Why aren't there more retellings of this play? Apart from the 2011 film, there aren't any modern retellings of this play that feels so current. I can't help but love Coriolanus's commitment to authenticity, as fallible as it is. It's not just that he spurns the plebians and finds engaging with them politically dangerous. He didn't even want the Senate to waste their time honoring his military distinctions (Act II scene II). He's someone who finds the theatricality of politics demeaning to his commitment to be his authentic self. As someone who's embarrassed by a fabricated version of myself that I'm forced to present when applying for jobs, I get his indignation. But then again, maybe Coriolanus and I are both more puerile than courageous in our desire to be authentic.

I want to say one thing about the 2011 film featuring Raph Fiennes and Gerald Butler. The screenwriters made a brilliant choice of distributing the original lines of Sicinius and Brutus between the raggedy citizen leaders of Rome and the suited opportunistic tribunes. It's a clever way to portray the plebians in a more sympathetic light, as this is hard to do with Shakespeare's original script. Using Shakespearean English in modern settings sometimes comes off a little stiff, but I'd still recommend it.