Coriolanus | Aufidius
In the following excerpted preface to Coriolanus, Harley Granville-Barker explores the character of Aufidius. Describing this "secondary hero," Granville-Barker acknowledges that Aufidius is for the most part effective as a counterpoint to Coriolanus.
Critics have universally acknowledged Aufidius's secondary role in Coriolanus, and most define his character in relation to that of the protagonist. Charles Mitchell has noted that to a degree Coriolanus fashions Aufidius as an ideal, and that Aufidius's actual nobility and bravery therefore cannot live up to this unrealistic projection. Ruth Nevo has contended that Aufidius's manipulation of Coriolanus proves the source of his downfall—this is typical, according to Nevo, of the pattern of Shakespearean tragedy, despite the fact the other critics have argued that Coriolanus...
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