Coriolanus’s Virtue Ethics and Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics
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This essay attempts to reevaluate Coriolanus by examining his actions and behaviors across a set of virtues from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle’s virtues, moral and intellectual virtues, are used frequently to gauge leadership qualities in men of public power because of their masculine and secular nature. To that end, a close analysis reveals a courageous and proud man who has the moral and intellectual fortitude necessary to gain respect as a leader. Coriolanus presents the audience with a rapid pace of events whereby all the characters find themselves in situations in which they must commit themselves to speak and act in accordance with their virtue ethics. When faced with situations that are inverse to their self-serving needs, all the characters with the exception of Coriolanus are malleable in their exercise of virtues to advantageously serve their needs. Coriolanus, despite the “slippery turns” (4.4.17) of events presented to him, does not gauge the outcome and stays true to virtues he deems most worthy. He stays constant throughout the play and does not shirk from exercising virtues even when the consequences work against him. In fact, his uncompromising allegiance to virtuosity leads him to “a world elsewhere” (3.3.165) where his virtues can be manifested with no hindrance and he can continue to be the “author of himself” (5.4.40). For Coriolanus, being virtuous in “the world elsewhere” (3.3.165) is more worthwhile as he believes that “a brave death outweighs a bad life” (1.6.90).
Abstract
This essay attempts to reevaluate Coriolanus by examining his actions and behaviors across a set of virtues from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle’s virtues, moral and intellectual virtues, are used frequently to gauge leadership qualities in men of public power because of their masculine and secular nature. To that end, a close analysis reveals a courageous and proud man who has the moral and intellectual fortitude necessary to gain respect as a leader. Coriolanus presents the audience with a rapid pace of events whereby all the characters find themselves in situations in which they must commit themselves to speak and act in accordance with their virtue ethics. When faced with situations that are inverse to their self-serving needs, all the characters with the exception of Coriolanus are malleable in their exercise of virtues to advantageously serve their needs. Coriolanus, despite the “slippery turns” (4.4.17) of events presented to him, does not gauge the outcome and stays true to virtues he deems most worthy. He stays constant throughout the play and does not shirk from exercising virtues even when the consequences work against him. In fact, his uncompromising allegiance to virtuosity leads him to “a world elsewhere” (3.3.165) where his virtues can be manifested with no hindrance and he can continue to be the “author of himself” (5.4.40). For Coriolanus, being virtuous in “the world elsewhere” (3.3.165) is more worthwhile as he believes that “a brave death outweighs a bad life” (1.6.90).
참고문헌 (24)
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