Ready Reference Treatise: Coriolanus

When exactly the play “Coriolanus” was enacted first is not known, however, according to the most of the scholars, the play was launched somewhere between 1605 and 1610. Some others try to emphasize that the play was first staged in probably 1608 or 1609.

The discontent with the government happens to be the most significant theme of the play.

The scholars often connect the play with the Midlands Uprising, which happened to be a series of peasant riots in 1607.

It is believed that since Shakespeare was the owner of land in Stratford-upon-Avon, the riots must have impacted him. The ensuing debates over the charter of the City of London must have come into the notice of Shakespeare, because it affected the legal status of the area in the vicinity of the Blackfrairs Theatre. The play seems to have been directly inspired by the prevailing circumstances in the City of London and the area around it.

The first folio of the play was published in the year 1623. It is also said that going through the detailed stage directions it can be said that the text was prepared from a theatrical prompt book. However, there is not any firm conclusion as to when and how the play was written and performed.