Day 59: Coriolanus, by Willam Shakespeare.

Back to reading Shakespeare after a bit of a break and several film adaptations. Speaking of which, the plan is to see the National Theatre cinema broadcast version of this on the 31st, though Thursday's audition, if it goes well might come with the slight drawback that one of the early classes will clash with that. We'll see how things go.

The play seems to me to be almost more about how literally everyone is trying to manipulate a man who is basically famous for being a formidable soldier and not much else. His army let him charge the gates on his own, his friends talk the consulate into putting him in power, the Tribunes rouse the general public to call him out for treason before he's even accepted the seat, once exiled (very much with an air of "well if you can't make your damn minds up who needs you lot anyway") he forms an apparent aliance with an old enemy who OF COURSE plots against him behind his back, and when he comes back to invade Rome his family come to him to try to convince him not to burn down the city. Because putting a child (his son) who is just about old enough to know to "run away and then come back to fight when I'm bigger" in front of a hardened warrior who's just about had it with everyone is a really good idea. As it turns out, it works... to distract Coriolanus long enough from his fight for the conspirators in his new band to find him and kill him. If the character were particularly cocky about what he'd achieved in the wars, I'd think maybe that was the moral here... but he's not. He never really wanted the government position - he walked out of the meeting because he was embarrassed by his friend trying to "sell" him as a candidate and they chose him anyway. He did everything he could to throw the election day with the public and THEY chose him anyway (a point which was used as the spark for the rebellion pretty much as soon as he was out of earshot). I can't help but feel that the real tragedy here is that this was a man who was doing just great for himself until everyone around him started meddling, the whole thing spiralled and the final actual sword thrusts becomes pretty much lost in the general backstabbing that's been going on for most of the play.

This was not a quick read, and as much as I find myself getting distracted and feeling like it's a bit of a slog when a play takes the best part of the day to get through, I did enjoy the story. It feels a bit drawn out in places, but that only adds to the detail of just how many different groups and individuals seem to want a piece of the man over the course of the action.