Parents … Are They What They Seem To Be?
Jiamin Wang
Titus Andronicus, written by William Shakespeare, details a tale of tragedy centered around revenge. The story takes place after a war between the Roman forces and members of a Germanic tribe, also known as the Goths. Titus Andronicus, the notorious general of Rome, declares the eldest son of the captive Queen of the Goths, Alarbus, to be slain in retribution for his own sons’ deaths. As a result, Tamora vouches to massacre Titus’ family for the revenge of her son’s death, causing a chain reaction for Titus to also seek revenge for the unjust deaths of his sons. The play present many different relationships between parents and children, especially through Aaron the Moor and Titus Andronicus. …show more content…
After coming back from war, Titus buried his valiant sons “in peace and honor” since they were “Rome’s readiest champions” (1.1.150-152). However, when Titus killed his son Mutius for blocking his way to Lavinia, he deemed Mutius to be an “unworthy brother” and an “unworthy son” because he has “dishonored [him]” and “all [of his] family” (1.1.300-351). This indicates that Titus’ code of honor operates according to the battlefield, where his sons must die in honor of fighting for Rome, and not rebelling against him; Titus values his commitment to Rome and his reputation more than his family. Although the mutilated, violated, and innocent Lavinia did not commit any defying acts, Titus still terminated her life. The reason is that when Lavinia dies, “[her] shame” and “[her] father’s sorrow” also dies along with it, suggesting that according to Titus, Lavinia will never be able to survive the shame of being raped for the remainder of her life (5.3.46-47). However, it further shows Titus’ motivation and desire to protect his own reputation, to not have a daughter who will disgrace the
Jiamin Wang
Titus Andronicus, written by William Shakespeare, details a tale of tragedy centered around revenge. The story takes place after a war between the Roman forces and members of a Germanic tribe, also known as the Goths. Titus Andronicus, the notorious general of Rome, declares the eldest son of the captive Queen of the Goths, Alarbus, to be slain in retribution for his own sons’ deaths. As a result, Tamora vouches to massacre Titus’ family for the revenge of her son’s death, causing a chain reaction for Titus to also seek revenge for the unjust deaths of his sons. The play present many different relationships between parents and children, especially through Aaron the Moor and Titus Andronicus. …show more content…
After coming back from war, Titus buried his valiant sons “in peace and honor” since they were “Rome’s readiest champions” (1.1.150-152). However, when Titus killed his son Mutius for blocking his way to Lavinia, he deemed Mutius to be an “unworthy brother” and an “unworthy son” because he has “dishonored [him]” and “all [of his] family” (1.1.300-351). This indicates that Titus’ code of honor operates according to the battlefield, where his sons must die in honor of fighting for Rome, and not rebelling against him; Titus values his commitment to Rome and his reputation more than his family. Although the mutilated, violated, and innocent Lavinia did not commit any defying acts, Titus still terminated her life. The reason is that when Lavinia dies, “[her] shame” and “[her] father’s sorrow” also dies along with it, suggesting that according to Titus, Lavinia will never be able to survive the shame of being raped for the remainder of her life (5.3.46-47). However, it further shows Titus’ motivation and desire to protect his own reputation, to not have a daughter who will disgrace the