Sicinius: The Tribune Who Brings Coriolanus Down

Sicinius is one of the two tribunes who represent Rome's common people. He is a skilled manipulator who understands Coriolanus's weakness precisely: if you push him hard enough, he will destroy himself.

He and his colleague Brutus deliberately provoke Coriolanus in Act 3 until he loses control in public. The outburst they engineered gives them the legal justification to have him banished.

He is not simply a villain. He represents a legitimate political force: the voice of people who have genuine grievances against patrician arrogance. The play takes his perspective seriously even when his methods are cynical.