Brecht and Shakespeare: The Coriolan Adaptation

Abstract

<p>This study attmepts to present a thorough comparative analysis and evaluation of Brecht's Coriolan adaptation and his Shakespearean model. Brecht's actual achievement is measured by the standards of his critical theory of literary adaptation of classical drama, and especially of Shakespeare, on the modern, 'epic' stage. It is shown why Brecht's insistence on shifting our central interest and sympathy from the hero, on whom Shakespeare had focussed the entire action, to the people's collective, had to result in an admirable failure.</p>