Kate McConnell Dr. Feerick EN 421 4 May 2015 The Re-Birth of the Daughter: Lavinia’s Transformation in Titus Andronicus William Shakespeare’s first tragedy, Titus Andronicus, is notorious for being the Bard’s bloodiest and most violent work. Many critics have analyzed the waxing and waning popularity of this play in the centuries since its inception, and some point to this violence as being the reason for its largely negative reception. The gore and bloodshed that litters the pages of Titus is certainly alarming, but I argue that this violence is, by no means, counterproductive to the function of the text. In particular, Lavinia’s rape, mutilation, and eventual death—while certainly unpleasant—serve a larger purpose than just “shock value.” …show more content…
Lavinia recognizes the danger she is in, and because Tamora has refused to show her mercy, Lavinia begs to be spared the shame of her existence as a raped woman; she would rather die than be a blemish upon the Andronicus family name. Tamora does not concede, and when Lavinia is raped and mutilated by Chiron and Demetrius in Act II, her virginal womb is made impure, and thus, her daughterly purpose of being a chaste vessel is altered. Pascale Aebischer points out, “The actual rape, while contained in the body of the play, takes place off-stage, is figuratively concealed within the body of Titus and literally hidden inside that of Lavinia” (25). Though Lavinia is a “new-married lady,” (2.1.15) when she is raped, Tamora uses the term “deflower” (2.2.191) to describe what is done to her, thus presenting her as a virginal daughter rather than chaste wife, even before her husband is murdered. Lavinia, raped and dismembered, returns to her father in the daughter’s position in Act II, Scene II (Khan 54). Titus’s initial reaction to Lavinia’s assault reveals a shift in his perception of his daughter. Titus immediately speaks about how her attack affects him, stating, “It was my dear, and he that wounded her/ Hath hurt me more than had he killed me dead” (3.1.91-92). The phrasing here is intriguing; Titus refers to Lavinia’s attacker(s) as having delivered an injury worse than death itself, which might refer to the fact that the virginal womb of his only daughter has been desecrated, thus polluting his bloodline and—in essence—“killing” any chance of the Andronici lineage remaining wholly pure. Several lines later, Titus turns his focus onto Lavinia’s mutilated body, saying, “But that which gives my soul the greatest spurn/ Is dear Lavinia, dearer than my soul./ Had