Revenge in William Shakespeares Titus Andronicus - Essay Example

? Revenge in William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus Number Number Teacher’s Due Revenge in William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus William Shakespeare has often been hailed as the greatest literary genius of all times. Most of the plays that he has written have always been received favorably and held in great esteem. Titus Andronicus is however, an exception to this trend. It is one of the plays of Shakespeare that has been reviewed negatively by critics of most ages. The play, though popular in its own time, later on came to be panned as violent and unnecessarily gory. The play however, is able to show the result of impulses that cause men to seek revenge. The play is filled with instances where the characters seek to take revenge upon the others; their designs for finality are however, frustrated by the opposing parties that keep the cycle of revenge moving. Shakespeare parodies the forms of tragedies that existed during his times where such cycles of revenge were common and not dealt with in a very serious manner. A literal interpretation of the play might lead to one into being able to understand its essence. The play requires the reader and the viewer to laugh at the gore that happens throughout the play as the results of human violence and not reach a point of catharsis. The play starts with the audience being informed of the death of a majority of the sons of Titus. A Roman general, he is bound to obey the rules of Rome and he offers the eldest son of the defeated queen of the Goths as a sacrifice for his murdered sons. This is an instance that reveals how the process of revenge is sanctioned by the state in many instances. The very idea of murder being turned into a ritual that is necessitated by the laws of a state destabilizes the idea of the state being an instrument of civilizing the people of a country. The eldest son of Tamora is to be murdered in return for the deaths of the sons of Titus, according to the laws of Rome. This state of affairs is what is glorified in many of the plays that were produced during the Elizabethan era. While there are many playwrights who have denounced this play as one of these plays, it can also be read as a parody of these plays. The lack of a catharsis on the play even with the restoration of order at the end of the play makes it very similar to certain modern plays that seek to make the audience act instead of providing them with a cathartic ending that would frustrate the impulses to act that may develop within the audience following a play. Many of the instances of revenge that are a part of the play are derived from other sources. The scene where Lavinia is raped and her tongue is cut out is reminiscent of the myth of Philomela who was raped by her brother-in-law Tereus whose son is killed as a part of the revenge that Philomela takes. By incorporating such instances, Shakespeare seeks to show the presence of such actions throughout human history. Acts of violence often operate as a chain, according to Shakespeare and by incorporating different elements from myths that existed earlier, he aims to show how they have often led to tragedies that could have been limited. He also changes the myths, however, so as to provide them with a flavor that is unique to his plays. Towards the initial part of the play, the characters take revenge in ways that are sanctioned by the state. Later, however, their violent tendencies are totally unleashed upon each other until the whole play becomes a farce that seeks to parody the tropes of the revenge tragedies of that time. The parody is effected by the excessive gore that is however, linked to tragedies of a higher standard of earlier times. This makes the audience aware of the intentions of the author; yet aware of the fallacies that are associated with revenge and its motives in human society. The people in the play who seek to take revenge upon another person are always under the impression that their immediate step would provide finality to the series of actions that had happened. By the end of the series, none of the people who were present at the beginning are there to see the results of their actions. Even though Lucius is present at the end of the play to kill Saturninus, the main characters of Tamora and Titus have been murdered. The only character who seems to have no reason to take part in the bloodbath that the play is, is Aaron. Aaron is the lover of Tamora and is a moor. His racial alterity in relation to the other characters of the play make his position a significant one. His actions seem to be motivated by a feeling of revenge against the society that victimizes people on the basis of the color of their skin and not against any single person in particular. This is probably the reason as to why he remains unrepentant till the end of the play even when his death is near and certain. The complexity of this character lies in the fact that he is proof of the fact that revenge as a need may be directed against the society in general and not against any person in particular. Even though this play is set in the days of the Roman Empire, Shakespeare uses the characters and the plot of the play to talk about the general human condition and the problems that even the English people were likely to come into contact with. Shakespeare’s use of another culture makes it possible for him to talk about issues without hurting the sentiments of any of the people who were w part of his audience. The greatness of Shakespeare lies in this very aspect of his plays- his ability to talk about the general human condition subtly in a way that is relevant even to our times. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus. New York: Oxford U P, 1984. Read More