Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus is the titular character. The play charts his downfall: It opens in a moment of triumph as he returns to Rome victorious after 10 years, with his enemies’ Queen and her sons as prisoners; it ends with his death. His actions in the first scene initiate the narrative conflict, as his authorization of Alarbus’s execution and his appointment of Saturninus as emperor create Tamora’s drive for revenge. His actions begin to undermine The Paradigm of “Civilized” Rome against “Barbarian” Other, creating a scenario in which both behavior and allegiances cross these lines.

Titus is a tragic figure and a flawed protagonist. His ill-fated choices in the first Act stem from his pride and his assumption of a total right of authority regarding Roman law and custom, showing the centrality of his identity as a Roman General. His arc is underscored with irony, as the events that unfold are a consequence of his actions. Through the chain of events Titus puts in motion, he ultimately destroys the very construct he aimed to protect: a martial, ordered Rome based around honor, in opposition to the Goths.