Hunger
Hunger is an important motif in the play, as it carries with it both literal and figurative significance. The tension between the patricians and the plebeians at the beginning of the play makes it clear that hunger is the driving force behind the lower class riots – they are literally starving, and many blame the patricians for their indulgences while the plebeians struggle to survive. The patricians become anxious that this literal hunger could transform into a figurative hunger to rise up against the government and declare popular rule. Finally, Coriolanus demonstrates a particular kind of martial "hunger" for war and triumph, an admirable quality of his that is complicated by his excessive pride.
Body Parts
The motif of individual body parts appears throughout the play as a figurative representation of the Roman body politic. In fact, even in Shakespeare's own time, the English state was considered a "body" with the king or monarch at its head. The patricians attempt to portray Rome as a fully-functioning and healthy bodily system, but the plebeians and the events of the play prove that there is discord within this "body" that might weaken it. Coriolanus himself is compared to a diseased foot that the rest of Rome must amputate to save the state. Other body parts that appear repeatedly in the play include hands, stomachs, hearts, feet, tongues, and lips.
Blood
Blood is a symbol of both war and triumph in the play. Coriolanus is so obsessed with war and martial victory that he is described as a "thing of blood" after being covered in the blood of the enemy. Likewise, the wounds that soldiers accrue from battle are perceived as evidence of their military feats. Coriolanus himself declares that spilling his own blood is medicinal to him rather than detrimental; the presence of blood in the play is interpreted as a sign of strength and resilience.
Speaking
Throughout the play, characters vie for the chance to speak or have their voices heard. This is especially true of the plebeians, whose opinions are only communicated through the tribunes they have elected. Speech becomes an important motif in the play as it often reflects a character's social and political position – those who are granted the opportunity to speak are the ones who hold power. The plebeians are frustrated that they are not being listened to and they threaten to destabilize the Roman political structure in order to make themselves heard.
Dragons
It was not uncommon for war heroes to be compared to dragons and other ferocious beasts in Shakespeare's plays. However, Coriolanus compares himself to a "lonely dragon" when describing his predicament to his mother Volumnia in Act Four. In this context, the dragon symbolizes both a fearsome beast and a solitary figure made all the more intimidating by its lonesomeness. Coriolanus suggests through this comparison that his isolation is precisely what will spur his revenge.
