The people of Rome are hungry – they cannot afford to eat. Riots are widespread. Their vitriol turns on Caius Martius (later to be Coriolanus), Rome’s foremost general who despises the people.

Simultaneously, Rome is at war with the Volsces (pronounced “Volskees”), a neighbouring state who are lead by Caius Martius’s sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius. When Caius’s outstanding courage secures the Volscian city of Corioles for Rome and the Volscians are defeated, Martius is newly named Coriolanus in honor of his victory. The people’s anger subsides.

His mother Volumnia, who has instilled in him a strict martial code of honor, anticipates Coriolanus being elected ‘Consul’ — a ruling position in the Roman senate. In order to be voted Consul, Coriolanus must secure the people’s votes. However, the great warrior is loath to engage in the necessary glad-handing and political canvassing that he sees as artificial and contradictory of his personal code.

Under pressure he relents but with the minimum of civility. The Tribunes, the elected representatives of the people, persuade the masses they should renege on their votes and refuse Coriolanus the office of Consul. Coriolanus is enraged and his vocal aggression leads to a major riot after which he is banished from Rome.
Alone now, he takes himself to the city of Antium, the Volscian capital, home to his enemy, Tullus Aufidius. Coriolanus seeks out Aufidius and offers either his life or his services against his parent city. Confronted by his greatest enemy, Tullus must decide whether to accept Coriolanus as his warrior in arms and seize the opportunity to defeat an Empire, or to destroy his life-long rival and try to take Rome alone, while in it’s most vulnerable state …

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

• Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus Blog: Interviews with Actors Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and Paul Jesson
• Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus Blog — Why Coriolanus Matters
• Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus Blog: Photos From The Set
• Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus Blog — Understanding the “Boys and Guns” Mentality With Dragan Micanovic and Ashraf Barhom
• Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus Blog: Day On Set — Fists and Batons Flew, Stunt Men Were Thrown All Over The Street
• Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus Blog — On-Set Report: Shattered Glass, a Bloody Stuntman, and the Titanic Struggle Between Coriolanus and Aufidius, Part Two