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Examples Of Masculinity In Titus Andronicus

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Patriarchal roles given to men in the most important positions of Shakespeare’s time, the government and army, form masculine stereotypes which perpetuate accepted standards of masculine violence. In Titus Andronicus and Henry IV Part 1, Shakespeare elicits the expectation of men to establish masculine dominance by perform violent acts, whether achieved in savage or cunning ways, if driven by an accepted motive such as war, revenge, or the defense of one’s honor; in turn, this accepted violence constructs masculinity and patriarchy. The respect and reverence of war heroes in Titus Andronicus form standards of masculinity through violence. Shakespeare begins Titus Andronicus with Saturninus addressing crowd on how he deserves to be emperor …show more content…

Henry criticizes Hal harshly in efforts to maintain their family honor, calling Hal a “scourge” responsible “For the hot vengeance and the rod of heaven/ To punish my mistreadings” (3.2.8, 11-12). While referring to one’s son as a burden responsible for all misfortunes in one’s life seems particularly cruel, Henry’s manipulative speech stems from insecurities of usurping the throne, and like Titus, he feels disrespected by his son’s behavior. Henry usurped his Hotspur’s lineage, hence why Hotspur wishes to return the throne to his lineage and restore his family’s honor, seek revenge and establish masculine dominance by leading a rebellion against Henry. Henry hopes to leave England in good leadership, and to ensure he made the right decision in usurping the throne. Hal’s lack of ideal masculinity, specifically masculine violence, serves as one of the central causes for Henry’s concern and disappointment. Henry remarks in the first scene of the play how he wishes Hotspur, “a son who is the theme of Honour’s tongue,” were his son instead of Hal; clearly, exemplifying the value of honor and valor in men (1.1.80). Hal gains the approval of his father and the people of England in the end by defeating Hotspur in battle and becoming a war hero; consequently, his embrace of ideal masculine violence transforms him into a hero and leader. Societal pressures to defend family honor and glorify violence guide Henry and Hal’s relationship in Henry IV Part 1 and shape

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“He had thought of a fine revenge upon the officer who had referred to him and his fellows as mule drivers” (Crane, 115). Henry is now not only seeing his problems, but rather the problems of the regiment and his fellow comrades. His spirit to fight for the glory of his regiment arises from the pessimistic comments of the other lieutenant, which anger him into putting his life on the line and showing that his regiment can be victorious as well. Likewise, Henry does not flee when he fights this time around even though he recognizes the great deal of bodies lying at rest close to him, and most of those bodies being his comrades. On the contrary, this gives Henry motivation to avenge them and strive for the victory of everyone in his regiment.

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As Henry grows and the story continues you see the maturation and growth into adulthood. Henry was a prime example of what hundreds of thousands of teenagers that had to prepare for or in combat to survive. Recklessness and Immaturity would and did get people killed and Maturity and Carefulness created heroes and leaders that give us

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Masculinity has been a heated debated topic over the past years. Not just america or europe, but our whole society. Men tend to think that entering manhood is a good thing, but most don’t know it can be just as detrimental to our society. Men have certain characteristic when it concerns to masculinity and when doing so it can have a range of effects. So, how do men identify themselves masculine and how do they define themselves that way?

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Ancient stories and legends of history help people in their stories by accomplishing one main goal as a literary story. Even think of the short nursery rhymes that you had as a child, didn’t they teach you something in the end. Morals and a different set of values arises in every story to give the growing minds and general population a reason to read. The tale of Henry the IV is no different as people read about the daily lives of certain characters. Assessing for a moment are the characters in the tale known as Hotspur and Falstaff, throughout the story they will mention the idea of honour and what is means to them.

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In Macbeth, originally written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century, masculinity is a reoccurring theme within the play. Shakespeare tells the story of a man who’s ambition overpowers his loyal qualities and later causes him to fall as a leader. Throughout the play, Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, both question what it is to be a man and to the extent that masculinity determines success. Shakespeare shows the progression of Macbeth from innocent thane a power hungry and evil leader who is willing to annihilate anything that gets into his way of the throne. In Macbeth, In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth assumes stereotypical masculine qualities in order to control Macbeth’s rise to power in Scotland, this leads to Macbeth conforming to the

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Honor and pride is a recurring theme in Titus Andronicus. In the beginning of the novel, we see that Titus has returned from a ten year war,in which he is perceived as a virtuous leader. Titus encompasses the virtues of pride and integrity so much, that he is proud that his sons perished in the war with honor, and even tries to bethrothe Lavinia to the emperor to strengthen his family honor and their place in the social hierarchy. Throughout the novel we are able to see that Titus stands upon his honor and pride and even goes to the extent of murdering his son Mutius for the sake of his intact honor. Yet, his words in Act three, Scene one, juxtaposes societies beliefs of Titus, because he humbles himself down and cries for mercy in front of

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