A violent and angry mood permeates the play, reflecting the tumultuous nature of the political and social landscape of the Roman Republic. Shakespeare's visceral and graphic portrayal of battle scenes contributes significantly to the overall atmosphere of violence. Fittingly, the play opens with an angry mob, which seeks to break into the Roman grain storehouses by force. Though Menenius attempts in vain to pacify the crowd, the hungry plebeians only dissemble when war is declared by Rome upon the Volcians. The Rome of the play is both besieged by enemies from outside and also divided by bitter internal conflicts that spill out violently into the streets.
Coriolanus is the appropriately angry tragic hero of this violent play. His disdain for the common people and his inability to mask his contempt contribute to the hostility that marks Rome’s political institutions and ceremonies. He express his frustrations and grievances in a manner that underscores the volatile emotions that define the mood of the play. When banished from the city, for example, Coriolanus launches into a bitter invective against the public:
You common cry of curs, whose breath I hate
As reek o’ th’ rotten fens, whose loves I prize
As the dead carcasses of unburied men
That do corrupt my air, I banish you!
And here remain with your uncertainty;
Let every feeble rumor shake your hearts;
Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes,
Fan you into despair!!
Coriolanus’s speech, filled with insults, accusations, and curses, creates an atmosphere charged with animosity. This sharp and incisive dialogue is characteristic of the play generally, which treats public discourse as yet another battleground upon which characters fight.
