Coriolanus and the legible body – abstract

Although the early modern body has received a lot of critical attention, the significance of the
skin and its coverings has not been the subject of much study. This research seeks to address this
gap by exploring the role of the bodily surface and its coverings in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus. It
theorises a relationship between the physical vulnerability and the ‘legibility’ of the skin, and
will argue that being pierced and being ‘read’ are both mutually reinforcing symptoms of
defencelessness.
Focusing on the play’s protagonist, Martius, the talk will link the skin’s roles in both war and
politics in the play. As a general, Martius desires complete invulnerability, but his identity is
predicated upon the ways in which other characters interact with the physical interface of his
skin. In politics, his battle wounds start to function anew as battlegrounds of reinterpretation.
Even though Martius desires to be ‘author of himself’, his textualized skin means that he is read
and ‘produced’ by the characters around him. The new narratives jeopardise Martius’ extreme
investment in the discourses of martial honour, and the play exposes his need for invulnerability
and illegibility as a fantasy.