Professional paper
Mercy at the Price of One Fair Word: Language of Honour in Timon of Athens and Coriolanus
Barbara Bočkaj
orcid.org/0000-0002-9575-9751
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
This paper examines William Shakespeare’s tragedies Timon of Athens
(1606) and Coriolanus (1608), focusing particularly on the storylines of Alcibiades
and Coriolanus, both distinguished soldiers who turn on their cities. The paper
argues that the source of conflict lies in the characters ascribing greater
importance to language than their communities do.
The first part of the paper looks more closely at the two soldiers in order
to establish their position and character, while the second part focuses on the
central conflicts in their storylines, with particular emphasis on the role played
by language. Due to the prominent position given to oaths in warrior honour
code, soldiers’ use of language is inextricably linked to their bodies, which is
another aspect of language use explored in the paper. As a consequence, the
soldiers experience difficulties in communication with their communities, leading
ultimately to their marginalisation.
Keywords
Timon of Athens, Coriolanus, chivalry, language of honour
Hrčak ID:
264978
URI
Publication date:
29.10.2021.
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