THEMES
Vengeance - Revenge is undeniably the biggest theme in Titus Andronicus. We have Temora, the captured queen of the Goths planning on revenge against Titus and the rest of the "Andronici," Aaron the Moor who also wants revenge against Rome, and Titus Andronicus himself who wants revenge against Temora, her sons, and Aaron for the rape and dismemberment of his daughter, the execution of his sons, and the unjust dismemberment of his hand.
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Identity and Reputation - Identity is also important in Titus Andronicus. It is crucial to the plot that Aaron is a moor, because that's how the public knows who the Father of Temora's baby is. Also, supposed physical embodiment's of Revenge, Rape, and Murder appear before Titus. Furthermore, identity is important among the confusion of who really killed Bassianus. As for reputation, this is shown in the first scene of the play where Lavinia is kidnapped, and Titus kills his own son, obviously choosing reputation over identity. It is also interesting when using identity to compare Titus and Aaron. Titus kills his own son in order to save his reputation while Aaron, widely regarded as a "bad guy," is willing to kill and to die in order to preserve the life of his newborn child.
References to Roman gods - The whole play seems to be made up of many stories of Roman gods that were told in Roman society. For example, the ravishing of Lavinia is referenced to Philoma, who was raped by her brother-in-law and had her tongue cut out to keep him from being exposed for the crime. Another example is when Titus kills Lavinia and references Virginius, who killed his daughter to prevent her living with shame and prolonging the shame of her father after she was raped.
Irony - One ironic scene among the many in the play is towards the end, when Lucius approaches Rome with an army of Goths. It is ironic because the originally captured Goths seem to hold higher power within Rome, and a Roman holds high power in the Goths. The roles have been reversed.
Politics - In the beginning, Titus is hailed by the Romans as being the true appropriate successor to the late emperor. He refuses the crown. We've seen this before in other Shakespearian plays, and it is also important here. Furthermore, when Saturninus becomes emperor of Rome, he marries Tamora. This action puts the former enemy of Rome in high power. This leads to irony throughout the play, because that means that her two sons are also in high social standing.
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Perception - Many different actions are perceived differently by different characters throughout the play. In the beginning, when Titus Andronicus kills Temora's oldest son, it is seen a necessary act of sacrifice by the Romans, while the Goths see the deed as barbaric. The rape of Lavinia is another example, where the Goths see it as revenge, but the Romans see the act as a heinous crime. It also seems as though Titus, Temora, and Saturninus have different perceptions of events that unfold in the play. Both Titus and Temora seek revenge for things that they deem unforgivable, and Saturninus has no idea what's going on. All of the characters are witnessing the same events from different angles, and this difference in perception is a major driving force in the play.