Emasculation in Coriolanus

Coriolanus embodies the archetype of the absolutist ruler, with a nod to James 1 and the Basilikon Doron. Shakespeare critiques the over-masculinity of Rome in the play, and orchestrates its turn towards the hysterical as a plea for the balance of femininity. Rome is a masculinized corporeality, as the birth of Rome was engendered by violence. The violent overthrow and defeat of Tarquin, the 1608 foot riots to which the play is thematic response, and also the rape of Lucrece implies that was instrumental in Rome’s founding all convey a sense of contextual violence from the beginning. Thus the notion of violence, which itself is suggested to be masculine, is considered the birthing agent in Rome’s history. The play itself begins with the context of violence with riots ensuing the expulsion of the Tarquin kings. Thus Rome, even at the start, was conceived with a masculine identity while disregarding the role of the feminine. Women are the people who give birth, yet they have been replaced in Coriolanus by the masculine trait of violence in Rome’s origin. Shakespeare critiques this hyper-masculinity and encroachment of roles through the downfall of Coriolanus, which serves as a metaphor for the failure of Rome. Coriolanus himself as a political and military leader of Rome is killed, and Shakespeare renders violence unproductive. In a sense, the tragedy of Coriolanus’s hubris suggest an emasculation of the masculine absolutist rulership.

Kevin Yee
Section 1D
Amanda Waldo