History Theatre / Coriolanus

* GrayAndGrayMorality: Coriolanus' total contempt for the common people is clearly shown to be a serious fault, but he makes some good points (see DemocracyIsBad above) and the two men who claim to be "voices of the people" are described, as [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious]] by [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Menenius]], and are manipulative toward the people they "speak for".

* There was a 2014 performance of the play by the Nation Theatre Live starring Creator/TomHiddleston in the titular role.

Caius Martius is a Roman general, who is an excellent soldier, brave commander, and brilliant on the battlefield but incorrigibly conservative, arrogant, and openly contemptuous of the ordinary folk. He is so unpopular personally that when we meet him at the start of the play, there are food riots going on in Rome and Caius Martius is being blamed for taking the grain supplies for the army. While others try and calm the situation, Martius simply retorts that the commoners aren't worthy of having the grain as they have not done military service. After defeating the army of the Volsces tribe and capturing the city of Corioles, Martius is given the name [[RedBaron "Coriolanus" as a reward, and is persuaded to run for Consul]]. However, two of his opponents conspire to whip up the commons against him and he is hounded out of Rome for sedition when he calumnies against the power of the tribune of the plebs, at which point he gives a bitter speech about the evils of democracy and the ingratitude of the rabble. Caius Martius, now hungry for revenge against his homeland, offers his services to the Volsces and their leader Tullus Aufidius. Marching on Rome, he has the city at his mercy, but is persuaded by his wife and mother to spare the city. When he returns to Aufidius, he is murdered for his betrayal.

* A film version was made in 2011, directed by Creator/RalphFiennes who also played the lead. Creator/GerardButler played Aufidius, with Creator/VanessaRedgrave (in a highly acclaimed performance) as Volumnia, Creator/JessicaChastain as Virgilia and Creator/BrianCox as Menenius. It's a SettingUpdate into a generic modern-day CrapsackWorld "Calling itself Rome" (though it was filmed in Belgrade, Serbia and alludes heavily to UsefulNotes/TheYugoslavWars). The film was largely acclaimed for being able to successfully please both Shakespeare purists and action movie junkies.

** In the 2011 movie adaption after Coriolanus is banished from Rome he arrives in the Volscian capital and he sees Alfiduis being happily greeted by the citizens. In this moment he recognises that although they are equal in battle Alfiduis is also loved by the citizens, unlike himself.

* AwfulWeddedLife: Played with in the 2011 adaption, Coriolanus and his wife Virgilia seem to genuinely love each other, however she is clearly unhappy to spend long periods of time raising their son alone while worrying her husband is going to come home in a coffin because he continues to goes off to war at his [[ObnoxiousInLaws power-hungry and domineering mother]]’s encouragement.

* HiddenDepths: In the 2011 film adaption, after his banishment Martius is walking along a road across a bridge and a passing motorist offers him a ride, despite his contempt for the commoners and prideful nature, he has a small humbling moment when he accepts the ride (it also shows that not all the people disliked Martius).

* HumbleHero: Both averted and played straight in the 2011 adaption, Coriolanus is so uncomfortable about being praised for his military service that he has to leave the room, on the other hand he is still prideful and looks down on the common people or anyone who isn’t as willing to fight as him.

!!The 2011 film provides examples of:
* BeardOfSorrow: Coriolanus does not shave his head nor his beard while walking the Earth after his shameful banishment. [[ImportantHaircut He tidies up once he allies with the Volscians.]]
* DeathByAdaptation: Menenius [[DrivenToSuicide kills himself]] shortly after Coriolanus rejects his offer of peace.
* DestinationDefenestration: Aufidius and Martius go out the window together in their first confrontation.
* {{Foil}}: When Coriolanus arrives in Antium, the movie takes care to show that Aufidius has good public relations among the common Volscians, unlike Coriolanus himself among the Roman commons.
* GoodGunsBadGuns: The Romans use Colt [=M933=] carbines, while the Volscians use Zastava [=M70=] rifles.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Virgilia, Martius' wife, who is played by redhead Creator/JessicaChastain.
* ImportantHaircut: The Volscians start shaving their heads in imitation of Coriolanus, and the 'throne' he sits on is the barber's chair they use for this initiation. The bearded Aufidius is not happy.
* JitterCam: There is quite a lot of it to go around, even in relatively sedate scenes. Combined with the [[SettingUpdate more modern setting]] and [[RealIsBrown toned-down visuals]], this makes the film aesthetically resemble a military/political documentary more than a traditional Shakespeare play.
* KnifeFight: In their first confrontation, Coriolanus and Aufidius [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen put down their rifles to duel each other with knives]]. Things are less gentlemanly in the final scene, when a group of Aufidius’s men attack Coriolanus en masse.
* LargeHam: Coriolanus but also a great part of the cast such as his mother Volumnia. Being a Shakespeare play, it is mandatory to chew up the scenery with grandiloquent speeches.
* MirroredConfrontationShot: The poster (see above) of the movie. [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows It wasn't the first time for a film with Ralph Fiennes released the same year]].
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Gerard Butler speaks in a Scottish accent throughout his appearance. In a BBC Channel 4 segment on the film, a Shakespeare scholar speculates that this was -- like the choice to echo the Yugoslav Wars -- deliberate, to better bring out the ethnic conflict undertones present in the play. Nevertheless, Aufidius is the only Volscian character to have such an accent.
* PietaPlagiarism: The end of the movie features Aufidius kneeling over Coriolanus's corpse in a pose reminiscent of this.
* SettingUpdate: The film shows an anachronistic Rome and its surrounding provinces as a modern city from the 2010s.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Coriolanus certainly has elements of this.
* SpitefulSpit: After Coriolanus gives the protestors TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, a female protestor spits on the ground. His only response is a contemptuous DeathGlare and to walk off while his riot troops advance on them.
* ThisJustIn: Much of the exposition on the setting is delivered in the form of television news reports. The Messenger in the play becomes a reporter for the Fidelis TV network.
-->'''Reporter:''' ''(against footage of soldiers fighting)'' The citizens of Corioli have issued and given to Lartius and to Marcius battle. I saw our party to their trenches driven, and then I came away--''(television switched off)''

It has the reputation of being the only Shakespeare play [[BannedInChina banned by a modern democracy]] — specifically France in the 1930s, because it was being co-opted by fascist groups. It was also briefly banned in [[UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} West Germany]] but was the subject of a notable production and adaptation in UsefulNotes/EastGermany under Creator/BertoltBrecht's Berliner Ensemble).

Caius Martius is a Roman general, who is an excellent soldier, brave commander, and brilliant on the battlefield but incorrigibly conservative, arrogant, and openly contemptuous of the ordinary folk. He is so unpopular personally that when we meet him at the start of the play, there are food riots going on in Rome and Caius Martius is being blamed for taking the grain supplies for the army. While others try and calm the situation, Martius simply retorts that the commoners aren't worthy of having the grain as they have not done military service. After defeating the army of the Volsces tribe and capturing the city of Corioles, Martius is given the name [[TheRedBaron "Coriolanus" as a reward, and is persuaded to run for Consul]]. However, two of his opponents conspire to whip up the commons against him and he is hounded out of Rome for sedition when he calumnies against the power of the tribune of the plebs, at which point he gives a bitter speech about the evils of democracy and the ingratitude of the rabble. Caius Martius, now hungry for revenge against his homeland, offers his services to the Volsces and their leader Tullus Aufidius. Marching on Rome, he has the city at his mercy, but is persuaded by his wife and mother to spare the city. When he returns to Aufidius, he is murdered for his betrayal.

* A film version was made in 2011, directed by Creator/RalphFiennes who also played the lead. Creator/GerardButler played Aufidius, with Creator/VanessaRedgrave (in a highly acclaimed performance) as Volumnia, Creator/JessicaChastain as Virgilia and Creator/BrianCox as Menenius. It's a SettingUpdate into a generic CrapsackWorld "Calling itself Rome" (though it was filmed in Belgrade, Serbia and alludes heavily to the Yugoslav Wars). The film was largely acclaimed for being able to successfully please both Shakespeare purists and action movie junkies.

* WorthyOpponent: Coriolanus and Aufidius acknowledge quite near the start that they respect each other greatly ("He is a lion I am proud to hunt"), which is why (along with absolutely bucket loads of FoeYay) Aufidius immediately accepts Coriolanus' offer of an alliance.