Abstract

The Tragedy of Coriolanus, a historical tragedy written by William Shakespeare in his late years, tells a story of the general Caius Marcius of Roman Republic (the name Coriolanus was given to honor his victory in Corioli) who was regarded as an honorable hero, but then exiled by the plebeians and finally was brutally killed. On one hand, the thesis analyzes Coriolanus’s tragic flaws and their causes from the perspective of the hero’s personal characters, including his personal qualities and family education. On the other hand, in order to figure out the relationship between Coriolanus’s tragedy and the institutional weakness, the democratic political system and social conflicts of Roman Republic is also concerned.
For a time, the play is quite misunderstood and heavily slammed because the hero disparages democracy but advocates aristocracy. In fact, Coriolanus’s flawed characters make him uncapable to deal with political issues and thus the victim of the immature democratic polity and class warfare, but these weaknesses, in part, embody his upright and noble virtues, and which explains why Coriolanus is a tragic hero.

Key words: The Tragedy of Coriolanus    Shakespeare    tragic flaw      Roman democratic politics 

摘要

  《科里奥兰纳斯悲剧》是莎士比亚晚年所著的一部罗马历史悲剧，讲述了罗马共和国的将军马歇斯（因攻占科利奥里城而被授予科里奥兰纳斯这个名字），从一个英雄沦落到被流放甚至最后被杀害的故事。本研究，主要试图从科里奥兰纳斯这个人物着手分析主人公性格上的悲剧缺陷和原因。同时结合罗马共和国时期的民主政治制度，分析人物悲剧和制度缺陷之间的关系。由于本剧中主人公鄙视平民、主张贵族政治的政治立场曾一度导致该剧被误读甚至受到抨击。事实上，科里奥兰纳斯的一些性格缺陷使他成为了罗马全民民主政治和阶级斗争的牺牲者，但同时也是他高贵正直品质的体现,这也使其成为了一个悲剧英雄。

关键词：科里奥兰纳斯悲剧 莎士比亚 悲剧缺陷 罗马民主政治