I have a lot I can say about William Shakespeare's Coriolanus. For now I will focus on why I think most readers don't like the play or the man (character). I love him. At the very least, I respect him. As my enemy I would fear him. As my leader praise him. As a character in a play I stand in awe of his presence.
His anger is intense. His ideals are chiseled into an almost unbreakable stone. His hatred for those who will not fight in wars is clear. His distaste for the lower classes is distasteful in and of itself to most readers. His ability as a warrior is god-like. This is the man poets sing about. The guy people tell stories about, negative or positive.
He does not need our approval. Especially if we are in a lower class. What is it then that attracts me to him? Easy: the same thing that repulses others. I think some honest self-evaluation is in order when confronting this play.
Coriolanus doesn't pace around wasting time wondering who am I? Or what have I become? Or to be or not to be? He knows who he is and what he believes. That's the kind of guy he is. He has no desire to lie, no yearning for friendship.
He does not require acceptance.
The age I've grown up in is many things. One predominant thing I have noticed along my way is that people are often full of self-doubt. Self-doubt can be a good thing. But people seem to indulge in it, bathe in it, soak and whither to prunes in it.
I am surrounded by the wrinkled bodies of insecurity.
With so many people running around worrying about what people think about them, what people think of their looks, their hair, their clothes, their cars, their job status, their everything, it is no wonder Coriolanus is not popular.
There is nothing more terrifying for insecurity than confidence. And what is the best way to deal with confidence when you are a member of the Insecure Nation? Call it arrogance. Call it pride. Even use a capital P like this: Pride. Oh, so much more ominous now right? Shove it to arm's length and get all uppity on it. Self congratulate after too if you like.
It is easy to shrug Coriolanus off. It is easy to name call and label. I could just as easily label the insecure people many heavy terms (some might argue that I have). What if we consider the possibility that it is his unshakeable idea of self that bothers us? What if we see him for what he is: a man who already knows himself? With all the self-help cannon fodder going around spicing up the journey is the end mantra Coriolanus can be really bothersome.
Whatever else Coriolanus is, be it man, dragon, son, father, husband, soldier, he is Coriolanus. There is no doubting that. Because he is so much himself Coriolanus is forever. I just hope that overwhelming insecurity isn't.
