Rameez Shahzad Mrs. Craig-Whytock ENG4UI-05 November 6, 2014 The Revealing Aspects of Tamora, Aaron, and Titus In The Play Titus Andronicus Titus Andronicus is a play about revenge tragedy. The viewer gets to learn a lot about the characters and their changes throughout the play. From the beginning to the end, characters can either change for the better or for the worse. Tamora, Aaron, and Titus are all characters who undergo significant changes during the course of the play. Tamora is the Queen of the Goths and soon becomes the Roman Empress when she agrees to marry Saturninus. Tamora’s character gradually becomes worse as the play goes on because all she wants is for the Andronicus family to suffer because Titus sacrifices Tamora’s eldest …show more content…
In the process, he has lost twenty-one sons because of the war and has four remaining. Titus undergoes the most significant change from the beginning to the end of the play because at first, he is a polite, respectful general who values tradition and custom and is very loyal to Rome. However, old-school Titus starts to show signs of change by being merciless and even barbarous at times. An example of this is when Lucius says that “My lord, you are unjust, and more than so, In wrongful quarrel you have slain your son” (I. i. 292/293). Titus then replies by saying “Nor thou, nor he, are any sons of mine, My sons would never so dishonor me” (I. i. 294/295). Titus kills Mutius during a fight over who gets to marry Lavinia. This proves that Titus has zero tolerance towards people who disrespect him. This scene shows that Titus has no sympathy towards killing his own son because he let his honour and pride get the best of him. Another example is when Titus gets creative by slitting the throats of Chiron and Demetrius and eventually baking them into a pie. Titus states that “And in that paste let their vile heads be bak’d. Come, come, be every one officious To make this banquet, which I wish may prove More stern and bloody than the Centaurs’ feast. He cuts their throats. So now bring them in, for I’ll play the cook, And see them ready against their mother comes” (V. ii. 200/205). Titus is so cold and devious that he decides to make a pie knowing that Tamora and Saturninus are going to be eating the cooked remains of Chiron and Demetrius. Titus also kills Lavinia and Tamora because he could not bear to see Lavinia in the condition that she was in with her hands and tongue cut off. Also, killing Tamora was the icing on the cake for Titus because he felt that he had nothing more to lose and this final deed solidified his vengeance. Ultimately, Titus Andronicus was a