Day 96: What I Learned: Coriolanus, Part 2 of 2 (or, How Shakespeare's Coriolanus is like a season of 24)

Coriolanus is a little like a season of the show 24, except set in ancient Rome. Rome is facing a national (sort of) crisis. The people are threatening to revolt because of famine (possibly caused by terrorists?) and neighbouring city states are planning to attack (definitely terrorists). There's only one man who can save them.

Jack Bauer.

Coriolanus.

Caius Martius (he becomes Coriolanus later).

Sure, some people are going to die. And Caius Martius doesn't care if people suffer (like terrorists being tortured?). Hell, he even welcomes it. Plus he has a messed up family who encourage that sort of thing (Remember Day 6 of 24 when it turns out Jack's dad was an international bad guy who didn't care if his whole family died? Caius Martius' mom is sort of like that.).

In other words, Caius Martius can get the job done.

And get it done he does. He defeats the Volscians and his arch-nemesis, Aufidius, and takes the city of Corioles. Yay! He's a hero! They even call him Coriolanus now because he is so awesome. 

Except...

Just like Jack Bauer, Caius Martius' Coriolanus' success comes with a price. People are fickle and Coriolanus isn't really much of a people person. So before long there is a plot against him that results in him being an enemy of the state. Just like what happens to Jack in every season of 24. Every. Single. Season.

So what does this renegade man-without-a-country do? He enlists the help of his enemy, of course! Remember all those times when Jack has to pair up with a former terrorist (as in, up until five minutes ago) to stop the evil nuclear strike/government conspiracy/even more menacing terrorist played by the even bigger guest star? That's what Coriolanus does with Aufidius. Except he's mostly just plotting revenge against Rome instead of trying to stop a nuclear bomb.

Then it all goes sideways.

People beg Coriolanus to reconsider his crazy maverick renegade plan to single-handedly take down the empire, even though they all know that he totally could because he's so badass. Finally his mom flat out forbids it and Coriolanus apologizes and promises to stop trying to destroy Rome (I'm paraphrasing). The problem is that Aufidius is having none of Coriolanus' excuses. He's all like, "You said we were going to take over Rome, yo!" And Coriolanus is all like, "Sorry, but my mom said no." And Aufidius was all like, "TREASON! TREASON! TREASON!"

Then Aufidius takes Coriolanus and tears him apart (I'm so sorry to be gross, but that's actually what he does). That would never happen to Jack Bauer (although he has been captured by enemies a lot. Like a LOT.).