Chapter Act III of Coriolanus - Study Guide by William Shakespeare

of paternal duty that obfuscates their inherent prejudices. It is this underlying attitude that Coriolanus' high- minded bluntness gives expression to:

'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.'
(ll.120-3)

The arrogance and assertiveness of Coriolanus is capped by his reversal of the sentence in which he declares to the Tribunes, 'I banish you!' (l.123) Coriolanus' assessment in his scathing words against the citizens' uncertainty or fear (ll.124-7) proves short - after he is banished the city enjoys hitherto unrivalled prosperity. That is until the threat of external military power brings it to an end.