Coriolanus Essay Questions

How does Coriolanus differ from Menenius at the beginning of the play?

When the play opens, the plebeians are rioting in the streets of Rome because they have no food. Menenius is quick to step in, assuring the plebeians that the patricians (who hold power) care about them as parents care for their children. The audience knows, of course, that Menenius is simply being manipulative and attempting to quell the plebeians without actually ensuring they have food. By contrast, Coriolanus is blunt and insulting toward the plebeians, calling them fickle and cowardly. This clear difference between the two men helps raise questions that will pervade the rest of the play – namely whether cold-hearted honesty is preferable to disingenuous flattery when it comes to political powers.

What does the play have to say about the nature of political rulers?

The tone of the play is largely a cynical one: Coriolanus suggests that the most successful political leaders are also manipulative and self-serving, willing to pander for votes but not willing to actually do anything to care for the people of Rome. Some even interpret the play's harsh tone as a reflection of early modern English social conflict under the reign of King James I, suggesting that Shakespeare's portrayal of disingenuous political rulers comments on the nature of the English monarchy after the death of Elizabeth I.

The play often portrays the patricians as antagonists. If this is the case, are the plebeians protagonists? Why or why not?

It becomes clear at the beginning of the play that the patricians are not at all interested in the plight of the lower classes, and that all they care about is garnering enough favor among them to remain in power. The play sets the patricians up to be the clear antagonists of the narrative, but it soon destabilizes that paradigm by showing how Coriolanus's criticisms of the plebeians – namely that they are fickle and cowardly – are actually true. In this way, the play challenges its audience to decide where there sympathies lie, and to question whether Coriolanus is beneficial or detrimental for Rome.

Why is the "Fable of the Belly" such an important speech in the play?

Menenius recounts the now-famous "Fable of the Belly," in which a fully functioning body starts to break down when the other body parts rebel against the belly for having all the food. Of course, this is Menenius's way of reminding the citizens of Rome that the patricians may have all the resources but that they are also responsible for dispersing those resources out to the public (which they, of course, are actually failing to do). However, this speech is also significant because it parallels the way that early modern English political leaders spoke about the English state – as a body with the monarch at its head. For this reason, many interpret Coriolanus as political commentary about Shakespeare's own age.

Why does Coriolanus die?

This is one of the most thoroughly-debated questions within the discourse surrounding Coriolanus. Some argue that Coriolanus dies because his mother, Volumnia, essentially sacrifices him for Rome by convincing him not to attack. Others argue that it was his own pride that killed him, because he becomes so incensed by Aufidius's taunts that he dares his men to kill him (which they do). Finally, some argue that Coriolanus was always fated to die based on his own bloodthirsty behavior. That the play leaves this question open-ended is just one example of the many ways Coriolanus forces audiences to grapple with notions of morality and justice.