ABSTRACT
The Machiavellian technique with words that Volumnia argues for here is no less destructive of the stability of language than the plebeians' verbal capriciousness. It is not only customs or rituals that have become meaningless symbols in Rome; symbols themselves have become meaningless, and, most important, words have become meaningless. Coriolanus's indictment of 'custom' as the means through which society perpetuates error and obscures truth expresses verbally what is visually evident to the audience, for in the present situation 'error' is equivalent to the gown of humility which Coriolanus wears over the truth of a proud and unbending spirit. Lacking a common set of values, feelings, allegiances, principles, and knowledge, and hence lacking a viable language, Coriolanus and the plebeians can have no real dialogue. The difficulties Coriolanus encounters with language are closely related to those he encounters in forming a sense of personal identity and worth.
