Analysis Of Volumnia s Coriolanus - 1459 Words

Volumnia’s character in Coriolanus both supports and breaks the normal gender roles and basis of what is feminine and what is masculine. Since Coriolanus’s father is not around, Volumnia plays both parts of a mother and a father in the family. Volumnia raises her son to be masculine and to exude power despite that she is a woman. She sends him to war and does not think about the consequences or hardships he must face. Unlike a regular mother, she loves seeing Coriolanus’s wounds because they represent strength and show his manly struggles. How Volumnia raises Coriolanus is reflective of herself because she thinks that men who do not fight in the war should not be respected by their country, and furthermore, that one is not a â€Å"man† but only a boy before going to war. Like his mother, Coriolanus sees the plebeians as cowards because they have done nothing and have not fought in the war. Because of this, Coriolanus believes he is better than them and tha t they should respect him and not the other way around. Coriolanus’s masculinity makes him all the more powerful-- his violent and aggressive behavior gives him more power than those men who have not fought in war. Evidently, masculinity is a foundation for power and Volumnia has raised her son to adhere to masculine qualities in order for him to be more powerful. By being a man and fighting for Rome, he is to be made council, giving him power to rule over others. Furthermore, Volumnia acts more as a general to a soldier than isShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Shakespeare s Coriolanus 1360 Words   |  6 PagesThe Analysis of Honor in William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus The play, Coriolanus by William Shakespeare was first published in the 1623 folio edition of Shakespeare’s play. The first performance of Coriolanus was on December 1607-1608. I found Coriolanus unlikeable at first as the main character, Coriolanus was arrogant, insulted the citizens of Rome, and threat to kill his own men as well as set Rome on fire. As the play progresses, I found Coriolanus a likable character as he had honor as he become