Shakespeare's "Coriolanus" in context
Abstract
Coriolanus has not received the critical attention it deserves. Very few attempts have been made to examine the meaning, as distinguished from the significance, of this Shakespeare tragedy. This study begins with a review of the readily available critical commentary, with attention given to representative critical positions. The second chapter concentrates on the plot problem of the play, and on the plight of the protagonist, Caius Martius, before he receives the surname Coriolanus. The third chapter presents Coriolanus within the context of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear. The first part of this chapter deals with Acts II and III as an extended episode; the second part concentrates on the heart-hand-head pattern as presented in Act IV; the third part concentrates on the heart-hand-head pattern in Act V after the protagonist of Act IV has been transformed into the tragic hero. This study enables us to understand Coriolanus as a Shakespeare tragedy and to appreciate it in terms of its compeers, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear, the greatest tragedies in the world.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Bache, Purdue University.
Subject Area
British and Irish literature|Theater
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