Coriolanus IOC
Outline:
Intro:
- · Takes place after Coriolanus goes to seek an alliance with his arch nemesis Aufidius
- · Following his shameful banishment from Rome, Aufidius and his lieutenant discuss the reliability of Coriolanus as an ally.
- · The passage uses keen imagery to further characterize the respectful yet adversarial relationship between Coriolanus and Aufidius.
- · It also foreshadows the end of the play by using Dramatic irony in expressing Aufidus’s true plan to use Coriolanus as pawn and then finally kill him.
- · In order to analyze the passage, it must be approached thematically, looking at Shakespeare’s use of animal imagery and the motif of food in addition to the theme of betrayal.
Animal Imagery and
Food:
- · In the very first section of dialogue Coriolanus is described as a dragon by Aufidius, whom he believes is strong enough to defeat Rome on is own.
- · This imagery serves to substantiate Coriolanus’s failure to abide in a Government, as depicted through the body motif and brought into human terms, Coriolanus is portrayed as being anything but human.
- · Describing him as an osprey to the fish that is Rome, Coriolanus can be seen as hunter, to which no task is too big.
- · A king in situations of conflict, Coriolanus is seen as primarily suited towards the barbaric
- · The concept of food is used to characterizing his revenge as being all consuming and permanent
Betrayal: Shakespeare characterizes the by products of
success being the obvious throne or even death, with two being almost as
probable as the other
- He also reminds the audience of their conflict which is still present
- Foreshadows the end as once Aufidius has Rome, the poorest of all shall be Coriolanus, having been betrayed by his home country and then by his supposed allies.
- This shows that no matter what he was not in a situation in which winning was a possibility
Conclusion:
- · Shakespeare uses these all effectively in conveying the various elements of Government, exposing the implications of change and various people within these positions
- · The use of imagery is intentional as it paints indirect images that allow the reader to further and fully grasp the direct points being made in dialogue and descriptions.
