IndexIntroductionCharacterisation of the key figuresCharacterisation of the standsCharacterisation of CoriolanusSetting and literary themesConclusionIntroductionAlthough the adaptation of a text to a film takes advantage of the opportunities and capabilities bestowed on a director through the visual aspect of the medium, the narrative complexity and depth of literary themes almost inevitably undergo condensation. Ralph Fiennes' adaptation of William Shakespeare's Coriolanus is not immune to this trend, with time constraints forcing Fiennes to focus on the thematic elements of Shakespeare's original play that he finds integral to his interpretation. While Shakespeare's characterization of key figures such as Coriolanus and the Tribunes depends primarily on dialogue, Fiennes integrates techniques specific to his chosen medium to achieve the equivalent intention. Additionally, Fiennes' modification of the setting and aspects of the historical context helps distinguish Fiennes' film as an adaptation with its own unique emphases, rather than a visual reconstruction of the original work, while still effectively maintaining the essence of the piece of Shakespeare.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Characterization of Key Figures Characterization of the Stands Fiennes' selection of changes and emphases within the main scene provides a characterization of the stands in line with that of Shakespeare. Fiennes mirrors Shakespeare's presentation of the Tribunes as Machiavellian and conniving in nature, seen in Sicinus' statement regarding the display of Coriolanus' wounds: "Why, so he has done, I am sure." Laced with subtext, Sicinius provocatively feigns a feeling of homonoia towards Coriolanus to hide the true agenda of the Tribunes. This suggestion is targeted by Fiennes through a close-up of the Tribune as he delivers the line, underlining the oratorical manipulation at play by forcing the audience's attention towards Sicinius. Brutus and Sicinius' contradictory way of referring to the plebeians serves to highlight their rapid dissociation from their social class, a theme that is omitted from the film adaptation in terms of dialogue, but Fiennes uses an alternative method of presentation. Brutus informs Menenius that they will remain in the market "for the people", connoting a sense of service to the plebeians, reinforced by Brutus's positive appellation of them as "my masters". While both of these comments remain in the film, Brutus' "Let them go" is excluded, preventing the viewer from understanding the diegetic disconnection of the Tribunes from their social class, evident in the pronoun "they". Instead, Fiennes uses costume to achieve this, with both tribunes wearing clothes that symbolize their megalomaniac ambitions to separate themselves from the plebs and breach the social abyss, as only Coriolanus, Menenius, and their entourage wear clothes. Fiennes' characterization of the Tribunes as manipulative beings fixated on their ambition appears in a way that is faithful to Shakespeare's original play. The characterization of Coriolanus Fiennes' portrayal of the tragic hero of the same name is one that maintains the essence of that presented by Shakespeare. Throughout his petition for consulship, Shakespeare includes extensive passages that present Coriolanus' internal dialogue and reflection on his ordeal. However, Fiennes underlines the attempt to conquer the voice of the people as a completely difficult task for the general, underlining his lexical minimalism and the discomfort indialogue with the plebeians because of his contempt for them. In a modern addition to Shakespeare's original script, heavy, intensifying percussion instrumentally accompanies Coriolanus' approach to the market. Representative of the drums heard in war, this instrumentation is used by Fiennes to emphasize the task as a battle for Coriolanus with both his code of "stoic virtus" and his contempt for the people whose voices he must invoke. However, Coriolanus' innate respect for those of the martial domain, as seen in Shakespeare's text with his use of positive appellatives such as "my fellows" for the plebeian soldiers, is emphasized by Fiennes through changes and additions compared to the Citizen 1. film adaptation, Citizen 1 wears a cap decorated with a Roman coat of arms, indicative of military service, earning Coriolanus' respect, symbolized by a handshake between the two. The only physical contact between Coriolanus and a plebeian in the scene, Fiennes adds this contact to highlight his adulation for those who most closely reflect his code of honor, and his simultaneous contempt for those who do not meet this criterion, being the vast majority of ordinary people. Coriolanus's frank prose passage "I will, sir... generous to the desirous" is omitted, with Fiennes choosing to present Coriolanus's pursuit of the consulate as a feat to be completed quickly, rather than as a undertaking which involves prolonged discourse with the lower class which he disdains. This notion is reinforced with the removal of Coriolanus' dialogue most similar to the "Sweeter voices... the other will do" soliloquy. Since soliloquies in Shakespeare stereotypically allow for self-examination of a character's internal conflict, Fiennes's omission of this passage, partly due to the fact that a solitary character on screen might appear contrived if extra instructions were to be obeyed, dialogical , is also the result of his presentation of Coriolanus as disinclined to engage in reflection on the question, favoring a rapid proceeding of the inevitable custom. In his speech “Thy Voices,” the dialogue in Shakespeare's original text emphasizes the repetition of metonymic “voices” as evidence of Coriolanus's disposition to become obsessed with words that irritate him. In Fiennes' film, the dialogue is adapted in such a way that Coriolanus delivers the speech in an artificial and mechanical manner, highlighting the supernatural nature of the words he speaks, as they are words spoken out of necessity, not honesty. Coriolanus' interactions during the scene are adapted by Fiennes to emphasize his abject contempt and aversion to disclosure towards the common class, due to his perception of them as a cowardly cohort and inferior in nature to himself, entirely in line with the characterization of Coriolanus in The Play of Shakespeare, although it was highlighted differently. Setting and Literary Themes Shakespeare's setting and historical context are adapted by Ralph Fiennes to suit his film adaptation of the text. Although the original play is set in ancient Rome, on the Jacobean stage, Fiennes makes the decision to transpose the play into a modern context. This modification through transposition provides contemporary audiences with a familiar lens through which to understand and contemplate the work's major concerns. While Shakespeare's exploration of power and class transcends time, the modern film adaptation offers audiences a greater ability to connect and personally identify with the issues presented. Shakespeare's exploration of.