end of Coriolanus! I hope you've enjoyed it. I have a couple more short pieces that I will post tomorrow and on Friday, totalling up the number of deaths and summing up the entire play in one page.

Remember, check your local cinemas to see if they will be showing the National Theater Live broadcast of the Donmar Warehouse production of Coriolanus. It doesn't get performed very often, so this is your best bet to see it "on stage", as it were. If you can't see it, you can always rent/buy the 1983 BBC TV production, starring Alan Howard (not a great production, although the acting is good), or the modern-dress 2011 film adaptation, starring Ralph Fiennes (which works brilliantly in the updated setting and is my top pick). 

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

Coriolanus, part 16

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

LAST TIME ON CORIOLANUS: Coriolanus's old friends, Cominius and Menenius, have failed to persuade him to call off his attack on Rome. It looks like the Volscians, led by their Roman general, will finally bring the great city to its knees.

Volumnia, Virgilia and Valeria - the 3 Vs - are the only female characters in the play, and they get trotted out one more time here in a last-ditch attempt to stop Coriolanus. Valeria doesn't even get any lines in this scene. She just stands there, looking grieved and noble, representing all the other women of Rome who don't appear in this play. 

Volumnia throws the kitchen sink at Coriolanus here. "If you destroy Rome, all the honour you have won will be effaced by your treachery!" Honour - check. "Look at your little boy! Look at your wife!" Appeal to family values - check. "After all I've done for you, you've never done anything nice for me." Emotional blackmail - check. She's relentless. 

I haven't done video compilation clips of other Coriolanus  performances as I intended. I will put some together in the very near future (LB, give me back my Fiennes DVD!), but for the moment, the clip below is too good to pass up. It really makes Aufidius's critical line in this scene stand out, and I have yet to see a better performance of it. The clip is from John Barton's Playing Shakespeare TV series from 1982, which is unabashedly one of my favorite things in the world. Honestly, if you like Shakespeare at all (which, as you're reading this blog, I'm assuming you do), you should buy the DVD or borrow it from the library and watch it immediately. 

But I digress.

Tune in again tomorrow for the explosive ending of Coriolanus! There will be spoilers, but frankly, if you can't figure out what happens at the end of a play called The Tragedy of Coriolanus, you might be slightly oblivious.

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

Coriolanus, part 15

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

LAST TIME ONCORIOLANUS: News has reached Rome that Coriolanus, incensed by his banishment, has joined forces with his former nemesis, the Volscian general Tullus Aufidius, and that their army is marching towards Rome. Everyone panics!

Oh dear, the first cracks in the promising "Marfidius" bromance are starting to show. Poor old Aufidius. He welcomes his arch-enemy into his life with open arms, envisioning a glorious future together, only to see Coriolanus walking away with everyone's hearts and minds. Perennial second banana, that's our Aufidius.

"No, Cominius! Don't make us go talk to his mother! Anything but that!"

Poor old Menenius. He gets all puffed up blustering past the Volscian watchman, only to have all the air let out of his metaphorical balloon by the implacable Coriolanus. It's really very sad. 

Stay tuned tomorrow, when Coriolanus's mother makes her dreaded reappearance and, perhaps not surprisingly, has a lot to say...

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

Coriolanus, part 14

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

LAST TIME ON CORIOLANUS: Banished from Rome, Coriolanus heads straight for the Volscian city of Antium and meets with his nemesis, Tullus Aufidius. Angry at the citizens of Rome, he offers to team up with Aufidius to help the Volscians conquer Rome.

Why is it so endearing to hear Shakespearean characters say "thwack"? I love it. Anyways, these are Aufidius's servants, and, like all good servants, they stick around and gossip a bit after Coriolanus and Aufidius leave. They're all really, really excited about the prospect of war.

Coriolanus is a massive prick for most of the play, but you really do have to agree with his assessment of the people. "Well, yes, we said "banish him", but really we thought it was a terribly idea at the time." I suppose it's an accurate depiction of an electorate as any.

Things are picking up steam now. Join me again on Monday when we enter the home stretch! 

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

Coriolanus, part 13

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

LAST TIME ON CORIOLANUS: After repeatedly antagonizing the common people, Coriolanus is banished from Rome. But it's OK, because he's not the kind of person who would hold a grudge or anything, right? Right?

One has to hand it to Coriolanus: he's got guts. The first thing he does after being banished is walk into the stronghold of the Volscians. 

It is worth noting that "O world, thy slippery turns!" is Coriolanus's only soliloquy. Normally I would say that it is therefore the only time we hear exactly what Coriolanus is thinking, but actually Coriolanus is a pretty straight-talking fellow, so I'm pretty sure 90% of the time his non-soliloquies are accurate representations of his inner thoughts. 

The first thing Coriolanus does in Antium is head straight to Aufidius's house and get into a shoving match with the servants there. He's consistent, our Coriolanus is. 

This is another one of the great scenes, with Coriolanus revealing his desire to take revenge on Rome by teaming up with Rome's enemies, the Volscians. Aufidius is just beside himself with delight here. It's really very adorable.

Stay tuned tomorrow, when the new Martius-Aufidius alliance starts marching on Rome! What should we call this new celebrity power couple? Marfidius? 

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

Coriolanus, part 12

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage

LAST TIME ON CORIOLANUS: After his ham-fisted attempts to placate the angry mob of plebeians fails spectacularly, Coriolanus is banished from Rome, effective immediately.

Coriolanus does not waste time with long goodbyes. He barely speaks to his wife in this scene, apart from asking her to stop lamenting so loudly. He does, however, have a great line to say to his mother:

Resume that spirit, when you were wont to say,
If you had been the wife of Hercules,
Six of his labours you'd have done, and saved
Your husband so much sweat. 

That's Volumnia for you. I can just see her now... "Hercules, you're slaying that Nemean Lion all wrong, you let me do that! .... Hercules, that's not how you behead a Hydra! This is how you behead a Hydra!"

In case you think my portrayal of Volumnia is over the top, I just want to point out that the reaction of the tribunes when they see her coming is, in fact, "Let's not meet her." Everyone in Rome knows how intense Coriolanus's mum is.

Shakespeare sticks this little scene with the Roman spy and the Volscian spy in to remind people what's going on, in case they fell asleep earlier in the play. It also reminds people that the Volscians are still around, even though we haven't seen them since Act 1. 

Tune in again tomorrow, when Coriolanus meets Aufidius once again! Ooooo, drama!

Coriolanus

Dramatis Personae | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Death & Marriage