Essay On The Controlling Force Of Rome In Coriolanus And Julius Caesar

The first point discussed in Marta Cerezo Moreno’s The Controlling Force of Rome in Coriolanus and Julius Caesar is how Rome does not function as just a location where the play is set, but in fact the framework of the plots would collapse because the plot is directly related to the location. The city of Rome is constantly attacked by the Volscians in Corialanus, defended by the plebeians, praised by its people and feared by its enemies. Rome is symbolic of the characters Corialanus and Julius Caesar. Corialanus was feared by the people that helped kill him at the end of the story and ruin his life when he was alive. He was also praised by the people for his work in protecting Rome. Julius Caesar also expresses same traits as Rome as Rome was the all-powerful …show more content…
Rome was also a power structure that controlled the protagonists’ actions, thoughts, and eventual fate. In Coriolanus, the power structure within Rome leads to his demise as he was unable to achieve support as he was not a politician that could use smart rhetoric, but in fact got his words twisted. Coriolanus would also try and achieve his own self-thought and independence between the way Rome is structured, he was trying to get something that was impossible to get. “ In the case of Julius Caesar, the impelling force of Rome opposes the characters’ attempt to create and manipulate a reality that works against the codes of behaviour of the city,” (Moreno, The Controlling Force of Rome in Coriolanus and Julius Caesar). I completely agree with the statement this author made and what she is trying to say is that Rome is so strong that in order to get power you must form a false reality that will hurt others and help you. However, you must also be able to interpret when someone else is trying to get you to believe something that is not