Demetrius. She is a woman, therefore may be woo'd;
She is a woman, therefore may be won;
She is Lavinia, therefore must be loved.
(Titus Andronicus, 2.1.636-638)
(Henry VI Part 1, 5.3.2538-2589)
Titus Andronicus, bloody and horrifying, is a hard play to watch. Although we can read it as Shakespeare's "slasher film," I think that we can also look at it as an exploration of excess and the consequences of taking ideas - beliefs, cultural values - to their logical conclusion or end point.
Take the treatment of women in the play, for example. Obviously the final fate of Lavinia - raped by the killers of her husband, her tongue cut out, her hands chopped off, ultimately stabbed to death by her father - is not something that most people would think is okay. It's violently excessive, right? BUT - and I think this is the important part - Shakespeare shows us the kind of attitudes toward women that can lead to this kind of result.
Demetrius and Chiron don't start out plotting to rape Lavinia - they just think she's cute and want to seduce her away from her husband. They say that they "love" her. But we've seen this sort of slippery slope before in The Two Gentlemen of Verona - would-be rapist Proteus starts out by trying to actually win Silvia's love, but when she won't agree, he decides he's entitled to take what he wants. Interestingly, both scenes where the women are threatened with rape take place in the forest, away from the structures and safety of civilization - Silvia is saved seemingly by a miracle, but in Titus, where everything goes to the logical extreme of the idea, there are no miracles to be had.
I think that the question being raised here, in both plays, boils down to this: what are women actually for? (This isn't a joke, by the way.) We've got Demetrius' answer, quoted above: She is a woman, therefore may be woo'd;/She is a woman, therefore may be won. But Demetrius, a pagan character from the classical past, isn't the only Shakespeare character who says this - Suffolk, an English nobleman in Henry VI Part 1, says almost exactly the same thing, word for word, about the woman who later becomes the queen of England! She's beautiful, and therefore to be woo'd;/ She is a woman, therefore to be won. Brings it a little closer to home, perhaps?
In both cases, these sentiments seem to just go by without much discussion or comment. Perhaps, watching the play, one might feel either mild disagreement - or agreement! - with this answer to the question what are women for. But then Shakespeare shows us Lavina, and we have to face the logical end result of a belief that women exist to be wooed and won by men. We see Lavinia - brutalized, tramautized, humiliated, alone in the forest spitting out blood - and the play seems to say, Look! How do you like this now?
Showing posts with label Titus Andronicus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Titus Andronicus. Show all posts
Monday, February 21, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Re: Titus Andronicus - A Play about Family?
Wow, Shakespeare girl, that last post is really interesting. It took me back to my Roman Family Law course in college, where one of the basic rules we learned was that the Roman pater familias held the the "patria potestas" - the father's power. This power did in fact include the right of life and death. It also extended over the whole household, including all descendants in the male line (so the younger Lucius would be under Titus', not his own father's power, legally).
In practice, the right to kill one's own descendents was largely theoretical, and was eventually done away with, which was a very good thing, especially if you happened to be an ancient Roman. Of course, killing *other people's* descendants, which so far seems to be also much of what this play is about, was not okay (an exception in the play to this might possibly have been the death of Alarbus, since he's a captive of Titus, and slaves were under patria potestas. Except the whole human sacrifice thing was totally disgusting and seems highly, highly unrealistic for late Imperial Rome, but anyways...).
I wonder how much Roman law influenced Shakespeare in writing this play - I'll be watching out for these family law themes, as I finish up the play! (perhaps that will give me something else to think about other than "yuck!" and "gross!").
In practice, the right to kill one's own descendents was largely theoretical, and was eventually done away with, which was a very good thing, especially if you happened to be an ancient Roman. Of course, killing *other people's* descendants, which so far seems to be also much of what this play is about, was not okay (an exception in the play to this might possibly have been the death of Alarbus, since he's a captive of Titus, and slaves were under patria potestas. Except the whole human sacrifice thing was totally disgusting and seems highly, highly unrealistic for late Imperial Rome, but anyways...).
I wonder how much Roman law influenced Shakespeare in writing this play - I'll be watching out for these family law themes, as I finish up the play! (perhaps that will give me something else to think about other than "yuck!" and "gross!").
Titus Andronicus - A Play about Family?
Tamora. I'll find a day to massacre them all
And raze their faction and their family,
The cruel father and his traitorous sons,
To whom I sued for my dear son's life,
And make them know what 'tis to let a queen
Kneel in the streets and beg for grace in vain.
(Titus Andronicus, 1.1.500-505)
Lucius. My lord, you are unjust, and, more than so,
In wrongful quarrel you have slain your son.
Titus Andronicus. Nor thou, nor he, are any sons of mine;
My sons would never so dishonour me:
Traitor, restore Lavinia to the emperor.
(1.1.335-337)
I recently watched an old BBC program about Titus that put forward the interpretation that the play, at its heart, is about "the excesses and ambiguities of family relationships." I think I agree with this - it's true that Titus targets Tamora's son for sacrifice due to his family identity, and, as quoted above, that Tamora seeks to revenge herself on Titus by hurting him through the complete distruction of his family. However, on the excesses and ambiguities side, there is a lot more going on here than simple love and loyalty leading to revenge after one of the family members is harmed - rather, I think that the play suggests that both Titus and Tamora look at their families as part and parcel of their individual noble and high reputations and identities.
We can see this in the opening quote from Tamora - clearly she doesn't want her son to be killed. Obviously! But in addition to her natural grief, she also links the loss of her son to an attack on her reputation and status, saying that she'll "make them know what 'tis to let a queen/Kneel in the streets and beg for grace in vain." She doesn't just want to revenge the death of her son, but to also revenge the slap at her (taking her son away from her). This, to me, seems to suggest that in the world of Titus Andronicus, family shapes the identity of the individual, but kind of in terms of ownership - the leader or parent in the family is built up by their followers within the family, and the leader's reputation is closely involved with the control they exert over their family. When Tamora's son is sacrificed, she not only loses someone she had affection for, but she has lost control over the family because she has no say in his fate.
We see this aspect of control in Titus' relationships with his children as well. Titus grieves for the loss of his sons in the wars, but though he's sad, he had control over the situation - they were fighting in his wars for Rome, and he knew that their deaths were a possible consequence of his actions. Titus' desire for control and his concern for his reputation as linked to his family is even more clearly seen in Titus' reaction to his sons' defence of Bassianus' marriage to their sister Lavinia. TITUS GOES NUTS! He disowns and disinherits them all and even KILLS one of his own sons over the quarrel. Check out how all of Titus' words imply that he defines family as something that brings honor to him and something that he has control over (ie bestowing Lavinia in marriage). When these controls are not in place, Titus' family is no longer his family!
Titus Andronicus. No, foolish tribune, no; no son of mine,
Nor thou, nor these, confederates in the deed
That hath dishonour'd all our family;
Unworthy brother, and unworthy sons!
Titus Andronicus. Traitors, away! he rests not in this tomb:
This monument five hundred years hath stood,
Which I have sumptuously re-edified:
Here none but soldiers and Rome's servitors
Repose in fame; none basely slain in brawls:
Bury him where you can; he comes not here. ....
Titus Andronicus. Marcus, even thou hast struck upon my crest,
And, with these boys, mine honour thou hast wounded:
My foes I do repute you every one;
So, trouble me no more, but get you gone.(1.1.383-410)
It's interesting to note that the effects of Titus' killing of his own son are the same as if someone else had killed him; Titus and his sons and brother are deprived of the company and support of their son, brother and nephew. However, there is no thought of revenge, or even that much soul-searching regret. An act that would be grounds for eternal enmity if perpetrated by someone outside the family group is bad, regrettable, but ultimately forgiveable if commited by the paterfamilias.
All of these examples are from the beginning of the play, but I just want to mention that this control over the lives of the members of the family when it affects the honor of the individual leading the family is demonstrated again by both Titus and Tamora in their respective treatment of Lavinia and Tamora's child by Aaron. Family is valuable; family can support and honor the leader; but ultimately the family is there to support the honor and reputation of that individual. And the followers of the family agree with this, as is shown by Marcus' willingness to sacrifice himself for Titus' honor:
Marcus. The poor remainder of Andronici
Will, hand in hand, all headlong cast us down.
And on the ragged stones beat forth our brains,
And make a mutual closure of our house.
(5.3.2670-2673)
And raze their faction and their family,
The cruel father and his traitorous sons,
To whom I sued for my dear son's life,
And make them know what 'tis to let a queen
Kneel in the streets and beg for grace in vain.
(Titus Andronicus, 1.1.500-505)
Lucius. My lord, you are unjust, and, more than so,
In wrongful quarrel you have slain your son.
Titus Andronicus. Nor thou, nor he, are any sons of mine;
My sons would never so dishonour me:
Traitor, restore Lavinia to the emperor.
(1.1.335-337)
We can see this in the opening quote from Tamora - clearly she doesn't want her son to be killed. Obviously! But in addition to her natural grief, she also links the loss of her son to an attack on her reputation and status, saying that she'll "make them know what 'tis to let a queen/Kneel in the streets and beg for grace in vain." She doesn't just want to revenge the death of her son, but to also revenge the slap at her (taking her son away from her). This, to me, seems to suggest that in the world of Titus Andronicus, family shapes the identity of the individual, but kind of in terms of ownership - the leader or parent in the family is built up by their followers within the family, and the leader's reputation is closely involved with the control they exert over their family. When Tamora's son is sacrificed, she not only loses someone she had affection for, but she has lost control over the family because she has no say in his fate.
We see this aspect of control in Titus' relationships with his children as well. Titus grieves for the loss of his sons in the wars, but though he's sad, he had control over the situation - they were fighting in his wars for Rome, and he knew that their deaths were a possible consequence of his actions. Titus' desire for control and his concern for his reputation as linked to his family is even more clearly seen in Titus' reaction to his sons' defence of Bassianus' marriage to their sister Lavinia. TITUS GOES NUTS! He disowns and disinherits them all and even KILLS one of his own sons over the quarrel. Check out how all of Titus' words imply that he defines family as something that brings honor to him and something that he has control over (ie bestowing Lavinia in marriage). When these controls are not in place, Titus' family is no longer his family!
Titus Andronicus. No, foolish tribune, no; no son of mine,
Nor thou, nor these, confederates in the deed
That hath dishonour'd all our family;
Unworthy brother, and unworthy sons!
Titus Andronicus. Traitors, away! he rests not in this tomb:
This monument five hundred years hath stood,
Which I have sumptuously re-edified:
Here none but soldiers and Rome's servitors
Repose in fame; none basely slain in brawls:
Bury him where you can; he comes not here. ....
Titus Andronicus. Marcus, even thou hast struck upon my crest,
And, with these boys, mine honour thou hast wounded:
My foes I do repute you every one;
So, trouble me no more, but get you gone.
It's interesting to note that the effects of Titus' killing of his own son are the same as if someone else had killed him; Titus and his sons and brother are deprived of the company and support of their son, brother and nephew. However, there is no thought of revenge, or even that much soul-searching regret. An act that would be grounds for eternal enmity if perpetrated by someone outside the family group is bad, regrettable, but ultimately forgiveable if commited by the paterfamilias.
All of these examples are from the beginning of the play, but I just want to mention that this control over the lives of the members of the family when it affects the honor of the individual leading the family is demonstrated again by both Titus and Tamora in their respective treatment of Lavinia and Tamora's child by Aaron. Family is valuable; family can support and honor the leader; but ultimately the family is there to support the honor and reputation of that individual. And the followers of the family agree with this, as is shown by Marcus' willingness to sacrifice himself for Titus' honor:
Marcus. The poor remainder of Andronici
Will, hand in hand, all headlong cast us down.
And on the ragged stones beat forth our brains,
And make a mutual closure of our house.
(5.3.2670-2673)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Titus Andronicus - No Mercy
Tamora. ... Gracious conqueror,
Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed,
A mother's tears in passion for her son:
And if thy sons were ever dear to thee,
O, think my son to be as dear to me!
...
Andronicus, stain not thy tomb with blood:
Wilt thou draw near the nature of the gods?
Draw near them then in being merciful:
Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge:
Thrice noble Titus, spare my first-born son.
(Titus Andronicus, 1.1.120-137)
Titus Andronicus seems to be one of those plays that people either hate or have a mild liking or toleration for. Those that love Titus along the lines that people love, say, Hamlet or A Midsummer Night’s Dream appear to be few and far between, but it’s easy to find the haters - Titus’ critical history is full of readers and scholars who wanted to attribute the authorship of the play elsewhere because they could not believe that Shakespeare would dirty his hands with this bloody and downright disgusting tale. And trust me, the gore and grossness is laid on thick - check out a synopsis if you dare. We've got human sacrifice, cannibalism, rape, mutilation, and more murders than you would believe possible. You've been warned.
The poet and critic T.S. Eliot, as quoted in the introduction to the play in the Norton Shakespeare, called it “one of the stupidest and most uninspired plays ever written.” Believe me, I totally understand why someone would dislike this play, but this seems unfair. Surely the themes that Shakespeare is playing on here - revenge and the role of mercy/mercilessness; misplaced sense of duty towards tradition; pride and care for reputation shaping attitudes toward family; the treatment of women - are interesting and thought-provoking.
Today I’m just going to look a little bit at revenge and the lack of mercy in this play. Basically all the violence throughout, except the death of Titus’ son Mutius, results from a need for revenge between Titus and Tamora, captive Queen of the Goths. In this way the moral landscape of the play is not really black and white, because both Tamora and Titus are justified in seeking revenge - both have been hurt by the other. Even though Tamora emerges as a monster of cruelty, plotting and colluding in absolutely atrocious violence, it could be argued that viewed through the lens of a revenge culture, she does nothing wrong. Why should she be faithful to Saturninus? She’s a captive. Why should she show mercy to Titus' daughter Lavinia? Titus showed no mercy to her, ordering her son Alarbus to be killed as a sacrifice.
Mercy is conspicuous in this play by its absence. This is seen in the quotation above, where Tamora begs Titus to mercifully grant the life of her son and he refuses. The terms that uses to describe mercy - Wilt thou draw near the nature of the gods?/ Draw near them then in being merciful - sound really familiar: Valentine from The Two Gentlemen of Verona discusses mercy in just this way. We’ve also seen, from our discussion of Henry VI, another example of mercilessness, in the killing of York’s son Rutland.
A difference between the mercy asked for in Titus and the mercy appealed to in the Christian worlds of both Two Gentlemen and Henry VI is that Titus, though urged to consider heaven and the gods in his decision to grant or deny mercy, believes that his higher religious duty lies in presenting a sacrifice. This culturally condoned mercilessness is what allows for the act of violence that sets off the chain of revenging actions, and ultimately the devastation of “old Titus' sorrowful house" (5.3.2682).
Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed,
A mother's tears in passion for her son:
And if thy sons were ever dear to thee,
O, think my son to be as dear to me!
...
Andronicus, stain not thy tomb with blood:
Wilt thou draw near the nature of the gods?
Draw near them then in being merciful:
Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge:
Thrice noble Titus, spare my first-born son.
(Titus Andronicus, 1.1.120-137)
Titus Andronicus seems to be one of those plays that people either hate or have a mild liking or toleration for. Those that love Titus along the lines that people love, say, Hamlet or A Midsummer Night’s Dream appear to be few and far between, but it’s easy to find the haters - Titus’ critical history is full of readers and scholars who wanted to attribute the authorship of the play elsewhere because they could not believe that Shakespeare would dirty his hands with this bloody and downright disgusting tale. And trust me, the gore and grossness is laid on thick - check out a synopsis if you dare. We've got human sacrifice, cannibalism, rape, mutilation, and more murders than you would believe possible. You've been warned.
The poet and critic T.S. Eliot, as quoted in the introduction to the play in the Norton Shakespeare, called it “one of the stupidest and most uninspired plays ever written.” Believe me, I totally understand why someone would dislike this play, but this seems unfair. Surely the themes that Shakespeare is playing on here - revenge and the role of mercy/mercilessness; misplaced sense of duty towards tradition; pride and care for reputation shaping attitudes toward family; the treatment of women - are interesting and thought-provoking.
Today I’m just going to look a little bit at revenge and the lack of mercy in this play. Basically all the violence throughout, except the death of Titus’ son Mutius, results from a need for revenge between Titus and Tamora, captive Queen of the Goths. In this way the moral landscape of the play is not really black and white, because both Tamora and Titus are justified in seeking revenge - both have been hurt by the other. Even though Tamora emerges as a monster of cruelty, plotting and colluding in absolutely atrocious violence, it could be argued that viewed through the lens of a revenge culture, she does nothing wrong. Why should she be faithful to Saturninus? She’s a captive. Why should she show mercy to Titus' daughter Lavinia? Titus showed no mercy to her, ordering her son Alarbus to be killed as a sacrifice.
Mercy is conspicuous in this play by its absence. This is seen in the quotation above, where Tamora begs Titus to mercifully grant the life of her son and he refuses. The terms that uses to describe mercy - Wilt thou draw near the nature of the gods?/ Draw near them then in being merciful - sound really familiar: Valentine from The Two Gentlemen of Verona discusses mercy in just this way. We’ve also seen, from our discussion of Henry VI, another example of mercilessness, in the killing of York’s son Rutland.
A difference between the mercy asked for in Titus and the mercy appealed to in the Christian worlds of both Two Gentlemen and Henry VI is that Titus, though urged to consider heaven and the gods in his decision to grant or deny mercy, believes that his higher religious duty lies in presenting a sacrifice. This culturally condoned mercilessness is what allows for the act of violence that sets off the chain of revenging actions, and ultimately the devastation of “old Titus' sorrowful house" (5.3.2682).
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