Shakespeare Marathon, Part V: Coriolanus

Haughtiness in any elected official is, even if the statesman in question possesses both valor and acuity of thought, the easiest way for him to be disenfranchised by those to whom he owes his office. Nowhere is this more evident than in today's political landscape where a politician's ability to conceal any element of the patrician is to his advantage. Of course, the current situation had its antecedents in the political life of ancient society. Nowhere is this more visible than in Shakespeare's handling of the subject of one man's disdain for hoi polloi and the inevitable consequences of such scorn. The Shakespearean work in question is, of course, Coriolanus, an oft-neglected work that has been eclipsed by so many other treatments of hubris and its baneful by-products.

Cinematic adaptations of Coriolanus are practically non-existent, save for the ever-reliable BBC series to which I owe a great debt. The paucity of filmed portrayals is one reason for me to rejoice at the news that Ralph Fiennes will debut his screen version in January of 2012.

For now, I remain beholden to the British Broadcasting Company and their decision to undertake the filming of all the works within the folio. This was a seven-year project and offered viewers the opportunity to see the Bard's words enacted by a disparate cast of actors including Cyril Cusack, Phil Daniels, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren and several others of note. Although the limitations of the series are evident even to the casual observer, it is a project of considerable merit and likely to keep Bardolatry alive for some time.

The next step in this marathon of sorts will be Cymbeline, and for that I am going to reacquaint myself with Imogen and Cloten and several others before watching its cinematic treatment.