Coriolanus Relationship
Coursework essay – Coriolanus
Describe an important relationship in the play and explain why this relationship was important
In Shakespeare’s tragedy Coriolanus, he shows us the way the relationship with a person can lead that person to his downfall. This is shown in the relationship between Coriolanus and the plebeians. The plebeians lead to the downfall of Caius Martius Coriolanus because they are the ones that banish him from Rome. The relationship between Caius Martius and the plebeians is one that consists of hate from both sides. Caius Martius maintains the old tradition where one group holds most of the power and most of the people have little to no power. Martius holds on to this mindset and tries to implement this. His heritage plays a big role as he is of patrician lineage, and his mother Volumnia has raised Martius to believe that the plebeians are inferior and are not of good social status. An example is when Martius says “who deserves greatness, deserves your hate, and your affections are a sick man’s appetite, (page 13, lines 159-161).” Martius perceives the plebeians as stupid and weak as they are unable to fend for themselves. He also believes that the plebeians don’t deserve any of the power that the patricians give them. …show more content…
He also thinks that they are fickle and easy to manipulate. This is shown when Menenius manipulates them by saying a fable about the body (act 1 and scene 1). He also believes that their desperation to get all that they want in their unreasonable demands is a weakness that can turn them against the patricians. Martius also thinks that the plebeians speculate about things that are way above their head. He says that “They’ll sit by the fire and presume to know what’s done i’th’Capitol, (page 15, lines
Describe an important relationship in the play and explain why this relationship was important
In Shakespeare’s tragedy Coriolanus, he shows us the way the relationship with a person can lead that person to his downfall. This is shown in the relationship between Coriolanus and the plebeians. The plebeians lead to the downfall of Caius Martius Coriolanus because they are the ones that banish him from Rome. The relationship between Caius Martius and the plebeians is one that consists of hate from both sides. Caius Martius maintains the old tradition where one group holds most of the power and most of the people have little to no power. Martius holds on to this mindset and tries to implement this. His heritage plays a big role as he is of patrician lineage, and his mother Volumnia has raised Martius to believe that the plebeians are inferior and are not of good social status. An example is when Martius says “who deserves greatness, deserves your hate, and your affections are a sick man’s appetite, (page 13, lines 159-161).” Martius perceives the plebeians as stupid and weak as they are unable to fend for themselves. He also believes that the plebeians don’t deserve any of the power that the patricians give them. …show more content…
He also thinks that they are fickle and easy to manipulate. This is shown when Menenius manipulates them by saying a fable about the body (act 1 and scene 1). He also believes that their desperation to get all that they want in their unreasonable demands is a weakness that can turn them against the patricians. Martius also thinks that the plebeians speculate about things that are way above their head. He says that “They’ll sit by the fire and presume to know what’s done i’th’Capitol, (page 15, lines