Masculinity In Coriolanus
In Coriolanus, ‘masculinity is constructed in response to maternal power…’ (Janet Adelman).
How useful is feminist criticism for your reading of the play?
Feminist criticism focuses on the construction of gender roles, psychoanalysing literature to explore the issue of male and female identity. Coriolanus has interested feminist critics because of its complex exploration of the relationship between Coriolanus and his mother, Volumnia. The power in their relationship does not come from their gender or social standing, but their character. Feminist critic Janet Adelman has commented that Coriolanus gets his power from Volumnia; his ‘masculine’ strength is created from hers.
A gender role is a set of societal norms that dictates which types of
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