Coriolanus | Virgilia
In this excerpt, John Middleton Murry considers the frequently overlooked figure of Virgilia, observing that despite the fact that she speaks scarcely more than one hundred words in Coriolanus she figures prominently in representing the play's theme.
With only a relatively small presence in the play, Virgilia has nonetheless attracted the attention of a few scholars who have seen her as thematically integral to Coriolanus, particularly in her role as foil to Volumnia. Catherine La Courreye Blecki has argued that Virgilia, while contrasting significantly with Volumnia, does not display meekness or passivity, as some have suggested. Rather, while she is often silent, she does contradict Volumnia when necessary. Additionally, Blecki sees Virgilia as playing a vital role in the debate over the heroic, warrior ideal with her...
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