Shakespeare's Discourses

Paper Summary:

The paper compares two of Shakespeare's plays, "The Tempest" and "Titus Andronicus", which are very distinct in substance and meaning and which present two different discourses on justice, law and mercy. "The Tempest" is one of Shakespeare's most appreciated works, impressive through its wondrous atmosphere and its profoundness, while "Titus Andronicus", on the other hand, is certainly the most violent of all Shakespearian tragedies, as it is full of atrocities, murders and rapes. The paper focuses on the fact that in both of these plays one of the most important themes is revenge. While in "Titus Andronicus" violence and revenge involve all the characters in a ferocious game of life and death, in "The Tempest", Prospero saves the lives of his treacherous brothers instead of taking vengeance on them.

From the Paper:

"Titus was merely being just and merciless in his attempt to recover his honor. An instance of this possible reasoning on his part is given in the terrible act of slaying Lavinia, towards the end of the play. Having been raped through Tamora's conspiracy, the Titus Andronicus' daughter was also mutilated so that she couldn't speak by her aggressors. When Titus Andronicus finds out who the doers are, he gives them their due, cutting their throats in front of his daughter."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Coursen, H. R. 'The Tempest': A Guide to the Play. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2000.
• Hancock, Brecken Rose. "Roman or Revenger? The Definition and Distortion of Masculine Identity in Titus Andronicus." Early Modern Literary Studies 10.1 (May 2004).
• Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.----The Tempest. New York: Oxford University Press, 1974.

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