‘[T]he stamp of Martius’

Chapter 2, "'[T]he stamp of Martius': Commoditised character and the technology of theatrical impression in Coriolanus", investigates what makes a character 'impressive' in early modern theatre, focusing on the machine-like protagonist Coriolanus, who stamps and is stamped with wounds. Considering the role of the imprint in early modern ideas about performance, psychophysiology and 'character', the chapter argues that the concept of impression is integral to the play's self-reflection on the commoditised human transactions of commercial theatre, and has shaped critical discussions of characterisation in Shakespeare studies from the Romantics to the present day.