Titus Andronicus : Parenting Analysis

Titus Andronicus : An Analysis

Good Parents / Bad Parents

1. Titus Andronicus

In this play, the story shows us that Titus is a kind of horrible parents because he could have a heart to murder his own children. We can see this in some parts. At the first time he murder Mutius because he helps Bassianus and Lavinia to escape from the emperor. Titus presents Lavinia for Saturninus the emperor when he asks Lavinia as his wife as soon as he declared as the emperor. But the emperor’s brother, Bassianus is falling in love with Lavinia and claiming that Lavinia just right for him, he took Lavinia away with him by helping of Marcus and Titus three sons. Mutius try to obsecure Titus to catch Lavinia but he got murdered by his own father. In this part, Titus could have a heart to murder his son because of pride, which stated in :

Nor thou, nor he, are any sons of mine

My sons would never so dishonor me, (pg. 15)

For him as a father, a Roman noble and a general, pride and honor is everything. In fact that a warrior must have a brave heart to dedicated his loyalty to the emperor, in this case is the claiming of Saturninus upon Lavinia as his wife soon after he declared as an emperor. Then also his instinct as a warrior to get respects. So when Marcus and Titus sons running off Lavinia away with Bassianus, Titus chase them and murder Matius whose cut off his way.

His next child he had murder is Lavinia, his one and only daughter. Lavinia was raped by Tamora sons, Chiron and Demetrius. After that, she had her hands and tongue cut off by them so that she can’t told everyone who are the rapist. The story goes on and Titus finally found who are Lavinia’s rapist. After his revenge toward Chiron and Demetrius, he asked the emperor about the story of Virginius, a Romans who killed his daughter to save her from the shame of rape. Titus asked Saturninus whether the father of a raped woman should do what Virginius do. Saturninus positive answer made him murder Lavinia unexpectedly before he stab Tamora in the banquet. The scene that we could find in page 100 lines 41 - 42 from the answer of Saturninus, could shows us how pride and dignity take control. It shows us that Titus choose to murder his daughter rather than see her living in her sorrow because of the rape for her entire life. The incident was wounded his dignity as a father and a noble of Romans. We can assume that Titus can’t live by see his daughter’s shame as a victim of rape which stated in page 100 lines 45 – 47.

Actually, Titus not a complete horrible father because he still loves his children. He could feel the pain when he find out about Lavinia’s rape. But he as a general and warrior has his pride and dignity which make him could sacrifice his family for the emperor to dedicate his loyalty.

1. Tamora.

She is a Goth Queen. At the first time after the war between Roman and Goth, Titus could defeat the Goths and take home the queen and the family as prisoners. For the sacrificed to the Romans God, Titus murder Tamora’s first son, Alarbus. The incident make Tamora had a revenge to Titus for her son which stated in page 21 - 22.

Fortunately, after Lavinia and Bassianus escapes, Saturninus falling love to her and claiming her as her wife and the new empress. It make her easy to planning her revenge with her Moorish lover, Aaron. But for a meantime, she had a baby from her secret relationship with Aaron, a black child. Because of that, she sent her baby to Aaron to be killed, which pleasantly would be done by Chiron and Demetrius. But Aaron running off with the baby. The scenes shows us that Tamora could have a heart to sacrifice her child to protect her position as an empress so that she can still running her plan of revenge. If Saturninus find out that Tamora had a black child which definitely not his own child, he could be sentence her for prisoning or even death punishment because of lying an betrayal.

We can assume that Tamora could be a loving mother meanwhile she could be a terrible mother in case of maintaining her power as an empress.

1. Aaron

Aaron is Tamora’s lover whose get his joy by doing villainuous things. Through the scene in pages 24 to 29, he plans a raping plot at Lavinia for Chiron and Demetrius whose both of them does like her. Then in pages 39 until pages 43, we could find that Aaron also plans a trap for two Titus sons, Martius and Quintus as murderers of Bassianus so that Saturninus orders for their execution.

Aaron also deceiving Titus in his miserable heart about Lavinia’s mutilation with a news which stated that the emperor would release Martius and Quintus from their execution if one of his family will cut off his hands and present it to the emperor as a gift. While Marcus and Lucius looking for an ax to cut off their hands, Aaron has already cut off Titus hand which could we find in page 53. Upon the lies of Aaron, Martius and Quintus actually had been executed and their heads sent back to them by a messenger of the emperor which stated in page 55.

Above all of his wickedness, Aaron have an instinct as a parent. We can see through page 69 to 74, when Tamora sent him their baby to be killed, he protect his son because he insisting that the baby will be the heir of Rome. It shows us that a parents is still a parents. They could do everything to protects their flesh and blood like what Aaron do, eventhough he did it for his own benefit. He escapes with his son to Goths to find a safe home for him.

-Mira-