etch, while in Volumnia,
Shakspeare has given us the portrait of a Roman matron, conceived in the
true antique spirit, and finished in every part. Although Coriolanus is
the hero of the play, yet much of the interest of the action and the
final catastrophe turn upon the character of his mother, Volumnia, and
the power she exercised over his mind, by which, according to the story,
"she saved Rome and lost her son." Her lofty patriotism, her patrician
haughtiness, her maternal pride, her eloquence, and her towering spirit,
are exhibited with the utmost power of effect; yet the truth of female
nature is beautifully preserved, and the portrait, with all its vigor,
is without harshness.

I shall begin by illustrating the relative position and feelings of the
mother and son; as these are of the greatest importance in the action of
the drama, and consequently most prominent in the characters. Though
Volumnia is a Roman matron, and though her country owes its salvation to
her, it is clear that her maternal pride and affection are stronger even
than her patriotism. Thus when her son is exiled, she burst into an
imprecation against Rome and its citizens:--

Now the red pestilence strikes all trades in Rome,
And occupations perish!

Here we have the impulses of individual and feminine nature,
overpowering all national and habitual influences. Volumnia would never
have exclaimed like the Spartan mother, of her dead son, "Sparta has
many others as brave as he;" but in a far different spirit she says to
the Romans,--

Ere you go, hear this:
As far as doth the Capitol exceed
The meanest house in Rome, so far my son,
Whom you have banished, does exceed you all.

In the very first scene, and before the introduction of the principal
personages, one citizen observes to another that the military exploits
of Marcius were performed, not so much for his country's sake "as to
please his mother." By this admirable stroke of art, introduced with
such simplicity of effect, our attention is aroused, and we are prepared
in the very outset of the piece for the important part assigned to
Volumnia, and for her share in producing the catastrophe.

In the first act we have a very graceful scene, in which the two Roman
ladies, the wife and mother of Coriolanus, are discovered at their
needle-work, conversing on his absence and danger, and are visited by
Valeria:--

The noble sisters of