Churchill and Coriolanus
Posted in Political Philosophy by Robinson O'Brien-Bours
While reading
this essay by Jaffa on whether or not there could be another Churchill, a good thing to do on the statesman's birthday, I came across a line that reminded me of something:
"A world made by tides and tendencies, and not by wisdom and virtue, is a world [Churchill] repudiates. He does not really say that it does not exist; on the contrary, he finds that this is the kind of world which, in ever increasing measure, we find ourselves inhabiting. But he does not accept it; he will not accept it. Churchill looks at this aspect of the modern world much as Coriolanus looked at Rome. Rather than submit to it, or acknowledge its power, he will banish it."
Shakespeare's
Coriolanus is set to hit the big screen for the first time this coming January.
Here is the trailer. Directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes, it maintains a cast of actors well-known for their abilities-- Brian Cox as Menenius, Gerard Butler as Aufidius, and Vanessa Redgrave as the paragon of Roman mothers, Volumnia. This is notable for the primary reason that few people have read this first volume of Shakespeare's Roman trilogy, and even fewer have ever seen it performed. In the study of statesmanship, understanding Coriolanus and his relationship with the common man and his country is a useful thing to do, and may help us to understand Churchill's great virtues even more.
8:26 PM / November 30, 2011
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"Can there be another Winston Churchill?"
This I do not know.
Can there be establishment ostracism of men like Churchill?
Of this I have no doubts.