Themes and Concepts in Titus Andronicus
C. Ball
There are a number of things we will be discussing as we do this play. Please consider the following and be familiar with them before the end of Act 1.
Revenge: First and foremost, Titus Andronicus is a revenge tragedy with every major character trying to exact some type of revenge on another character. Through the use of dialogue and scenery, many exchanges take place that reduce the character actions to a wild and animalistic nature. This is most interesting, as it affects the ‘good’ characters just as pervasively as it does the villains.
Desire vs. Right vs. Tradition: This is most noticeable in the character of Titus himself as his top priority (Rome) often gets in the way of what the audience would normally see as ‘right’ or proper. If not for this quality, the initial conflict in the play may never have taken place, and there are a number of situations where Titus may be seen as not a hero at all.
Madness: This is a crucial part of revenges tragedies, where a major character either goes mad or pretends to go mad in an effort to trick his enemy. Given the occurrences in Titus’ life and family, does he go mad?
Family: This is an interesting concept to keep in mind as we go through the play, as each major player is seen at some point as a parent and need to weigh their desires and personal agendas against the primary role as a father or mother.
Culture / Race: This was a larger concept in the time of Shakespeare, but certainly adds to the character description. The Andronici, the Empry and indeed all of Rome may be seen as high class and deserving of the best, while the Goths (Tamora) and the Moor (Aaron) are slaves and uncultured. At the time, this would have been understood by Shakespeare’s audiences and would have informed them as to how they should consider those characters.
Of interest, though, is that Aaron is a black man. At the time is was written, this would mean that his character is regarded as wild and dirty, and really Shakespeare does create a character that is evil and hyper-sexualized. Despite this, Aaron is probably the most intelligent character in the play and we see some characteristics that are almost admirable (almost…but he is still a bad guy). Some say that his evil is actually rooted in the racism and belief system that society has.
Violence: Probably the biggest criticism of this play is that it is extraordinarily violent, and this is true. The bloodshed put forth is more than in any of Shakespeare’s other plays (including Coriolanus, which takes place during a war). Rather than looking at the violence as simple gore and shock, we can consider a thing of beauty in that it is done in such a way as to evoke emotional response – the ‘ravishing’ of Lavinia, although brutal, plays to a sense of empathy as she has now lost the one thing that she cherished most of all – her chastity. The murder of the ______near the end of the play is immediate and violent, but it demonstrates, beyond a doubt, the intellect, forethought and strength of Aaron.
Consider this…how many characters are killed in a TV crime drama? How many more in a Hollywood action film? Those are pawns to a story and often are forgotten. In Titus Andronicus, however, they play a role.
But fine…I understand, and if you think it’s too much or that I’m dwelling on them, let me know. I’ll fast forward my teaching. No worries.