Animal Imagery in "Titus"

Paper Summary:

The two sources on "Titus Andronicus", Shakespeare's text and Julie Taymor's movie, both develop the idea that revenge is an unsatisfactory way of dealing with the calamities of life, since it neither provides comfort nor remedies the past. This paper shows that the primitive needs, as shown through the animal imagery in the movie, are vehicles for destruction of the self as well as the enemy. The paper shows that, furthermore, the text and the movie both show how rules and customs need to give way to greater spiritual reflection on personal actions, as is shown in the fact that only the new generation survives - a generation distanced from the immediate influence of the beast-like ancestors.

From the Paper:

"In Shakespeare's play Titus Andronicus, animal imagery is associated with the motives for action of the characters it describes. Taymor's movie Titus emphasizes the connection between visual effects and emotional states of the characters, focusing on the relationship between the degeneration of human spirit and the beast-like behaviors that are exhibited as a result. Shakespeare's comparisons of the main characters with animals are magnified through the movie's interchanging portrayal of characters and wild beasts, and through the use of subtler messages such as animal tattoos and icons. The characters in Titus Andronicus mutate into more beast-like forms of awareness of their surroundings. The idea of their gradual transformation is shown in their growing inclination to act as hunters, without a trace of human pity or remorse."

More papers on Animal Imagery in "Titus":

• Analytical Essay # 3176 : "Animal Imagery in "Macbeth"
• Analytical Essay # 144612 : "Monster and Animal Imagery in "Othello"
• Analytical Essay # 11087 : "The Use of Animal Imagery in Aldous Huxley's "Point Counter Point"

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