Theme Of Power

As the story revolves the audience or reader sees and witnesses Rome undergoing and transitioning from a monarchy into a democracy. The play revolves around Corioanlus who happens to be the protagonist he is a military general from Rome who eventually turns against his home city due to his egotistical prideful nature and his inability to balance between military and political power. Due to this his fate at the end happens to be death. Tullus Aufidius (his rival) is able to to be flexible in his values and to strategize politically on the long term, something that coriolanus can’t do. When Coriolanus comes to offer his service after being banished, Aufidius is able to place his grudges aside to create an alliance that will provide him with the upper hand later in the play. His opportunistic nature makes him powerful. As for Volumnia, Coriolanus’ mother, she is powerful in her disguised political puppeteering of Coriolanus and her matriarchal influence over him. This materializes itself in her ability to convince him to forge a peace treaty with Rome instead of invading it. Lastly, Sicinius and Brutus, the tribunes, are politically powerful in their ability to influence and continuously sway the opinion of the citizens and change the course of Roman politics with their votes. 

Shakespeare is implying, first and foremost, that political knowledge, strategizing and flexibility in terms of values is crucial for gaining political power. Secondly, it is implied that an autocratic government is unstable or at least, autocrats that are ignorant to the interests of the lower classes will lead to chaos.