Coriolanus | Honor and Heroism

In the first excerpt (originally published in 1962), Eugene M. Waith views the figure of Coriolanus as a hero in the tradition of Hercules. In the second excerpt, Matthew N. Proser examines Coriolanus's character and his relationship to the theme of honor, which the critic calls the "central paradox of the play."

Many critics have examined the destructive potential of Coriolanus's uncompromising belief in personal honor. Charles Mitchell has equated Coriolanus's obsession with honor with his quest for political power. As Coriolanus is a man of action, his ethical perspective derives principally from his belief in the aristocratic virtue of honor even if this belief is detrimental to society as a whole. Mitchell contends that "for Coriolanus public power signifies personal honor" and the Roman "cannot concede the possibility of power's being divided between master (the aristocrat) and...

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