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Titus Andronicus Essay On Women

1010 Words5 Pages

In Shakespeare’s play Titus Andronicus, society’s simultaneous obsession with women’s chastity and normalization of sexual violence depicts the unfortunate fate of being a woman in ancient Rome. Because of this patriarchal society where women are viewed as sexual property, “good” women like Lavinia seem to be destined for victimization. On the other hand, Tamora is able to gain her own form of power by refusing to play by the rules and rejecting traditional femininity. She therefore opposes the idea that women are the weaker sex by functioning as a woman seeking revenge. While Tamora and Lavinia are presented as opposites, they both experience a rise in power which ultimately creates their downfall and reveals a masculine fear of women's sexuality …show more content…

When Saturninus offers marriage to Tamora, he addresses her as “Queen of the Goths” twice, which displays how he cares about her status of power (1.1.321-327). This suggests he wants Tamora for more than just her beauty and views their marriage as a way to display Rome’s power over the Goths. The play also reveals she is having an affair with Aaron after marrying Saturninus by stating “Aaron, arm thy heart and fit thy thoughts, / to mount aloft with thy imperial mistress. (2.1.12-13)” This presents Tamora as someone who is comfortable with her sexuality and does not feel tied down by the norms of women in Roman society. Aaron states “upon her wit doth earthly honor wait,” to show how he views Tamora as someone who will bring him power, similar to Saturninus. Aaron also embodies evil throughout the play and his association to Tamora therefore characterizes her sexuality as dangerous. Moreover, Tamora is seeking revenge on the Andronicus family after she was captured and Titus sacrificed her son, which is evident when she works with Aaron to give her other sons the opportunity to rape and mutilate Titus’ daughter Lavinia (2.3.179-180). By embracing her sexuality and rejecting …show more content…

Despite this, Lavinia gains power solely through her marriage to Bassianus, meaning all of her power lies within a man. This contrasts with Tamora’s rise to power that derives from her ability to pursue revenge in addition to her status as Queen of the Goths and empress. Lavinia also upholds the traditional role of a woman in Rome, which is illustrated through her passiveness when Bassianus takes her from Saturninus claiming “this maid is mine” and Lavinia stays silent (1.1.279). Through her chastity, Lavinia is viewed by men in Rome as desirable and therefore gains the marriage of Bassianus and power. Titus seems to feel responsible for this when he kills his own son Mutius because he was helping Bassianus run off with Lavinia (1.1.291-292). This demonstrates how Titus prioritizes her sexual reputation over the life of his own son who just survived a brutal war. Moreover, after Lavinia’s husband was killed and she was raped, Titus kills her, stating “die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee, (5.3.46)” Therefore, it is implied that Lavinia is a virgin at the start of the play, and “loses her worth” in the eyes of Titus. He even shows this when he justifies killing Lavinia’s rapists by reminiscing on “her spotless chastity” rather than addressing her well being or any deeper qualities (5.2.180). Therefore, while she was able to gain power

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