This thesis explores the societal implementation of masculinity in relation to William Shakespeare’s play Coriolanus and its 2011 film adaptation directed by Ralph Fiennes. Through both texts, we see a society where masculinity holds a deep-rooted ideological position that rules and dictates the comings and goings of the worlds. The thesis unpacks this ideology, exploring how it is considered masculine to hold the hegemonic position and how it is similarly considered masculine to conform to the currently celebrated expression of masculinity. Through this, the thesis explores the arbitrariness of masculinity and its underlying anxiousness. Chapters explore the play in a historical context and, through close inspection of Fiennes’ film, show the current relevance of debates around masculinity. Simone de Beauvoir famously declares, "One is not born, but becomes a woman”. Likewise, the thesis shows that one is not born masculine but becomes masculine. Masculinity is a coherent system of appearances, speeches, and behaviours that people perform in order to be conferred with the coveted title and position of hegemon. Since people have different capabilities of achieving complete coherence and proximity to the mythological perfected form of masculinity, society becomes structured and ordered based on people’s ability to conform with masculinity. Those who can conform receive socioeconomic benefits based upon their position, and those who can’t become subordinated with a precarious socioeconomic position. Similarly, because of the apparent arbitrariness of this system, there is an underlying anxiousness to it. Some people, especially in the socially dominant positions, have an overwhelming fear of losing their positions founded upon their arbitrary dominance. Despite its antiquity, being about 400 years old, the play maintains distinctly applicable to our world today. The thesis explores how, through the ongoing developments in our current world towards a more equitable society, the play has held an obvious clutch on people’s psyches. Whether it was in 1608 when the play was written, during New Zealand’s first production of the play in 1929, in 2011 during the release of Fiennes’ film, or today in (2024) when this thesis was submitted, the play remains inexplicably relevant and interesting to any foreseeable audience.