Who Is The Songbird And Who Is The Snake In The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes?
In The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the main characters associated with the titles "songbird" and "snake" are Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). Coriolanus, who later becomes President Snow, is referred to as the "snake" due to his cunning and manipulative nature, while Lucy Gray, a talented singer and contestant in the Hunger Games, is known as the "songbird" because of her musical abilities. There are times where both characters not only embody their respective titles, but also their opposites.
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes focuses on a young Coriolanus and the complexities of his character that shape him into becoming the tyrannical President Snow decades later. He’s faced with everyone pulling him into different directions. Sejanus (Josh Andres Rivera) acts as a moral compass as he despises what the games are for. Coriolanus’ late father helped create the games and he wants to be more like him, but Tigris (Hunter Schafer) sees the good in Corio and tells him he doesn’t need to be like his father. Meanwhile, Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis) and Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) can see aspects of Coriolanus that lead to his inevitable fate with him being snakelike and a traitor. We see this when Corio kills one of the tributes and feels powerful afterwards. This leads to more kills and a renewed hunger for power and control. In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1, it is even said that Snow uses poison because it’s “the perfect weapon for a snake.” While he may seem like the obvious snake, there are related terms associated with songbirds that fit within Coriolanus’ character such as informer, accuser, and snitch. He betrays Sejanus by recording their conversation when he admits to treason using jabberjays. This calculated act sends Sejanus to be hanged. Part of what makes his journey such a good villain story is the fact that Coriolanus is not a one-dimensional character where only evil persists. He starts out as something completely different and is molded into the snake from everything he learns.
Lucy Gray is a performer and called the “poor songbird” by everyone in the Capitol, including Arachne Crane (Lilly Cooper), Dr. Gaul, and Dean Highbottom. She has the ability to leave a lasting impact on the people of Panem to root for her with her voice and conviction. But, she has some snake-like qualities as well. The corset of her famous rainbow dress showcases katniss and primrose plants, as well as winding snakes. She puts a snake down her enemies dress during the Reaping and claims at least twice that her singing calmed down snakes. When Dr. Gaul puts a barrel of snakes in the arena, Coriolanus cheats to make sure they don’t attack Lucy Gray. While everyone dies around her, she sings with the snakes wrapped around her in a very symbolic way. If she really can control snakes, is she able to control Coriolanus? Following Lucy Gray’s impact on him and their break in trust, Snow becomes a ruthless dictator. His hatred towards mockingjays, aka Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), is a reflection of the betrayal and distrust he had in Lucy Gray. His lack of control over Lucy Gray when the games are over is his greatest fear and the obstacle in the way from the power he feels entitled to back in the Capitol. She is indeed the songbird in Coriolanus’ life that will continue to haunt him, just as the mockingjays do in the end of the film.
Both Lucy Gray and Coriolanus fit the labels of songbirds and snakes. Their complex characteristics make it compelling to watch as they are both performers for different reasons. Every action they take is symbolic and helps further the ultimate meaning of their characters in the world of Panem.
Discover who really is the songbird and snake with The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes, out now in theaters.
