Class
Social class is a crucial theme in the play; people are accorded power and respect according to their class, and the rebellion that has Coriolanus thrown out of Rome is a class-based one. Throughout the play, there are ideas that one's class determines worthiness, autonomy, or amount of intelligence. The play itself validates the patricians' ideas of class, that the people are a collective that are easily guided and deceived, and are unable to handle large amounts of responsibility or decision-making.
Pride
Coriolanus' fate is mainly steered by this trait; had he not been so governed by his pride, he would have been able to make amends with the people, and may not have even offended them in the first place. Some of Coriolanus' pride stems from his special abilities and his stature as a hero, and this pride keeps him from being a political leader and from being able to save his own career and life through compromise.
Martial Virtue
Certain warrior traits, like courage, boldness, and heroism, were once held to be virtues of character in ancient Rome. However, this play examines how the two can be contradictory; an excess of warrior virtue can mean a lack of personal virtue, as seen with Coriolanus. He epitomizes courage, but at the expense of cooperativeness, modesty, and compromise. Does the virtue of a warrior-like character translate into a greater idea of virtue? Or does having warrior-like virtues preclude the having of more personal virtues?
Love and Battle
Several characters in the play, Aufidius and Coriolanus being the most notable, manage to confuse love and battle in their interactions with one another. This emphasizes how much more important to them war is than their personal relationships; they are consumed by their need for war, and have nothing left over for other areas of their lives. However, this confusion of love and battle indicates a very intense relationship for the pair, and a rivalry that consumes their entire lives.
Reputation
How Coriolanus is treated depends very much on reputation; his reputation is hated, feared, and later loved by the Volscians, which determines how exactly they feel about him. Coriolanus' reputation in Rome, however, does not help him on some counts. Although the patricians and those of the noble class are well aware of Coriolanus' good reputation, the people disregard this lofty reputation when Brutus and Sicinius speak out against him.
Appraisal of Worth
The Volscians, the Roman patricians, and Coriolanus all seem to appraise worth based on military triumphs, which is a major part of their society's thinking. However, the difference between this valorizing of military strength and the Roman people's seeming disregard for it is a breach that will help Coriolanus' banishment become reality. When Coriolanus is judged by a standard of worth that values heroism and triumph, he is definitely worthy; but, his deeds and military worth translate into loathing from the masses.
Past vs. Progress
There is a tug-of-war going on at the heart of this play, between the patricians, who support the ways of the past, and the people, who want progress in their institutions. Also, this theme is embodied in Coriolanus himself, who is like a hero from Rome's past, in a time that has progressed past the political usefulness of such a man. Although Coriolanus is still a great achiever, he is out of date and in a place that does not valorize men like himself as much as it once did.
Gender
These roles constrict women like Volumnia, although she manages to be heard in spite of them; nevertheless, there are strict codes of conduct and societal expectations for the behavior of women, which Virgilia follows to the letter, although Volumnia cannot help but rebel. Coriolanus seems restricted by these same ideasforced to act like a hardened man, and stung when he has to admit weakness, or show any emotion.
Fortune/Fate
Coriolanus seems doomed from the beginning by the workings of fortune. First of all, he is a hero and a military presence who would have done well if given the autonomy and power of someone like Alexander the Great. Secondly, there are repeated notions throughout the play that Coriolanus is doomed to die no matter what he does; these are echoed by Aufidius and Menenius in the play.
