Revenge is contagious. Titus begins the wave of revenge when he sacrifices Tamora's son. Her reaction demonstrates her humanity in a sense. She is outraged, vows revenge and schemes with Aaron to frame Titus' sons for murder. Revenge is more than simply "getting even" in some cases. For Tamora, revenge involves getting even but doing so in the most painful of ways. Her request for her boys to do away with Bessainus is completely self serving. Aaron's suggestion for Demetrius and Chiron to rape Lavinia is only part of a problem; their cutting out her tongue and chopping off her hands adds a depth of sickness that is almost too cruel. Interestingly, she succeeds with her plan and Titus' sons are murdered yet she does not feel satisfaction. She then places her eyes upon Lavinia. Aaron, too, is preoccupied with revenge. Even as Tamora speaks of being "wreathed in" (II.iii.29) His arms, he confesses his mind is bent on revenge.
Revenge is unproductive. Revenge proves to be addictive and yet somehow unsatisfying. Instead, it feeds on itself and only begs for more. There is no end to revenge once emotions have escalated beyond reason, there is no controlling them. These characters are extreme examples of humanity. While we look at this...
Human beings are capable of anything and if one person can imagine it, someone else somewhere else has no doubt it done it. Shakespeare was an astute student of people and this play demonstrates the utter futility of revenge.
Kahn in Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn said revenge is a dish best served cold but Titus Andronicus illustrates that is can be just as nasty served warm and delicious. It is also a disease that many would do best to avoid. The cycle of revenge plays itself to death in this play. In the end, there is no one left to complete the cycle of revenge because they are all dead. The characters in this play are some of the most conniving but they are the most human. Shakespeare captures the absolute worst characteristics of man in this play but he also teaches us something important about revenge: it is hard to control once we give into it. It becomes addictive when individuals become obsessed. Kahn was right when he said it was cold in space but it also cold in the heart of a man bent on revenge.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus. The Works of William Shakespeare. New York:
Oxford University Press. 1904.
