The paradox of greatness and the limits of pragmatism in Shakespeare's 'Coriolanus.'

Critics have failed to appreciate Coriolanus as a tragic hero primarily because they are unable to comprehend Shakespeare's explorations of the self-contradictions in the Roman's character, especially as he has not been given even one full-length soliloquy to make his inner conflict clear. Despite this, Coriolanus resembles the other Shakespearean tragic heroes in that his virtues outweigh his faults; he is humane, enlightened and acts according to deeply ingrained principles in which he wholeheartedly believes; and cannot accept the hypocritical rules of society, consciously sacrificing his own life to exact revenge.