Coriolanus

Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, likely written around 1607-1608. The play is set in Ancient Rome, much like Shakespeare’s other plays Julius Caesar, Titus Andronicus, and Antony and Cleopatra. Coriolanus dramatizes the life of the legendary Roman soldier Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus, a patrician who was exiled from the Roman Republic in the 5th century BC after an unsuccessful bid to become consul. Through this narrative, Shakespeare explores themes of the difficulties of controlling human nature, the dangers of political divisions within a state, and the problem of masculine violence. In 2011, Coriolanus was adapted into a film by Ralph Fiennes.

This guide uses the 2016 Folger Shakespeare Library edition.

Content Warning: The source text contains discussions of death by suicide and historical events involving sexual violence.

Plot Summary

Coriolanus begins with a scene depicting a riot in the city of Rome. The common people of Rome are angry because of grain shortages, demanding that the senate open up the stores of grain to the citizens of the city. A patrician senator named

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