Coriolanus, William Shakespeare

Introverted Intuition (Ni): Caius Marcius has a strong sense of how events will unfold, such that he feels little fear in fraternizing with his enemies (because he is aware that he will die either way). He also has a very specific vision of what he wants to do with his time, in addition to detailed goals for governmental “improvement” (taking away the people’s votes). When these plans are interrupted by the Roman government, he reacts with anger and defiance. (“I had rather be their servant in my way than sway with them in theirs.”). He has a natural talent foranything that he enjoys doing (which is how he eventually becomes a war hero) and at times appears to accomplish supernatural feats (such as taking down a horde of enemies while his men cowered behind).

Extroverted Thinking (Te): Caius Marcius easily recognizes and points out logical flaws in other people’s arguments (“Mark you his absolute ‘shall’?”). Caius is quite goal oriented, easily devising detailed plans and executing them with precision. When given a position of power, Caius Marcius has the tendency to believe that he is right and that his way is best. As a result, he comes across as arrogant and selfish, while deep down, he really just feels misunderstood. He is not easily swayed by the emotional appeals to save his family from certain doom because he favors the side of rationality in an argument.

Introverted Feeling (Fi): Caius Marcius tends to shy away from openly expressing his feelings and tries to avoid allowing his emotions to control him. He has a strong desire to be his true self –another reason for his anger towards Rome (“Would you have me false to my nature? Rather say play I the man I am.”). He is very blunt and often brutal in his communication. He typically says whatever he wants without a second thought to how it will affect others. He acts according to his own feelings without consulting anyone or even considering the impact his choices will have on others.

Extroverted Sensing (Se): Caius Marcius withdraws from social interaction because he is sensitive to over-stimulation. He actively seeks to avoid drawing attention to himself and ends up clashing with his mother because of her aims to put him center-stage. Under stress, Caius Marcius has the tendency to be somewhat impulsive, acting out of anger and ultimately ensuring his own violent end.

My analysis is going off of the 1994 Royal Shakespeare printing of the play, as well as Donmar’s recent film interpretation.

This is my original work, but has also appeared on FunkyMTBIFiction as help for request overflow.