30 Days of Shakespeare, Day 22

[lareinenoire]

Day #22: An underrated play - Coriolanus

I could very easily list any of the Henry VIs here because they never get enough love, but I talked at length about their utter brilliance on Day 10. Then I was tempted by Henry IV, Part II, but I actually know quite a few people who love that play, so I decided to go with something completely different

Comments

[gileonnen]

Why, I couldn't have said this better myself. ^_~

[gehayi]

I wish that I could read that post...but it's locked.

[lareinenoire]

Oh, dear. I keep forgetting that she locks her posts -- not that I can argue, considering I do the same thing!

The particular bit I was referring to was this:

I can't plead for the beauty of its language--for it's very seldom beautiful, although those moments of beauty are incredibly striking when they occur--nor for the greatness of its themes; in many ways, this play seems almost deliberately shallow, as though the meat of it's been pared away. Indeed, at times I wonder if Coriolanus doesn't model that nigh-paranoiac need that we feel to read some sign of greatness or tragedy into the actions of heroes: Coriolanus is a man who can't make himself a political animal, a man whose failure to be polite and politic is constantly being (mis)read as itself a political statement. In a play where words and pleas and voices are the currency by which people buy their success, Coriolanus tries to enclose himself within his body and to keep his body safe from concourse and discourse, to insist that his actions speak for themselves and that he