Coriolanus

Content Warning: This section of the guide references historical events involving sexual violence.

Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus was a Roman general who serves as the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Caius Martius Coriolanus in the play. The historical Coriolanus was thought to have lived during the 5th century BC and to have received his agnomen—a third name in ancient Rome that denotes a deed or trait rather than family lineage—during a battle with the Volscian army at the city of Corioli. The narrative of his life appears in works of Roman history such as Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita and Plutarch’s Parallel Lives. As the surviving accounts of Coriolanus appeared long after he would have lived, modern historians remain uncertain whether his life is a legend or if he was a real person.

According to the historical narratives about Coriolanus, he rose to prominence after serving in the army of the consul Postumus Cominius. During an attack on the city of Corioli, the Roman army was pinned between Volscian reinforcements outside of the town and a sally from the gates of the city. After the young soldier held back the sally and then attacked the gates,

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