Essay Violence in theTitus Andronicus - 1926 Words

Whilst the Greek and Roman predecessors of revenge tragedy showed little compunction in gruesome on-stage violence, the Elizabethan spectators were, by the time of publication and performance of Shakespearian plays, a more educated audience who would appreciate the poetic style and subtle references to classical literature. This is not to say that the sixteenth century public were sensitive to acts of startling brutality; public executions and bear baiting were frequent occurrences that no doubt permeated the psyche of a nation. It has been argued that Shakespeare, conscious of his contemporaries efforts in this genre decided to `out-do his predecessors but a far more probable explanation is that Shakespeare, accommodating the†¦show more content†¦There is such a considerable amount of violence in Titus, varying in intensity and degree that it might seem hard to draw any firm conclusions about its impact. One can, however, obtain the idea that the violence within the play h as a far greater impact on both the audience and the on-stage characters when accompanied by a rhetoric or language that either juxtaposes or reinforces the brutality. The way in which characters react to violence, evident through their speech and imagery, can manipulate our responses to them and instil either an affinity or indifference to their personalities. Titus first appearance in Act I Scene I is an example of this manipulation. His cold, calculating rejection of Tamoras plea for her sons life, juxtaposed with the solemn, funeral rhetoric give us the impression of a character who can flit between brutality and normality very easily, and who demonstrates little compassion when doing so. Upon his entrance, Titus talks passionately about the deaths of his sons, and his return to Rome as a grieving father. The eternal rest and peace of his childrens souls preoccupies the protagonists mind, and his self-reflecting vocabulary indicates a pensive state of mind. Titus deliberately places internal juxtapositions within his lines, `victorious, `mourning (I.i.70), `fraught, `precious lading (L.71-2), and `alive, `dead and