Carnivalization of Politics in Shakespeare's Roman Plays: Coriolanus and Julius Caesar

This thesis examines the carnivalization of politics in William Shakespeare’s Roman plays Coriolanus and Julius Caesar through Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of carnival. Drawing from Rabelais and His World and Bakhtin’s later revisions, it explores how Shakespeare employs carnivalesque elements such as the grotesque body, popular festivity, and satirical inversion to dramatize political instability and the performance of power. While both plays are set in ancient Rome, they reflect tensions relevant to Elizabethan political culture, particularly the body politic. It is argued in this thesis that by transforming Caesar’s assassination into a ritualized and grotesque political drama, Julius Caesar embraces the ambiguity of carnival, where rhetoric incites rebellion and the crowd becomes an active agent of disorder. In contrast, Coriolanus resists the carnivalesque through the protagonist’s rejection of popular voice, physical exposure, as well as rhetorical performance, which leads to the suppression of carnival laughter and ultimately, his downfall. By situating both plays within the context of Roman and Elizabethan festive traditions, this study highlights Shakespeare’s engagement with political theatre and the relationship between authority and the people. In doing so, it contributes to broader conversations about power, performance, and the grotesque in early modern literature.