Act V, Scene 5

This short scene marks a false denouement (conclusion) for the play as a procession of citizens, patricians, and Senators joyously welcome the women back to Rome. A Senator addresses Volumnia as the patroness and lifeblood of Rome. He then tells the commoners to celebrate the wondrous retreat of Coriolanus and the Volscians with ceremonious fires and strewn flowers.

This joyous scene is a sharp contrast to most of the play, which is somber and violent. It also reveals how Coriolanus has been reinstated as a heroic nobleman by the Roman’s ingratiating welcome of his family back to the city. Volumnia is commended for her achievement and in a way acquires the status for herself that she has sought for her son. Although the mood of the citizens is one of merriment and celebration, they are also portrayed as once again being inconstant and mercurial.

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