Deviation Actions
Well, I've seen "Coriolanus" yesterday and I needed time to cool off before writing anything, because... wow. Obvious visual pleasures aside, the play itself was great. Maybe it's not one of the most known Shakespeare's plays, but it is still very accurate nowadays, considering the current political and economical situation in the world.
The atmosphere of Donmar Warehouse added a lot to the spirit of the play and the lack of enormous decorations - an usual addition to this tragedy - was only an advantage in my opinion. Nothing took my focus away from the actors and the message of the play. And what an excellent performance it was! Every single actor did great job portraying their characters (their devotion to the project was obvious from the very first scenes), but I think, I was drawn especially to the characters of Volumnia (Deborah Findlay) and Sicinia (Helen Slchesinger), because both women literally took all the stage for themselves - I couldn't take my eyes off them, when they were speaking. They were strong and charismatic, even if I wanted to stab Sicinia about five minutes after she appeared and, if I was in Volumnia place, I wouldn't go to beg my son to have mercy for the city that had nothing for him except contempt. I would let the Rome burn, even if I would have burned with it. But it made the actresses performance even better. If there was a character I didn't really like it would be Virgilia (Brigitte Hjort Sørensen). Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the actress, but seriously a husband at war (and banished later) is not a reason to reduce yourself to the weeping puddle of... Maybe she was portrayed this way to be a contrast to Volumnia or Coriolanus himself, but it's not what I would expect from the wife of a great warrior. She, at the very least, should be able to keep it together, with at least a bit of dignity (but, that's me and my obsession over the strong female characters 
). Anyway, every single person on stage deserved the praise and that's final.
And speaking about Caius Martius... I really want to come out as mature, but the truth is, I've bought the tickets for one simple reason (forgive me Father, for I have sinned ) The very same reason, why I've read the play and resurrected my interest in Shakespeare in the first place. Tom Hiddleston's performance was brilliant - and visuals was just a treat really, not the main course . He brought the complexity of Coriolanus character to life with such skill and power it literally made me cry. I was sitting in the bloody cinema and couldn't hold back tears. There was everything I imagined about Coriolanus in Tom's acting - passion, aggression, charisma, arrogance... Because why the hell not? It is very rare when greatness of any kind isn't accompanied by even the slightest bit of arrogance... Those two traits are like lovers - hardly seen apart. To be honest I can justify being arrogant if one has a good reason too. And in my opinion Coriolanus have every right to act the way he does. But there are also other things about him, that add to his compelling visage and Tom doesn't leave them aside. His honesty makes him appear even innocent at times (to a degree of course, but still). He obviously loves his friends and family very much - sometimes too much I fear. And there is also that tiny bit of childish naivety about him - maybe not when he is on the battlefield, where he was born to be - but after he is convinced to go into politics, he is seriously a little more than a child led around by those more apt in the art of surviving at the arena the senate could become. All in all Coriolanus is an alluring character and Tom's performance brought it out perfectly.
The show only confirmed my judgement of the play from when I read it - citizens of Rome do not deserve any sort of understanding, and no explanation could justify what they did. They are fickle in their judgement and honestly no better than animals if at all. Don't try to reason with me, because I can't see anything to justify their actions and I won't change my mind about it. And Coriolanus pays with his life for... what exactly? His brutal honesty and inability to lie? He was right about the people - but, just like today the fact that someone is right, doesn't give him right to go against the majority. Maybe, if he waited until after receiving the consul title... Those standing above others don't have to give a shit about their opinions anyway (how many time we have seen that, really?)... In fact, I would always opt for honesty, if it wasn't for the fact, that speaking what I truly think about some people would earn me a life-time of frying chips at Mc Donald's - and that's not the place where I would like to see myself in a couple of years. So honesty is not the reason to be killed, that's right, but people were killed for less than that. And still are.
I'm by no means the right person to judge what was the main factor that determined Coriolanus fall. It's just my opinion it was mostly because he loved his mother a tad too much. If he was able to tell her "enough", the Rome would get burned to the ground and the justice would be served. Or, maybe he wouldn't even have a reason to burn it in the first place. Honestly, I can't blame him for what he did - my mother is in fact "a storm with skin" and I'm well aware that saying "no" is sometimes just impossible no matter what you actually think. In all his arrogance he was however, capable of mercy when it was needed the most. There was nothing he had done, to deserve such end - he had merely fell victim to acting against of what he truly was and allowing others to shape his fate for him. He was overly emotional and that had lost him too...
Well, I didn't expect that my musing will grow so much, but the play had brought a lot of questions, that I still think about: politics, the very idea of democracy (well apparently too much power in too many hands can end in blood), the true nature of people or if being different or better than others is even worth the effort if you will never get praised for it, because others will either shun you or outright hate you. I should thank my dad for that - it was a great idea to take him with me, because I can't imagine having such heated discussion about those things with any of my friends (despite the fact that I love them all). However, I couldn't keep a straight face, when I had to explain him why 90% of audience are women between 18 and 30 years old and do so without making a complete idiot out of myself... I think I failed though, because he knows me for too long.
This performance will surely stay with me for a long while - it was in every detail brilliant, but I'm already planning what to see next... "King Lear" maybe? I can't believe, I needed to get out of school and explore on my own to fully understand why Shakespeare was a genius in his art... well better late than never.