In Coriolanus, Caius Martius captures the Volscian city of Corioles. The victory earns him the honorific “Coriolanus,” meaning roughly “man of Corioles.”
The battle occurs early in Shakespeare’s tragedy, when Rome is fighting the Volscians. Martius leads an assault on Corioles, breaks through the city gates, and continues fighting after entering alone. Though wounded and exhausted, he helps secure the city before joining the Roman forces against Tullus Aufidius.
The name can cause confusion because the city is also called Corioli in Latin and in some editions or translations. Shakespeare’s First Folio commonly uses “Corioles,” while “Corioli” is the form associated with the ancient Italian city. “Corioles” is therefore the expected answer for this wording.
The victory is central to Martius’s identity: General Cominius grants him the surname Coriolanus in recognition of his battlefield courage. That fame later propels him into Roman politics, where his contempt for the plebeians contributes to his banishment.