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Contents
Rome's greatest general and its worst politician. He's honest to the point of self-destruction and contemptuous of anyone he sees as weak. His arc goes from celebrated hero to exile to would-be destroyer of Rome to corpse. He never changes; the world just runs out of places for him.
Coriolanus's mother and the most powerful figure in his life. She raised him to be a soldier and pushed him into politics. She stops his war against Rome with a single confrontation. She gets what she wants, but the cost is her son's life.
The Volscian general and Coriolanus's great rival. He's brave and capable, but he's also jealous and calculating. He welcomes Coriolanus as an ally, watches him steal the army's loyalty, and then engineers his death the moment an opportunity appears.
The two tribunes who represent the plebeians. They're skilled political operators who read Coriolanus correctly and use his own temper against him. They're not wrong that he's dangerous to democracy, but they're also willing to manipulate the crowd to win.
An older senator who acts as a father figure to Coriolanus and a go-between for the Senate and the people. He's charming and pragmatic where Coriolanus is rigid. When he tries to negotiate with Coriolanus outside Rome, he fails completely, which shows how far gone Coriolanus is by that point.
Coriolanus's wife. She's quiet, gentle, and almost entirely defined by her love for him. She doesn't drive the plot, but her presence in the final confrontation scene matters. She represents the private life he's throwing away.
The Roman general who commands alongside Coriolanus and praises him before the Senate. He's loyal and admiring, but he can't protect Coriolanus from the tribunes or from himself.
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