Coriolan

Caius Marcius Coriolanus is a legendary figure of the Roman République antiquated. It receipt the nickname (Cognomen) of " Coriolanus" to have taken the volsque city of Corioles in 493 av. J.C.

According to its biography written by Plutarque, Coriolan is a representative of the aristocracy listened of the Roman Sénat. But after a failure of its candidature for the Consul At, it ignited in violent flame attacks against the Plèbe and the powerful orators of the lately instituted plebs. In 491 av. J.C, it was exiled of Rome, was shown to have wasted the public funds. It was diverted Rome and made allegiance with the Volsques that it had formerly fought. Plutarque tells that Coriolan, unrecognizable under a disguise, was introduced into the residence of a rich person volsque aristocrat named Tullus Aufidius, and begged it to grant its assistance to fugitive.

Coriolan and Aufidius persuaded Volsques to break the treaty passed with Rome and from raising an army of invasion. When the volsques troops carried out by Coriolan threatened Rome, Coriolan pushed back the embassies sent to meet it. The Matron S Romans, from which his Volumnia wife and her Veturia mother, were then sent to dissuade it to attack. Seeing his/her mother, his wife and their children to throw itself to its feet, Coriolan bends, brought back its troops to the borders of the Roman territory, and was withdrawn at Aufidius with Antium. Aufidius contributed to the committal for trial of Coriolan in front of Volsques, then organized its assassination before the end of the lawsuit.

The account of the meeting of Coriolan and Aufidius is similar to an episode of the life of Thémistocle, which was contemporary of Coriolan (with the difference that Thémistocle is a historical character and that Coriolan is legendary). Exiled from Athens, Thémistocle went in the king of Molosses Admetus, his personal enemy. Thémistocle was presented disguised at Admetus and called its assistance like fugitive, exactly like Coriolan at Aufidius. Nevertheless Thémistocle was not turned over against Athens.

Sources

Plutarque, Lives of the noble Greeks and Roman
Dion Cassius, fragments, delivers 28,36 to 40, * Tite-Live, Roman History, II, XL, 5-8

See too

The dramatic history of Coriolan inspired various artistic works:

the part Coriolan of Shakespeare (1607)
the part Coriolanus of Heinrich Joseph von Hake (1802)
the opening Coriolan COp 62 of Ludwig van Beethoven (1807)
the table of Gaspare Landi, " Veturia with the feet of Coriolan"

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