Table of contentsIntroductionCharacterization of the key charactersCharacterization of the tribunesCharacterization of CoriolanDecor and literary themesConclusionIntroductionDespite the adaptation of a text to the cinema benefiting from the opportunities and The abilities conferred on a director by the visual aspect of the medium, the narrative complexity and depth of literary themes almost inevitably suffer from condensation. Ralph Fiennes' adaptation of William Shakespeare's Coriolanus is no exception to this trend, with time constraints forcing Fiennes to focus on the thematic elements of Shakespeare's original work that he considers integral to his interpretation. While Shakespeare's characterization of key characters such as Coriolanus and the Tribunes relies primarily on dialogue, Fiennes incorporates techniques specific to his chosen medium in order to achieve the equivalent intention. Additionally, Fiennes' alteration of the setting and aspects of the historical context helps distinguish Fiennes' film as an adaptation with its own unique accents, rather than a visual reconstruction of the original play, while effectively retaining the essence of Shakespeare's play. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayCharacterization of Key CharactersCharacterization of the TribunesFiennes's selection of modifications and accents within the center stage provides a characterization of the Tribunes consistent with that of Shakespeare. Fiennes reflects Shakespeare's presentation of the Tribunes as Machiavellian and complicit in nature, as evidenced by Sicinus's assertion regarding the exposure of Coriolanus's wounds: "Why, so he did, I am sure." Mixed with subtext, Sicinius provocatively feigns a sense of homonoia toward Coriolanus to hide the Tribunes' true agenda. This suggestion is focused on by Fiennes through a close-up of the Tribune as he speaks the text, emphasizing the oratorical manipulation at play in forcing the audience's attention toward Sicinius. Brutus and Sicinius' contradictory way of referring to the plebeians serves to emphasize their rapid dissociation from their own social class, a theme which 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", evoking a sense of service for the plebeians, which is reinforced by Brutus' positive appellation of them as "my masters". Although both of these comments remain in the film, Brutus's "Let them continue" is excluded, preventing the audience from understanding the Tribunes' dissociation from their social class, evident in the pronoun "them", in a diegetic manner. Instead, Fiennes uses costume to achieve this goal, with both Tribunes wearing costumes symbolizing their megalomaniac ambitions to separate themselves from the plebeians and break the social chasm, as only Coriolanus, Menenius and their entourage wear costumes. Fiennes' characterization of the Tribunes as manipulative beings obsessed with their ambition appears in a manner faithful to Shakespeare's original play. The characterization of CoriolanusFiennes' portrayal of the eponymous tragic hero is one that maintains the essence of that presented by Shakespeare. Throughout his application for consulship, Shakespeare includes large passages that present Coriolanus' internal dialogue and reflection on his ordeal. However, Fiennes highlights the attempt to win the voice of the people as quite an arduous task for thegeneral, emphasizing his lexical minimalism and his discomfort in speech with plebeians due to his contempt for them. In a modern addition to Shakespeare's original storyline, heavy, intensifying percussion instrumentally accompanies Coriolanus's approach to the market. Depicting drums heard in war, this instrumentation is used by Fiennes to emphasize the task of battle for Coriolanus both with his code of "stoic virtus" and with his contempt for the people whose voice he must plead. However, Coriolanus's innate respect for those who work in the martial field, as demonstrated in Shakespeare's text with its use of positive appellations such as "my comrades" for plebeian soldiers, is emphasized by Fiennes through modifications and additions regarding Citizen 1. In the film adaptation, Citizen 1 wears a beret decorated with a Roman coat of arms, indicative of military service, which earns the respect of Coriolanus, symbolized by a handshake between the two. The only physical contact between Coriolanus and a plebeian in the scene, adds Fiennes. contact to emphasize his adulation towards those who most faithfully reflect his code of honor, and his simultaneous contempt for those who do not meet this criterion, the vast majority of commoners. Coriolanus's frank passage in prose "I will, sir... generous to those who desire it" is omitted, with Fiennes choosing to present Coriolanus' search for a consulship as an enterprise to be completed quickly, rather than as one involving a sustained discourse with the lower class whom he disdains. This notion is reinforced by the removal of Coriolanus' dialogue which most closely resembles the soliloquy "Softer voices...the other will do." As Shakespeare's soliloquies stereotypically allow for self-examination of a character's internal conflict, Fiennes' omission of this passage, partly due to the fact that a solitary character on screen can appear contrived if the extra-dialogical instructions had to be obeyed, is also the result of his presentation of Coriolanus as unwilling to engage in reflection on the matter, favoring a quick procedure of inevitable custom. In his speech “Your Voices,” the dialogue from Shakespeare's original text emphasizes the repetition of metonymic “voices” as evidence of Coriolanus's disposition to become obsessed with the words that vex him. In Fiennes' film, the dialogue is adapted such that Coriolanus delivers the speech in a stilted, mechanical manner, emphasizing the supernatural nature of the words he speaks, as they are words spoken out of necessity and not honesty. Coriolanus's interactions throughout the scene are adapted by Fiennes to emphasize his abject contempt and aversion to disclosure from the ordinary class, due to his perception of them as a cowardly cohort and inferior in nature to him -even, entirely consistent with the characterization of Coriolanus in Shakespeare's work, although it is emphasized in a different way.Literary setting and themesShakespeare's setting and historical context are adapted by Ralph Fiennes to suit adapt to his cinematic adaptation of the text. While 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 by transposition offers contemporary audiences a familiar lens through which to understand and contemplate the main concerns of the work. 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...