Power Personified

Through the remarkable play Coriolanus, Shakespeare effectually mirrors the period of a paradigm shift in Elizabethan England as he documents multifarious elements reflective of a political transition from an aristocratic system to a principally parliamentary structure. Accordingly, the context of the play itself is established in ancient Rome and allows for the Elizabethan audience to engage in a gripping political tragedy propelled by a spectrum of distinct characters. Subsequently, the overarching theme of the play is cemented in illustrating the implications of varying power dynamics in a shifting political realm; Shakespeare accordingly manifests this central idea through exhibiting the different types of powers allegorically through different characters. For instance, the supreme authority wielded by protagonist Coriolanus that ultimately led to his downfall, demonstrates the fatal consequences of an anachronistic power unable to adapt to the shifting political sphere. Contrastingly, the charismatic character of Menenius is juxtaposed with Coriolanus to essentially allude to the significance of a powerful status only being successful if one is willing to bridge the gap between the commonalty and those ruling the hierarchy. Similarly, the characters of the Tribunes (Brutus and Sicinius) exemplify a completely different end of the spectrum in comparison to Coriolanus as the voices of the commonalty. Finally, the characters of Volumnia and Aufidius personify the art of diplomacy that determines triumph in the political realm dominated by power.