IndexIntroductionValue of honor in Roman societySymbols of honorConflict and tragic resolutionConclusionIntroductionIn William Shakespeare's tragedies, the themes of revenge, chaos, uncertain honor and death premature permeate the narratives, whether depicting the fall of a noble king, a passionate general or a valiant warrior. One such tragedy, “Coriolanus,” explores the society and self-destruction of a model Roman warrior, illustrating the consequences of excessive character traits, even honor itself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This play introduces a nuanced examination of gender dynamics, particularly through the characters of Coriolanus and Volumnia. It delves into the intricate relationship between male and female concepts of honor in Roman society. Despite being semantically intertwined, these notions of honor manifest independently, leading to a conflict that drives the tragic outcome of the play, ultimately seeking to restore this primary virtue for both characters. Value of Honor in Roman Society Within “Coriolanus,” both genders hold honor in higher esteem than limbs, life, or love. Volumnia, a prominent Roman matriarch, immediately establishes this value upon her entrance, expressing, "If my son were my husband, I would rejoice more freely in that absence where he has gained honor than in the embraces of his bed where he would show more love" ( 1.3.2-5). Coriolanus, his son, exemplifies this verbal esteem through action, willingly leaving his wife and son whenever his role as an honorable warrior requires it, and embracing the wounds that result. Even minor characters uphold this value system; for example, Cominius, a Roman general and father figure of Coriolanus, articulates his devotion to honor, stating: "I love the good of my country with a more tender, holier and deeper respect than my own life, according to the esteem of my dear wife, the growth of her womb" (3.3.111-14). In this statement, Cominius not only emphasizes the meaning of honor for Shakespeare's Romans, but also clarifies its social meaning: sacrifice for patriotic defense, essential to the well-being of the nation. Both genders adhere to this definition, with Coriolanus elaborating on it during the first act. When given the choice of Cominius' best men to fight alongside, Coriolanus proclaims: "...if anyone fears less for his person than a bad reputation, if anyone thinks that a brave death surpasses a bad life, and that may his country be dearer than him; or many so intent, salute thus, to express their disposition, and follow Marzio." (1.6.70-6) The "bad denunciation" feared here means the loss of honor in the eyes of one's peers, a concept that Coriolanus links closely to a deep sense of duty to one's country. Linda Bamber, a professor at Tufts University, in her book "Comic Women, Tragic Men: A Study of Gender and Genre in Shakespeare," explores this semantic conflation of gendered perceptions of honor. She notes the preference, not only among males but also females, for a “damned ambitious kind of honor” (91). Volumnia embodies this fanaticism, stating: "...if I had a dozen sons, each equally in love, and none less dear than yours and my good Marcius, I would rather have eleven die nobly for their country than one voluptuously glutted with action " (1.3.22-5). Although Coriolanus and Volumnia share similar definitions of honor, their socially prescribed methods of obtaining it differ significantly.significant. In Roman society, males, represented by Coriolanus, acquire honor primarily through physical participation in battle, an ethic instilled from early childhood. This is exemplified in Coriolanus' son, who, sharing his father's name, symbolizes an extension of his martial qualities. The text praises him for displaying warlike tendencies when he aggressively destroys a butterfly that had taunted him during his quest (1.3.54-67). Symbols of Honor War, as the only means of achieving male honor, further marks a patrician boy's entry into adulthood, a ritual recounted by Volumnia when she notes ". . To a cruel war I sent / [Coriolanus ], from where he returned, with his forehead bandaged / of oak. Through the battle in defense of their country, men symbolically achieve true masculinity and the honor it entails, something that Will Fisher demonstrates. noting that, while Coriolanus lacks signifiers such as a beard, he "performs martial feats that literally confer masculinity" (155). Despite its achievement independent of the physical signs of puberty, this masculine honor, bestowed as a result of self-sacrifice, requires symbols on the self, particularly Coriolanus' scars and surname, for Roman recognition shortly after seeing Coriolanus face and subdue an entire city, proclaiming: "For what he has done. before Corioles, call him, / With all the applause and clamor of the army, / Caius Martius Coriolanus. Bear / the addition nobly always!" (1.9.62-5). Immediately after his return to Rome with the noble addition, Coriolanus receives recognition of the extent of his honor from the general populace, who, despite their hatred for his supposed pride and unkind tongue, find themselves unable to rightfully deny the services he has rendered to his country Beyond his name, Coriolanus' scars, each a visual proclamation of sacrificed flesh, provide the soldier with an additional means. , perhaps more widely available, to demonstrate his honor. Coppélia Kahn in her feminist analysis of Shakespeare's works supports this symbolism, emphasizing that "wounds signify martial skill... The warrior who survives his wounds affirms the impregnability of the body male..." (153). The Roman woman, on the contrary, must obtain honor through the gender Other rather than the Self, through maternal and, indirectly, martial sacrifice as a physical and pedological model of Rome's deadly weapons . Kahn demonstrates this feminine role, arguing for the existence of two "constructions of the maternal," the second of which is that "a mother produces children for the state, to which she owes them" (146). participation in battle not available, they realize their honor through the association and support of those who do not have this restriction. While these men-sources of honor need not be sons, as in the case of Virgilia whose husband fills the role, for the widowed Volumnia the filial source remains the only source from which to enact her patriotism. This role of mother sacrificing her son to the state manifested itself before Coriolanus' birth when Volumnia "...help him frame it," continued into her childhood when she reminds Coriolanus, "you suck [your worth] out of me," and remains for the adult Coriolanus around whom the play is centered. In the final phase of his life, Coriolanus, now able to earn the honor in battle for which his mother molded him, achieves such results that can be reflected in his source, his outward recognition that has become the symbol of the contribution of his mother to her country and, consequently, to her honor. For Volumnia and the other ladiesRoman women that she represents, this leads to the inability to distinguish between honor and honors, as she receives an amount of the former equal in proportion to the amount of the latter bestowed on her son. Volumnia demonstrates her connection between the two early in the play, stating, “I, considering how / honor would become [Coriolanus] – that it was no better / than to be hung on the wall, if fame / did not move.." (1.3.9-12). Fame, often the product of publicly granted honors such as the consulship that Volumnia will later implore her son to do whatever it takes to obtain, is given status among Roman women, in this statement, of that which alone gives honor value. Coriolanus' desire for fame serves as the impetus for Volumnia's subsequent statement: "Oh, he is wounded: I thank the gods for that" (2.1.118), a statement which the matriarch qualifies with "There will be/there will be great scars to show the people, when he must / defend his place" (2.1.143-5). In contrast, the difference in the actualization of male and female honor makes clear the distinction between honor and honors Coriolanus, who will not sacrifice the former by begging for the latter. While he proudly wears his wounds and thanks Cominius for the "good addition" of his surname (1.9.71), Coriolanus consistently rejects verbal, material, and social rewards as a means of external compensation for internal sacrifice. For example, when offered the choice of spoils from the defeated Corioles, the warrior remarks, "I thank you, general, / But I cannot make my heart consent to take / A bribe to pay for my sword" (1.9. 37-9). Menenius acknowledges this refusal on Coriolanus' part by observing, "He would rather hazard all his limbs for honor / Than one with ears to hear him..." (2.2.74-6). This rejection of outward praise by Coriolanus is something that Lynn Enterline interprets as a socially acceptable means for the hero to achieve more of what he denies himself (25), and Kahn echoes this belief, noting that even when Coriolanus "rejects the praise, the wounds arouse, he does so in a way that recalls them" (153). While each of Coriolanus' denials does indeed reference the scars on his body, his motivation for this repetition more likely stems from the fact that the praise, and not his wounds, have a connotation of shame. Earned solely for his country, the depiction of Coriolanus' wounds as a means of obtaining self-tribution marks a form of sacrilege for the noble warrior. Coriolanus' own words regarding his reluctance to praise himself support this interpretation: "To boast to them 'So have I done and so!' / Show them the painless scars I should hide, / As if I had received them in exchange / Only for their breath!” (2.2.146-9). This absolute adherence to honor on the part of Coriolanus confirms his role as the non plus ultra of Roman warrior virtue, an excess of character that upsets the socially perceived harmony between the conferring of honors and the recognition of honor. , creating the conflict that leads to Coriolanus' expulsion. In applying for the consulate, Coriolanus cannot, as noted, subjugate his honor, notably by exchanging mannerisms prescribed for the protection of his country with those best suited to promoting himself, "taking off his hat, kneeling, bowing his head in humility" (Kahn 155). Furthermore, neither the plebeian nor the patrician classes of Rome live up to Coriolanus' ideal of honor. By presenting their country with demands for edibles rather than sacrifices for its security, the common citizens are, according to him, "cursed, / Who love neither peace nor war... Where should find [them] lions, [them] find hares" (1.1.166-7, 169). According to him, hisfellow soldiers fare no better, agreeing to retreat to their trenches rather than accompany him within the enemy walls and thus incur description as "... a plague... / The mouse never avoided the cat as they moved / From scoundrels worse than them" (1.6.42-5). This combination of an excess of honor in Coriolanus and a lack of absolute honor in Roman society leads the tragic hero to place no value on society's opinions, refusing to yield to the will of both classes when running for the consulship. As a result, Coriolanus' political enemies, Sicinius and Brutus, take advantage of both his abandoned humility and righteous hatred of the plebeians to exploit public fears that the common people will suffer under his rule. This results in a trial for treason, during which both the patricians and plebeians of Rome refer to Coriolanus as "Martius" while calling for or allowing his exile, depriving him of both the lexical emblem and patriotic root of his honor. This revocation of Coriolanus's honored massimon begins in Sicinius' accusations, "Martius would want everything from you, Martius, / who late you appointed consul", is echoed by all the commoners present in their proclamation of "Surrender, Martius, surrender! ", and also extends to those held highest in his affection with Menenius declaring: "Help Martius" (1.3.196-7, 217, 228). Sicinius and Brutus in the meantime manage to satisfy their demands and, with little protest from Coriolanus' own class; the people pronounce a verdict of exile. Although the last lines of Coriolanus' noble companions restore his title to him, the connection between the moment of declared exile and the stripping of his name signifies the connection between the loss of state and the loss of honor. Despite this loss of status, Coriolanus refuses to change the composition of his character, declaring upon his exit from society: "While I remain above ground, you / will still hear of me, and never anything of me / but what he was like me before" (4.2.51-3). However, he now lacks a higher power to surrender to in the pursuit of honor, and so, to restore this honor, he must move it to the land of an equally honorable enemy, the Volscians. Upon learning of this enemy's approach in the first scene, Coriolanus states, "They have a leader, Tullus, Aufidius, who will put you to the test. / I sin in envying his nobility, / And if I were anything other than what I am , I would wish only him" (1.1.226-9). He also refers to this adversary as " and recognized by Coriolanus bestows honor on the land that Aufidius serves for his gain, a fact that allows the hero to effectuate his patriotic redirection there. Approaching the place, Coriolanus states: “My hometown I hate and my love is towards/. This enemy city. I'll go in. If he kills me, / He does just justice; if he gives way to me, / I will do his country service" (4.5.23-6). Conflict and Tragic Resolution Coriolanus' vow to serve the Volsci requires an attack on his own country, a course of action driven by revenge and by the desire to prove his worth to his new allies. This decision places him in conflict with his own honor, symbolized by his mother, Volumnia, and with his homeland. Despite having lost the title given to him by Rome, Coriolanus fails to fully restore his honor through his service to the Volscians. This internal conflict is evident when Cominius comments on Coriolanus' refusal to recognize his old name, highlighting his sense of disconnection and identity crisis. The conflict intensifies when Volumnia and the Coriolanus' wife begs. 285-302.