CORIOLANUS
TRAITOR OR A MISLED HERO
June
2014
The
Original Tale
Coriolanus was
a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have
been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the
legendary Roman leader Caius Marcius Coriolanus. The tragedy
is numbered as one of the last two tragedies written by Shakespeare along with Antony
and Cleopatra. Coriolanus is the name given to a Roman general after his
more than adequate military success against various uprisings challenging the
government of Rome. Following this success, Coriolanus becomes active in
politics and seeks political leadership. His temperament is unsuited for
popular leadership and he is quickly deposed, whereupon he aligns himself to
set matters straight according to his own will. The alliances he forged to
accomplish his own will result in his ultimate downfall and death. Coriolanus as a tragedy by Shakespeare is
normally not included in the canonical list of outstanding plays written by
Shakespeare usually reserved for Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Lear. It is often staged
in full theatre productions and has recently been featured as a full-length
film under the same title with the leading role played by Ralph Fiennes.
Act 1
Scene 1.1
The City
Rome the name
Aye, I call thee by the name that you
were known. You offered your back to many of my people to build their home. With
your back, you offered us bountiful pasture with grown food. You also nurtured
it with creatures of sort whose generations had laid their flesh for these
homes. We ought to be grateful of your sacrifice, but we rake deep into your
back to build more of our homes; bigger and higher with the stakes of
foundation that skewered your flesh.
You did not flinch then.
Not only did we add out numbers but we
also invaded our greed for more. I chose the words to lay down the term as
flourish. Yes, we did flourish. Rome grew on your back. We filled the
unoccupied and where it was occupied, we layered on more. Soon the Romans were
not enough for their own needs. They invited in the outsiders to come and
stayed in the city. The newcomers were welcomed with open arms, but they were
reclassified within the social ranks. The true blooded Roman was given the
elite rank of the Noble while the
newcomers were accorded the status of Commoner. With that segregation of the ranks,
the roles and responsibilities were also defined. The leaders were all Romans
while the Commoners continued to be in servitude. It was fine during the better
times; there was no need to question the ranks. It became the way of life in
Rome. The Noble ruled while the Commoners
performed.
Who was to complaint when the body was
kept nourished.
The numbers grew with the commoners.
They populate like sows and cower for more of the nourishment.
What could the Noble do to satisfy the wants of the Commoners?
The Noble
created opportunity; opportunities which they could harnessed from the
Commoners as cannon fodders. Even the most piety works were given to the
Commoners. It was back to the labor workforce of the expanded Commoner. The
expanding living workforce requires feeding and space. The Noble then expanded the boundary of Rome within a short time. What they
could not yield then was raided.
Aye, in your name the Noble declared that Rome was to expand.
In your name, we invaded.
Your name was revered by all and fought
for.
Were you grateful?
Nay! In the last five years, you have
reversed the fortunes which we were blessed before. Instead of encouraging us,
you undo our efforts. The back of yours yielded gangrene that poisoned the
growth. Your breath exhumes toxic scent. You rebelled when you should be our
ally.
Aye, Rome. Have you desert us at this
crucial hour?
But why?
Your rebellion weakened us. Do you know then
we were in turn invaded? The enemy found meat in your poison. They are coming
for your back.
Do you hear me?
Your silence deafened me.
I plead for your reply.
Answer me, Romans. I am your master.
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