There are no overt meta-theatrical events per se (such as an “inset-play” or a “masque”), but plenty of references to CORIOLANUS’s inability to “play his part” adequately in order to placate the plebeians. Indeed, his “presentation” to the people — or “Custom of Request” (2.3) — is a failed performance.

PLOTS

There are no overt meta-theatrical events per se (such as an “inset-play” or a “masque”), but plenty of references to CORIOLANUS’s inability to “play his part” adequately in order to placate the plebeians. Indeed, his “presentation” to the people is a failed performance.

PLAY-IN-PLAY:

•(1426,1524)

Type: default (it isn’t any of them: pick a colour)

Title: Gowne of Humility

2.1: line 896\\

1.1: line 2\\

1.2: line 313\\

1.3: line 360\\

1.4: line 478\\

1.5: line 569\\

1.6: line 603\\

1.7: line 710\\

1.8: line 723\\

1.9: line 744\\

THE TRAGEDY OF CORIOLANUS (ca.1607–8)

The First Folio is the sole authority for this play. The print-house copy was a scribal transcript of what the Oxford editors believe to have (“possibly”) been a promptbook .

X AXIS (abscisses): 3838 lines

FOLIO gives ACTS only. SCENE divisions (as a whole) were established by Dyce (1857).

ACT I: line 1 (reads “Act I begins at line 1″)

1.1: line 2

1.2: line 313

1.3: line 360

1.4: line 478

1.5: line 569

1.6: line 603

1.7: line 710

1.8: line 723

1.9: line 744

1.10: line 857

ACT II: line 895

2.1: line 896

2.2: line 1203

2.3: line 1387

ACT III: line 1671

3.1: line 1672

3.2: line 2083

3.3: line 2258

ACT IV: line 2434

4.1: line 2435

4.2: line 2501

4.3: line 2570

4.4: line 2621

4.5: line 2653

4.6: line 2892

4.7: line 3090

ACT V: line 3149

5.1: line 3150

5.2: line 3235

5.3: line 3346

5.4: line 3560

5.5: line 3639

5.6: line 3649

_______________

Y AXIS: ENTRANCES & EXITS

Entrances & exits of Characters

According to their order of appearance.

• (2,83) reads “enters at line 2, exits at line 83″.

• (2638 [rip 2698] 2730)

reads “character enters at line 2638, dies at line 2698, corpse exits at line 2730”.

• PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS are capitalized.

Roman PLEBEANS

(2,279) (1387,1660) (1886,1950) (1993,2082) (2309,2433) (2914,2924) (3053,3084)

MENENIUS (patrician of Rome)

(52,278) (896,1121) (1240,1379) (1427,1451) (1530,1547) (1672,2082) (2113,2257) (2296,2424) (2435,2500) (2512,2569) (2902,3076) (3150,3221) (3235,3342) (3570,3638)

MARTIUS CORIOLANUS

(172,278) (478,523) (524,543) (564,568) (574,592) (628,709) (723,743) (746,856) (1061,1121) (1240,1290) (1349,1379) (1426,1547) (1672,1980) (2083,2257) (2296,2424) (2435,2500) (2621,2652) (2658,2807) (3295,3329) (3346,3569) (3734 [rip 3805] 3838)

Messenger

(238,278) (481,523) (613,709) (1188,1202) (2963,2978) (2986,2992) (3603,3608)

SICINIUS (tribune of the people)

(244,312) (897,1202) (1239,1386) (1580,1670) (1699,1950) (1983,2082) (2258,2433) (2501,2557) (2892,3089) (3150,3234) (3570,3638)

BRUTUS (tribune of the people)

(244,312) (897,1202) (1239,1386) (1580,1670) (1699,1950) (1983,2082) (2258,2433) (2501,2557) (2892,3089) (3150,3234)

COMINIUS (Roman general)

(244,278) (603,709) (745,856) (1060,1121) (1241,1379) (1673,1981) (2195,2257) (2297,2424) (2435,2500) (2993,3076)

LARTIUS (Roman general)

(244,278) (478,523) (547,568) (574,602) (710,721) (759,856) (1060,1121) (1673,2082)

Roman Senators

(245,278) (1239,1379) (1673,2082) (2113,2257) (2297,2424) (3639,3648)

AUFIDIUS (Volscian general)

(313,359) (723,743) (857,894) (2704,2807) (3090,3148) (3295,3329) (3346,3569) (3649,3838)

Volscian Senators

(313,359) (499,523) (3720,3838)

VOLUMNIA (mother of Coriolanus)

(360,477) (993,1121) (2090,2248) (2435,2500) (2512,2568) (3369,3569) (3639,3648)

VIRGILIA (wife of Coriolanus)

(360,477) (993,1121) (2435,2500) (2512,2568) (3369,3569) (3639,3648)

Valeria (Roman lady)

(360,477) (993,1121) (2090,2248) (2435,2500) (2512,2568) (3369,3369) (3639,3648)

ROMAN ARMY

Lartius’ soldiers: (479,523) (524,568) (712,721) (759,856) (1062,1121)

Cominius’ soldiers: (603,709) (745,856) (1062,1121)

VOLSCIAN ARMY

(514,523) (564,568) (740,743) (858,894)

Three Roman soldiers with spoils

(569,572)

Aediles of the Roman Capitol

(1874,1878) (1886,1950) (2264,2289) (2309,2433) (2938,3089)

A Herald

(1063,1121)

Officers of the Capitol

(1203,1379)

A Roman & A Volsce

(2570,2620)

A citizen of Antium

(2629,2637)

Aufidius’ Servingmen #1

(2653,2657) (2661,2663) (2673,2891)

Auf’s Serv #2

(2656,2657) (2665,2690) (2704,2891)

Auf’s Serv #3

(2673,2703) (2832,2891)

Young Martius

(3369,3569)

2nd Messenger

(3609,3638)

Aufidius’ Lieutenant

(3090,3148)

The Watch of the Volscian camp

(3235,3345)

Conspirators (with Aufidius)

(712,866) (1101,1128) (1201,1480)

Lords of the City of Corioles

(3720,3838)

Volsce Commoners

(3735,3838)

___________

PLOTS & COLOURING

• The first Act of the play pits the ROMANS against the VOLSCES (whose strongholds are the towns of Corioles and Antium).

The ROMANS are:

MARTIUS (a.k.a CORIOLANUS)

COMINIUS (Roman general)

LARTIUS (Roman general)

ROMAN ARMY (composed of Lartius’ & Cominius’ soldiers)

& the Three Roman soldiers with spoils

The Volscians are:

AUFIDIUS (Volscian general)

Volscian Senators

VOLSCIAN ARMY

• But the bulk of the play concerns the confrontation between the patrician MARTIUS’ and the PLEBEIANS, led by their Tribunes SICINIUS & BRUTUS. The conflict is brought to a head when the patricians would honour MARTIUS for ACT 1’s military prowess and his victory over Corioles (hence the honorific Coriolanus) by having him elected to the Senate. But such an election requires the people’s assent and though they initially give it him, when prodded by their Tribunes, they take it back again (Act 2). The enraged Martius is then accused of treason and exiled (Act 3).

Seeking vengeance, the exiled Martius will ally himself against Rome with his sworn enemy the Volscian general AUFIDIUS (Act 4). But Martius’ plans of retribution are curtailed in obeisance to his (rather monstrous) mother VOLUMNIA. In the end, Volumnia is honoured for saving Rome from her son, while Martius himself is assassinated (in a very Julius-Caesar-like manner) by Aufidius (Act 5).

The Patricians (siding with Coriolanus) are:

MENENIUS

COMINIUS

SENATORS

VOLUMNIA

VIRGILIA

Valeria

&, of course, MARTIUS CORIOLANUS

The Plebeians (against Coriolanus) are:

BRUTUS (tribune of the people)

SICINIUS (tribune of the people)

The Aediles of the Roman Capitol

&, of course, the Roman PLEBEANS

And, to the above Volscians of Act 1 (i.e. Aufidius, the Senators & the army) are added in Acts 4 & 5:

Aufidius’ Lieutenant

The Watch of the Volscian camp

Conspirators (with Aufidius)

Lords of the City of Corioles

& the Volsce Commoners

___________

ACTION SEQUENCE

Battle of Corioles: (523,744)

___________

METATHEATRE

There are no overt meta-theatrical events per se (such as an “inset-play” or a “masque”) but plenty of references to CORIOLANUS’s inability to “play his part” adequately in order to placate the plebeians.