'Coriolanus' by William Shakespeare

Genre: Tragedy Play

Today I’m reviewing a second play, although I nowhere near enjoyed this one as much as the first play I reviewed, ‘The Witlings’ by Frances Burney. This may be surprising to some people, for it’s not often someone says they didn’t enjoy a classic from William Shakespeare, but ‘Coriolanus’ is quite different from other works of Shakespeare I have read before.

Often, characters would have rather long and confusing speeches, and this accompanied with an already convoluted plot, and characters switching names, it was difficult to keep up with who was who, why they felt a certain way, and what was even happening at times. This could all be down to audiences; the tale retold by Shakespeare in ‘Coriolanus’ is one a contemporary audience would have known well, unlike some modern readers.

Themes of war and violence never often capture my attention anyway, so my opinion is, of course, swayed a little, if you like war, heroism, betrayal, and loss then this could be the play for you! I must admit there were some scenes where I did get drawn in by the sheer emotion of the characters, but for me, this was often dispelled by some other factor like plot confusion.

Although I didn’t enjoy this play a great deal, a part of me would still recommend it! I haven’t read a great deal of Shakespeare (which may seem silly since I’m an English Literature graduate!), but it is unlike any of the other works I have read by him, and for that, I would say that definitely makes it a play to put on your ‘To Read List’, although I can’t personally guarantee you’ll enjoy it!

Rating: * * *