William Shakespeare has gifted the literary world with works that reflect many generations. He was known for plays on tragedies that displayed the politics, power relationships and love in a very modern way. The present paper attempts to shed light on one of Shakespeare’s very popular plays Coriolanus and discuss its relevance in the modern world. Written during the early 17th century, Coriolanus chronicles the life of the fifth century BCE Roman Emperor Caius Martius Coriolanus, who was revered and later banished by the people of Rome. According to the historical accounts of Livy and Plutarch, Coriolanus was a monarch who was instrumental in suppressing the corn riot and defeating the Volsci. However, his resolute nature and disrespect for the established order resulted in the uprising of class conflict. This then led to his banishment from Rome and his attack on Rome teaming up with old enemy Aufidius of the Volsci. The paper will include the 2011 film adaptation with Ralph Fiennes playing the lead and the 2010 theatre by Royal Shakespeare Company and the 2017 adaptation by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). These adaptations testify to the fact that the play had an ideological flexibility that allowed modern playwrights and filmmakers to adapt it as per changing situations.
The themes of power, politics and rule in Shakespeare’s plays have always been flexible enough to provide a solid ground to anyone to adapt it according to the modern age. Coriolanus addresses the issues of pride, ego, betrayal and revenge in a manner that echoes with the modern generation as well. Further, the drama unravels the subtle oedipal relationship visible between the protagonist and his mother. In addition, the drama also covertly conveys homosexuality as it portrays the relationship between Coriolanus and Aufidius. Avdića and Arsenijević while pointing out the contemporary relevance of the play state “situating Coriolanus in the contemporary time could be a fitting context for observing the unease tied to people’s revolt”. This was further supported by Bliss who referred to the works Nahum Tate, John Dennis and Thomas Sheridan during the 17th and 18th century. The author suggests that these plays represented Coriolanus in a new light demonstrating the times and lives of that era. It is also evident from the modern representations of the play in the recent decades that the ideology shown by the lead character is still relevant in today’s world.
Even Shakespeare molded his protagonist and the play to relate it to his era. He gave voice to the commoners that was something unusual in Shakespearean tragedy. In the Act 1, Scene 1, when Menenius, the senator tries to address the citizens, he is made aware that they will not allow him to narrate sweet tales of victories and accomplishments but demand explicit and direct conversation.
Menenius: “Patience awhile, you will hear the belly’s answer”
These instances from the play brings forth Shakespeare’s mastery in adapting a play from an altogether different context into the setting of the Jacobean era while keeping the central theme intact.
Bertolt Brecht, the German playwright, rewrote the drama during 1951 to 1953 that proved a success. In order to clearly analyze and understand the adaptation of Coriolanus Brecht, it is important to comprehend the political scenario of German Democratic Republic (GDR) during that time (Subiotto). The 1934 adaptation by Pichaud further helps in understanding the context of the play from the German perspective. In Pichaud’s version, the character of Coriolanus was used to portray the true nature of their Fuhrer. A close analysis establishes this connection as Hitler and Coriolanus had many things in common. Squiers analyzed Brecht’s adaptation of Coriolanus and argued that the dramatist displayed the influence of Mao Tse Tung’s ideologies. It can thus be asserted that Brecht’s adaptation of the play was based on Moa Tse Tung’s ideologies further cementing the notion that the play was ideologically flexible. The conversation between Coriolanus and the fifth citizen is interesting to see because it provides insight into Brecht’s ideology. The citizen when asked by the protagonist as to what makes him competent enough to involve in the decision-making process of the state. To this, the citizen replies, “My garden sir, that little realm of flowerbeds and turnip patches has taught me that even the noble rose of Corinth must be pruned of undue pride of growth, or else it cannot thrive” (Shakespeare). During the time when Brecht lived, Germany was going through a phase of resurrection after years of sufferings at the hands of the Nazis. However, the new regime too had proved to be futile and failed to address the needs of the common people. Inspired by the ideologies of Mao, Brecht brought to the stage, a play that reflected the vox populi.
The drama was adapted to a feature film in 2011 that had Ralph Fiennes in the lead supported by Gerard Butler. The film interestingly keeps the original text of the drama but the story is set in the modern context. The director has even kept the original names of the characters thus drawing further attention of the audience. Starting from the most basic things like costumes, the sets, the arms, ammunitions, and the characters in the film, all symbolize the contemporary world. The look of the lead character also shows demonstrates the essence of modernity with an all shaven head and a dragon tattoo in the neck (“Coriolanus: “Make you a sword of me!” speech”). Ralph Fiennes, who is also the director of the movie, decided to represent Coriolanus through most stereotyped war nation and people – The Balkans. He attempts to reflect the modern ideology of military masculinity through Coriolanus. According to Baker, Fiennes, in an attempt to adapt the play into the contemporary setting, shows the popular notion of the Europeans towards the Balkans. The author states, “Fiennes’s filmic and historical intertexts inadvertently impress the seal of Shakespearean approval on dubious European stereotypes of the Balkan Other”.
As already stated, the play is believed to have been written in the 1600s. The tragedies of Coriolanus can besaid to be the final play written by William Shakespeare towards the end of his brilliant career. Coriolanus is the last roman play written by the dramatist. Ironically,the first tragedies by him such as Titus Andronicus was set during the decline of the great Roman Empire on the other hand, this particular dramarecords the incidents of the pre-empire struggle between the Romans and the Volsces. This drama is built around the daunting character of Caius Martius Coriolanus. He received the surname due to his valor as well as the resulted success in the battlefield more precisely the siege of Corioli in the 493 BC. This play holds an acute discussion of the political corruptionand the power making process in the Roman administration. This playexactly matches the criteria of the Roman play. In the new production of the Royal Shakespeare company, this roman drama has been reenacted with revising some ofthe situations as well as actions. This new version has gained enormous popularity due to its ripe relocation and successful application to the cotemporary settings. The Rome Season director, Angus Jackson who has experience in directing Julius Caesar in 2017, has utilized each and every opportunity and ran with them. The new version opens with the imbued cry of the mod demanding their shares of grain with the visceral forces which can be recognized as a modern day riot.
The first half of the production seems to hedge its bets politically. The play has hit its stride just after the interval where the director intrigues breath taking series of the scenes. These scenes basically focus on the relationship that drive the protagonist.These factors involveboth his personal and public aspects. The protagonist has a crippling dependence on his mother Volumnia and a feeling of a mutual fascination as well as worrier bond with the enemy turned ally Aufidius. This beautiful amalgamation of private and professional life has andthe play more extraordinary.It was aided by the actor playing the role of the protagonist Sope Dirisu. His powerful turn in this title role astonishingly, his professional RSC debut. Dirisu has perfect provided all the materials which the character expected from him. He not only has the physically imposing stature required to make a convincing master of military discipline, but he balances the blend of charming oration and petulant angst perfectly. He has exceptionallymixedhis rage at the political snakes amusing exasperation. The change in his character from a huge military being to a teenage boy and enjoying the affection of mother perfectly matches the credentials of the modern drama. This maternal bond that makes and unmakes the character of Coriolanus has made it surely one of the finest roles in the Shakespearean tragedy. As an experienced actress, Haydn Gwynne is also touching yet powerful, for the most part of her final scenes. The character ofAufidius performed by James Corrigan (Rsc.org.uk). From the very first fight scene together, this particular character has highlighted the homoerotic side of his relationship. Here in this new version, the audience can find the conflict to be a special vigorous act of sexual congressthat can be seen in various similar acts. The prominent of which is whereDirisu lifted his opponent up against the backstage grill.
The staging and lighting design were quite simple andunderstated however, it has successfully supported the characters’ impressive performances.In the bleak industrial design by Robert Innes Hopkins, in which the natural daylight seems difficult to come by, functions in the shade like those of black and grey. The whole drama has been set in this setting which is completely different from the original version of the play as well as the text version of the play. The audience seems to be behind thissetting. The setting is same ina warehouse, a dinner party, a large government building which is perhaps where all the real power struggles occur. There is no opulence here and these are times of austerity.This final and adrenalin-pumped production by Angus Jackson of the Rome Season favors the sensual over cerebral and the visual over verbal. This was a very eloquent production indeed.
Other adaptations like that of the Donmar Productions with Tom Hiddleston as Coriolanus bring to the fore the different interpretations of the play (“Coriolanus Tom Hiddleston”). The costumes used by the production are a mix of both the modern outfits and the ancient Roman attires. In this adaptation, the makers have tried to focus mostly on Coriolanus as the man who speaks his mind (“Coriolanus meets Aufidius”). The image of the protagonist is in accordance with the contemporary principles that require an individual to speak his or her mind. A rather positive image of the protagonist is presented in the latest adaptation. Kirwan while reviewing Coriolanus commented that Tom Hiddleston’s Coriolanus did not attempt to show the protagonist as the “grizzled war veteran but as a charismatic young leader”. Thus, it is imperative to state that the play written in the early 17th century had the flexibility to be molded in any human characteristic as deemed fit by the maker.
To conclude, it can clearly be stated that the ideologies that were held in the first of the accounts about Coriolanus are still relevant. Coriolanus is not considered one of Shakespeare’s best plays but it did present the later artists with a chance to use this play to demonstrate the political scenario of their times. Perhaps, Coriolanus is one of Shakespeare’s most flexible plays from the perspective of the ideology presented in it. The essay has put forth different perspectives in order to analyze the relevance of this play. In doing so, the essay has provided an analysis of two adaptations of the play, one from the film and one from theatre. The statement thus, that Coriolanus had the ideological flexibility that allowed it to be adapted throughout years is justified. It is however important to state that further readings in this regard, especially in regards to understanding the character deeply, is required.
References:
Avdić, Alen, and Damir Arsenijević. “A Contemporary Reading Of Coriolanus.” Pismo: Journal for Linguistics & Literary Studies/Zeitschrift für Sprach-und Literaturwissenschaft 12, no. 1 (2014).
Baker, Catherine. ““Ancient Volscian Border Dispute Flares” Representations Of Militarism, Masculinity And The Balkans In Ralph Fiennes’coriolanus.” International Feminist Journal of Politics 18, no. 3 (2016)
Bliss, Lee. “What Hath a Quarter-Century of Coriolanus Criticism Wrought?.” In The Shakespearean International Yearbook: Where are We Now in Shakespearean Studies?. Routledge, 2017.
Coriolanus meets Aufidius. YouTube. Retrieved 5 April 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSQOdP56W-Q
Coriolanus Tom Hiddleston. YouTube. Retrieved 5 April 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4QpBz-YKqY
Coriolanus: “Make you a sword of me!” speech. (2018). YouTube. Retrieved 5 April 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeL69coeXjE
Kirwan, Peter. “Coriolanus performed by the Donmar Warehouse.” Shakespeare Bulletin 32, no. 2 (2014)
Rsc.org.uk. About the play | Coriolanus | Royal Shakespeare Company. Rsc.org.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2018, from https://www.rsc.org.uk/coriolanus/
Shakespeare, William. Coriolanus. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Squiers, Anthony. “Contradiction and Coriolanus: A Philosophical Analysis of Mao Tse Tung’s Influence on Bertolt Brecht.” Philosophy and Literature 37, no. 1 (2013)
Subiotto, Arrigo V. Bertolt Brecht’s adaptations for the Berliner Ensemble. Vol. 8. Mhra, 1975.
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