Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare is a fascinating literary play that introduces readers to the themes of revenge, violence, and betrayal. The plot consists of a protagonist who came to his country after years of war. He brought four prisoners with him. The captives performed actions that enhanced fascination in the book.
In this article, I am going to share the information related to this play after finishing it. The article discusses:
- Author
- Setting
- Characters
- Summary
- Analysis
- Themes
- Moral Lessons
- Review
- Conclusion
Author
Titus Andronicus was written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century. It’s a part of classical literature. The book focuses on extreme themes of revenge and brutality. The characters of the play symbolize the kingdom system lifestyle.
Setting
- The setting takes place in Rome. The protagonist came back to Rome after fighting the Goths.
Characters
- Shortly, you will read the following characters:
Titus Andronicus
He is the main character of the play. He came back to Rome with four captives. These captives include the queen of Goths, her two sons, and a secret lover. Further, Titus had lost 21 sons in the war out of 25.
Tamora
She is the queen of the Goths who was captivated by Titus. She hated Titus because he killed her elder son. She married the new king just to take revenge on her son from Titus.
Aaron
He was Tamora’s secret lover who helped her in her aim.
Saturninus
He was the elder son of Rome’s king. He was elected as the new king of Rome. He married Tamora after getting rejected by Lavinia.
Bassianus
He was Saturninus younger brother who married Lavinia.
Lavinia
She was Titus’ daughter who was molested and killed by Tamora’s sons. They did it just to get revenge.
Lucius
He was Titus’ last son who survived at the end of the story.
Marcus Andronicus
He was Titus’ brother in history.
Titus Andronicus Summary
Honestly, this play confused me with plenty of characters. Further, it has many killings that confused me about the ending. Here, I am sharing the summary for readers’ simplicity. The plot starts with a warrior named Titus who arrives in Rome after 10 years. He brought four prisoners with him after beating goths in war. Three of them were men while one was Tamora. She was the queen of the Goths. The other prisoners include Tamora two sons and a secret lover Aaron. Titus killed Tamora’s elder son in revenge for his sons who died in the war. This cultivated anger and revenge urge in Tamora.
The play involves the death of the king of Rome. People wanted Titus to be the next king but he favored Saturninus, the king’s elder son as his recommendation. This infuriated younger son Bassianus. The new king wanted to marry Lavinia, who was Titus’ daughter but she rejected the king. She married the younger one Bassianus in revenge. Saturninus married Tamora.
This marriage eased the revenge path for Tamora. She made plans with her two sons and Aaron. Her sons molested Lavinia and brutally cut her tongue and hands in the book. Further, they ended Bassianu’s life in revenge. Lavinia wasn’t able to tell Titus about the attackers. Soon, she wrote the names of attackers with the help of a stick in her mouth. This cultivated hatred in Titus. He ordered his son Lucius to attack Rome. This created tension for the king and he decided to talk with them.
Soon, Titus caught Tamora’s son who attacked Lavinia. He killed them brutally and offered their meat to Tamora for dinner. Titus afterward killed Tamora and Lavinia alone in the story. This angered the king and he ended Titus’ life. The story ends with the remaining of Lucius, Saturninus, and Marcus who disclosed all the story to the public.
Literary Analysis
This play shares extreme themes of violence and betrayal. First of all, Titus killed Tamora’s son which started the revenge cycle. Tamora seeks revenge by killing Titus’ daughter. Titus in the end ended Tamora’s life in revenge.
Moreover, this story also had a betrayal touch. Aaron and Tamora have a secret relationship in the book. They both deceived Saturninus who was not aware of their relationship, Further, they also killed his brother and accused Titus and his two sons of it.
- Shakespeare had portrayed the outcomes of seeking revenge. Titus faced downfall because of his deed. He seeks revenge which leads to his death in the play.
- You can read act wise summary.
Themes
I collected these themes from the play:
Revenge
It’s the major theme of Titus Andronicus. The protagonist does everything to seek revenge. All characters had anger in them.
Violence
The setting and elaboration introduce readers to the violent themes of the play. The actions that were done for revenge were brutal.
Betrayal
The characters deceive one another. They cheated on each other.
Politics
The effect of political decisions is also portrayed in the play.
Moral Lessons
The play shares the following important moral lessons:
- If we need a prosperous society, there should be justice available to everyone.
- Sometimes forgiving is better than seeking revenge.
- Ego leads to hazards that destroy generations.
- We should never trust others blindly.
- There must be gender equality.
Play Review
This play enhanced my interest in classical literature. The characters and setting of the play are beyond words of appreciation. Here are some pros:
Pros
- If you are looking for books that include conflicts and revenge, then it’s a good recommendation.
- Secondly, this play includes good vocabulary that would improve skills.
Cons
- I was tired of reading too many characters. There were plenty of them
- You have to memorize the characters deeply to conclude the ending.
Conclusion: Titus Andronicus Summary & Analysis
In Nutshell, I discussed Titus Andronicus’s Summary and Analysis with themes in detail. The plot involves a general who comes back to Rome after years of war. He brought captives. He killed one of the prisoners which escalated the tension and started the urge to seek revenge. The play offers extreme themes with a hilarious setting that fascinates readers.
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