Parallel Lives in Contrast: Scars in the Roman Republic vs. English Hereditary Monarchy

Scars are a visible part of the political forum in the Roman Republic and in English hereditary monarchy. Coriolanus's scars are celebrated by Romans in Shakespeare's Coriolanus, while an absent record of King Richard II's skin ever breaking is part of the collective fiction of hereditary monarchy in Shakespeare's Richard II. For democracy in Rome, the symbology of scarring may be a practical element in ratifying the consulate: as a reminder of Rome's experience with the Tarquin Kings they had expelled and as a reminder to avoid the concentration of power in any one man.

Source: Clinics in Dermatology - November 30, 2022 Category: Dermatology Authors: Jonathan Xu Tags: Clio Dermatologica Source Type: research