Julie Taymor’s Titus Andronicus
Shakespeare's first tragedy has been a topic of discussion since the day it was written. Titus Andronicus "was staged on 24 January 1594 by the Earl of Sussex's Men at the Rose Theatre" (Welsh 1). Though this tidbit of information seems somewhat irrelevant to Titus, we must note that there are certain standards and practices established by a play from its first performance. It is also important to establish the general attributes that audiences attribute to Shakespearean performance.
One of the distinguishing factors in portraying Titus centers in its origin: "Titus Andronicus [...] must be considered as an experimental play" (Bowers 118). Being Shakespeare's first attempt at tragedy, it obviously has room for error. Yet, as some critics and scholars would say, I believe there is a similar element found in all of Shakespeare's works, no matter when they were written: "Shakespeare constantly reminds us that the character's predicament and humanity is very like our own" (Barton 184). No matter what the plot is, or where he chose to set the story, Shakespeare captures a fundamental element of humanity. Within Titus Andronicus, it is undoubtedly humanity's search for revenge: "Titus Andronicus is a play of social piety, outrage, suffering, and revenge" (Barber 133). The first three elements that Barber attributes to the work are consequential to the fourth; it is the revenge and spite of Titus, Tamora, and Aaron that fuel the other three elements.
The other distinguishing feature is the blood and gore that pervades the entire work. Numerous people, such as a fellow colleague of mine, actually dismiss the work due to the horrific acts committed by the characters. Yet if ...
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Barber, C.L. Creating Elizabethan Tragedy. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1988.
Barton, John. Playing Shakespeare. London: Methuen Drama, 1989.
Bowers, Fredson. Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1940.
Corliss, Richard. "Titus." Time 27 December 1999: 166-170.
Granger, Susan. "Titus." www.all-reviews.com/videos/titus.htm. 1999.
Karten, Harvey. "Titus." www.all-reviews.com/videos/titus-4.htm. 2000.
Lindroth, Mary. "'Some device of further misery': Taymor's Titus brings Shakespeare to film audiences with a twist." Literature/Film Quarterly 29 (2001): 107-115.
Travers, Peter. "Titus." Rolling Stone 17 February 2000: 64.
Welsh, Jim and John Tibbetts. "'To sup with horrors': Julie Taymor's Senecan feast." Literature/Film Quarterly 28 (2000): 155-156.
...anny, yet the many regions who were not in a support were forced to gradually accepted it. He additionally argues that theInquisitional repression of the limited Protestant incursion into Spain portrayed an “outdated image of an iron curtain descending on the country and cutting it off from the rest of the world, has no relation to reality” (Kamen, 102) though he failed to elaborate on the absence of a Spanish Reformation. Though Kamen fails to execute all of his arguments with effectively, he propagates many new and interesting perspectives on contemporary events, and constructs his narrative with a clear tone, utilizing detailed description and vivid imagery to accommodate any readers hoping to better understand this facet of Spanish history.
Esenwein, George, R. The Spanish Civil War: A Modern Tragedy. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.
Nō dramas emerged in Japan in the ca. 14th century and were performed in shrines and temples in Kyōto and Nara. The plots of nō plays were based on historical events, literature, legends, and contemporary events. At the time when nō plays were being written, many authors drew upon references or allusions from various literary sources such as Genji monogatari, Ise monogatari, and the Kokinshū. Two examples of nō plays that were based on Genji monogatari are Matsukaze and Nonomiya. After reading Matsukaze and Nonomiya, it is interesting that both plays share a similar plot even though they are written by different authors. Matsukaze, or also known as Pining Wind, was written by Zeami Motokiyo (1363 – 1443) around 1412 and according to Tyler, “[t]he background of Pining Wind includes a play which is now lost, Shiokumi (‘Gathering Brine’)” by Kiami (Tyler 183). The nō play Nonomiya, or also known as The Wildwood Shrine, is believed by most people to have been written by Komparu Zenchiku (1405 – 1468), who is the son - in - law and apprentice to Zeami. Both Matsukaze and Nonomiya share a similar story line and literary sources, but differ in how they were applied to contribute to the play’s plot, setting, characters, and relaying the emotion of the characters.
The movie Titus directed by Julie Taymor a well awarded director who has created many visual arts, made countless thought-provoking choices when directing Titus, a movie based off the book Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. Titus Andronicus is a tragedy highlighting Titus, a roman general that becomes obsessed with getting revenge with Tamora, a previous prisoner of his and the Queen of Goths. When Taymor directed the film Titus she incorporated many aspects from the present (when the movie was made) and the era the book was written in, during Shakespearean times, to relate to the audience at that time and still remain true to the story. She tried her best to stay as close to the book as possible and portray the characters as well as they could be interpreted. In some illustrations she was spot on and in others she was not.
"Elizabethan Theatre Audiences." Elizabethan Theatre Audiences. Strayer University, 16 May 2012. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Johnson, Samuel. The Plays of Shakespeare. N.p.: n.p.. 1765. Rpt in Shakespearean Tragedy. Bratchell, D. F. New York, NY: Routledge, 1990.
Titus Andronicus is a play marked by acts of horrific violence and littered with death and the destruction of others. Each violent act, however, serves to explain and sometimes encourage the motives of the play's memorable characters and impart a very tightly knotted plot. The structure of the play employs well-defined heroes and villains. Revenge is their key motivating factor. All of these elements combine to form a cohesive plot and contribute to the overall success of the story.
William Shakespeare's play, Titus Andronicus, is a very convoluted play that could have easily failed to connect with its audience when first performed on stage. With poor props, setting and theatrical effects, Shakespeare’s major themes in the play could easily have been lost on the audience. Over four hundred years after it opened at The Globe Theatre, film director, Julie Taymor used techniques including time travel, costume choice and a mixture of ancient Roman and contemporary artifacts to emphasize and revamp the major ideas of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.
In Shakespeare’s play, Titus Andronicus, the main character Titus is considered a strong war leader. He goes through many tragic moments throughout the play and is eventually driven mad because of the tragic events. It is interesting that such a strong, experienced warrior would break down emotionally and go mad. The character Titus and all of his reactions play an important role in Titus Andronicus. Titus may have been insane from the moment he got back from war, but it is evident that as time goes on, he takes on a worse mental state with each heart wrenching tragedy. Titus gives a little hint of madness when he kills his own son because he was standing in the way of Lavinia and Bassianus (1.1.295-300). When Quintus and Martius are accused of killing Bassianus, Titus tries to do whatever he can to spare their lives including cutting his own hand off which turns out to be an unsuccessful gesture (3.1.195-202). In many other parts in the play, it is evident that he is
Graham, Helen. The Spanish Civil War: a very short introduction. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2005.
Besides the vivid display of ferocious violence that can be acquired from William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, the audience can develop a distinct separation between the Roman and Gothic culture through the families of the characters of Titus and Tamora. Titus, as a general, and his family are members of high Roman society. As Roman citizens, they stand at the pinnacle of civilization in the ancient world. The contrasting side, Tamora and her fellows are Goths, a Germanic tribe existing on the northern borders of the Roman Empire (Meister,1). It has often been argued within the scholarship that while the Goths were racially different, the Gothic culture within Titus Andronicus was also represented as barbaric and uncivilized. Marcus even refers to the Goths as barbarous when he speaks of Titus’ return (1.1.28) and in the quote, “Thou art a Roman, be not barbarous,” (1.1.378). The Roman culture often appeared to embody that of a masculine and righteous society. However, there are instances throughout the play where these cultures mingle or are in fact influences on one another. This essay will investigate these casts or fixes within Shakespeare’s work regarding these cultures, as while provide examples within the text to support these realizations.
It seems that modern Hollywood filmmakers are as much in love with Shakespeare's plays as were the 16th century audiences who first enjoyed them. Recent updates of Hamlet (1996) and Romeo and Juliet (1996), both highly successful movies, bear this out, as well as the two best film versions of Richard III; Sir Laurence Olivier's 1954 "period piece", and Ian McKellan's more modern interpretation (1995).
The premise of the play Titus Andronicus can be easily summed up in one word. That word is simply ‘honor’. Honor means a different thing today than it did during the Roman Empire or Shakespeare’s life, but it is important to know honor’s definition in order to understand Titus Andronicus. Honor was used to justify murdering multiple times throughout the play. Titus killed two of his own children to protect his honor. Titus’s honor was also destroyed by Lavinia being raped and mutilated and Aaron tricking Titus into cutting off his hand, an important symbol of his honor. The word ‘honor’ has a huge impact on the play Titus Andronicus.
Logan, Thad Jenkins. "Twelfth Night: The Limits of Festivity." Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama. N.p.: Rice University, 1982. 223-38. Vol. 22 of Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. Rpt. in Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
The name most associated with excellence in theatre is William Shakespeare. His plays, more than any other playwright, resonate through the ages. It may be safe to say that he has influenced more actors, directors, and playwrights than any thespian in the history of the stage. But what were his influences? During the Middle Ages theatre was dominated by morality, miracle, and mystery plays that were often staged by the church as a means to teach the illiterate masses about Christianity. It wasn’t until the early sixteenth century that Greek tragedy experienced a revival, in turn, inspiring a generation of renaissance playwrights.