Coriolanus Body Politic Essay
In Coriolanus, Shakespeare presents his audience with a pessimistic assessment of the body politic.” Discuss.
Shakespeare’s Jacobean tragedy, Coriolanus, was conceived during an era of urban and rural radicalism in 17th century England, and exhibits a largely unfavourable view of the corrupt power dynamic that encompasses macro-political rule. Drawing inspiration from North’s translation of Plutarch’s Lives of the Greeks and Romans, the playwright utilises the setting of the Roman Republic in order to create a class hierarchy homogenous to that of Jacobean England, increasing accessibility to the audience. The expository architecture of the play leads us to an initially positive perception of the body politic, rhetorically presenting it as being functional and healthy through the Fable of the Belly. However, Shakespeare soon reveals the falsehood of this paradigm through the through the destructive patrician versus plebeian conflict that transpires throughout the play. Such a cynical assessment of the body politic is reinforced further the lack of interclass alliances in the play. Instead, the one example of social mobility being achieved through Tribunes Brutus …show more content…
At once, the playwright reveals the consequences of uneducated masses conflicting with elitist nobility, while scathing the incentive for opportunist endeavours within a republic polity. The tragic hero’s demise shines a spotlight on the negative effects of hero-worship as an attempt to unify a national ethos, whilst the introduction and subsequent deconstruction of the body politic fable serves to enlighten the audience towards the rhetorical dangers of ideological persuasion. The setting of the Roman Republic serves to shackle the play to the planes of realism, establishing it as an insight into how the inherent sociological flaws of humankind prevent policies being guided towards the common
Shakespeare’s Jacobean tragedy, Coriolanus, was conceived during an era of urban and rural radicalism in 17th century England, and exhibits a largely unfavourable view of the corrupt power dynamic that encompasses macro-political rule. Drawing inspiration from North’s translation of Plutarch’s Lives of the Greeks and Romans, the playwright utilises the setting of the Roman Republic in order to create a class hierarchy homogenous to that of Jacobean England, increasing accessibility to the audience. The expository architecture of the play leads us to an initially positive perception of the body politic, rhetorically presenting it as being functional and healthy through the Fable of the Belly. However, Shakespeare soon reveals the falsehood of this paradigm through the through the destructive patrician versus plebeian conflict that transpires throughout the play. Such a cynical assessment of the body politic is reinforced further the lack of interclass alliances in the play. Instead, the one example of social mobility being achieved through Tribunes Brutus …show more content…
At once, the playwright reveals the consequences of uneducated masses conflicting with elitist nobility, while scathing the incentive for opportunist endeavours within a republic polity. The tragic hero’s demise shines a spotlight on the negative effects of hero-worship as an attempt to unify a national ethos, whilst the introduction and subsequent deconstruction of the body politic fable serves to enlighten the audience towards the rhetorical dangers of ideological persuasion. The setting of the Roman Republic serves to shackle the play to the planes of realism, establishing it as an insight into how the inherent sociological flaws of humankind prevent policies being guided towards the common