honor and pride

Coriolanus’s Betrayal and Return: Historical Overview

Coriolanuss Betrayal and Return recounts the Roman commander Gaius Marcius Coriolanus, exiled by his own city, who joins the Volscians and threatens Rome before yielding to the pleas of his mother, Volumnia. Blending political conflict, filial duty, and the dangers of pride, the episode has shaped classical moral thought and inspired enduring interpretations in literature and drama.