Coriolanus

William Shakespeare

A legendary Roman general wins great victories but is banished from Rome after his arrogance and contempt for the common people turn the citizens against him. He joins his former enemies to seek revenge on his home city. The play is a stark political tragedy examining the conflict between individual pride and civic duty.

Caius Martius Coriolanus, Volumnia, Menenius, Tullus Aufidius

First Performance: 1608, at Blackfriars Theatre, London

Praised as a rigorous and unsentimental look at the intersection of war and politics.

Original Actors: Richard Burbage