For Tuesday: Titus Andronicus, Act One

NOTE: Shakespeare's earlier works can be slightly harder to read, so be sure to read the side notes carefully as you go along. Often, a single metaphor can help you ‘paint’ the scene, so make sure you understand the images and allusions Shakespeare writes into his characters’ lines. Try reading out loud if you have difficulty so you can hear the lines and imagine how they should be spoken. Also note that the side notes summarize each scene to give you the basic lay of the land.

Answer TWO of the following:

Q1: Take one of the longer speeches and read it carefully, like a self-enclosed poem. What sounds or strange syntax jump out at you? What metaphors stick in the brain? What do you think might be the "message" of this poem to the audience? How does it paint the character's ideas and motives? 

Q2: In many ways, this is a play about the relationship between fathers/mothers and their children. How do Titus and Tamora differ in their approach to these roles? Why might this be problematic for a play where Titus is the supposed “hero” of the play and Tamora the “villain”?

Q3: Titus is an odd character, representing a strange notion of honor and loyalty. Why do you think Shakespeare makes him refuse the emperorship, and then support Saturninus (who has physically threatened him) over Bassianus (who has been much kinder)? How are we supposed to respond as an audience to Titus in the First Act? Why might this be?

Q4: Somewhat related to Q2, is Tamora a sympathetic character? Consider her speech around line 443, where she talks privately to Saturninus. Is she at all in the "right" in this act? Can we consider her a character like Shylock, who though pursuing a "wrong" course, has a certain amount of justice on her side?