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Coriolanus | What hold does Volumnia have upon her son, Coriolanus?

In Act V, scene iii, Coriolanus's mother Volumnia is confident that she can persuade her son to spare Rome even though he is likely to lose his life to the Volsces as a consequence. She declares that, "there's no man in the world more bound to his mother" (ll.159-160). Plainly, Coriolanus craves his mother's approval and will alter his actions when she threatens to withhold, as in this instance and in Act III, scene ii. Volumnia herself explains that she not only raised him to become a military hero, she furnished him with her own cold honor, reminding him that his "valiantness"...

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