Titus Andronicus - Shakespeare

Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare is one hell of a violent, yet amazing tragedy. The story itself is sad and ridiculous, but the themes regarding Revenge are amazing. If you really delve into the work and analyse it to death, it grows on you.

Following the Tragic conventions, the hero comes home, makes a bad decision, and everything goes to hell. He goes through a character change. He controls the manner of his death in a way. Then it ends with the standard scene where the prince reprimands everyone for fighting each other and they go about working towards a better future a la Romeo and Juliet. 

Let's talk themes and questions. Titus is a noble warrior who has fought for his country for forty years, but he find that the fickle mob forgets his accomplishments and he is wronged by the politics. He says his actions for Rome were in vain. This brings the honour of war into question. Yet, there is another side of this. There is an idea expressed at the beginning that men who die in war die with honour. So there is a distinction between murder on the field of battle, and murder in the streets. For a lot of people, this is certainly a truth and has been for as long as man has been around. Kill one, you're a murderer. Kill them all, you're Napoleon, or Alexander. Titus lost twenty one sons in war, and only three during the course of the play, yet the three lost in the play are somehow so much more horrible. Yet going back to questioning the honour of war, I think the play brings this notion into question. Is war really that much better than base murder? Consider that Titus is prepared to start a war for his personal revenge when he sends Lucius to raise an army. What does that say about the reasons for war?

Revenge. Revenge is the centre piece of this fine work. The play speaks about the manner of revenge. First, it is caused by some hurt that one party considers just, but the other does not (the sacrifice of Alarbus). Then Tamora lies to everyone and says the hatchet is buried, all is forgotten. This shows that people will forgive, but harbour resentment. Then the killing begins. There is the notion that once the tears stop flowing, then can a person begin to act on their newly found anger. Tamora only cries once at the beginning of the play, and Titus only stops crying once he begins his revenge.

My favourite theme is the consumption of children. Revenge, like war, consumes the children. This literally happens in the play when Titus bakes Chiron and Demetrius into pies and feeds them to their mother, Tamora. I think this is a brilliant metaphor. It's so direct and in your face. Yet, that is what happens. Throughout the play, Titus loses three sons and a daughter and Tamora loses three sons. This goes deeper still though, for even the living children will be consumed. Aaron's son will one day grow up, perhaps learn of his past, and seek vengeance. Titus' grandson is already extremely violent and eager to harm their enemies in his few lines. This shows that a parent's feud can carry on for generations consuming many of the children in it. Once again I am reminded of Romeo and Juliet. 

There is also the theme of the body parts. While they touch on many different aspects, a major one is that of a body seeking revenge being disjointed and fighting with itself. There is an image in the play of the right hand cutting off the left; there is the image of a body maiming itself. Rome and Titus both are in such a state. This shows the nature of revenge. It hurts both sides. Specifically for Titus though, it is also a large part of his state since he is going through a character change. He commits acts he would never have done and so must be in a state of cognitive dissonance. His actions do not fit with his beliefs.

Finally, I think there are several more questions that Titus Andronicus raises. How can one deal with excessive misfortune and sorrow to prevent a cycle of revenge from occuring? Is it the duty of the Justice system to give enough compensation to the harmed to still any thoughts of revenge? Is Titus right in attaining revenge? Does revenge actually benefit anyone? Though there is a notion that they will not be happy until they have hurt those that hurt them, are they actually ever made happy? The questions are endless, but stand testament to the amazing depth of Shakespeare's work.