Lavinia In Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus

The two primary uses of language are written word and spoken dialogue. In William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, there are ample situations where each is very important. Throughout the play, Shakespeare gives the characters who have the ability to read a clear advantage over those who cannot. Aaron’s treachery is committed as a result of a letter that was superior to the begging of Titus. Titus manages to upset the power balance of Saturninus by simply shooting arrows with authoritative messages into the court in Rome. Lastly, the ravaged Lavinia manages to overcome her gruesome injuries to use written language to expose those truly responsible for her suffering. There are also moments in the life of William Shakespeare that tie into the behavior

and choices of his characters. These moments in the play, and in Shakespeare’s own life, make it very clear that Shakespeare views literacy as imperative. In Titus Andronicus, the only true way to gain power is through written language.
As the main villain in the play, Aaron easily controls the balance of power for the majority of the plot. It is his evil but clever decision to use the forged letter to set the action of the play into motion. After reading the letter, Saturninus falls into Aaron’s trap, and wholeheartedly believes that Quintus and Martius are responsible for the death of Bassianus. Shakespeare makes it incredibly obvious that the word of the letter is superior to the pleas of Titus. With the success of his plan, Aaron has control over every character firmly in his grasp. This power only leads him to commit worse atrocities, as he explains that “Vengeance is in [his] heart, death in [his] hand / Blood and revenge are hammering in [his] head” (II, iii, 38-39). Aaron is simply fueled by revenge, and feels no guilt or shame about doing all things necessary to avenge those who did him wrong. (Shakespeare 2005)Though the content of the letter is never revealed, it is implied that there is powerful evidence pointing to the guilt of Quintus and Martius. Saturninus serves as both the judge and jury, which Shakespeare uses as a parallel to the British crown. There was plenty of religious upheaval at this point in England, and that upheaval led to countless arrests and executions at the queen’s demand. This reckless nature ties the reckless actions of Saturninus to those of the queen in Shakespeare’s time. Until his undoing in Act V, Aaron’s forged letter and its effect on Saturninus gives him undisputable power.
In Act IV, scene iii, Titus uses his own literary prowess in order to counteract the power of Saturninus. Titus and his entourage shoot arrows with messages for the Roman gods into Saturninus’ court, and that does not sit well with the emperor. The messages are sent in the pursuit of justice and “vengeance on the traitor Saturnine,” (IV, iii, 35) but this choice by Titus serves to shift the balance of power back to his corner. Titus is able to force Saturninus into a more defensive state, especially since the emperor can sense that there is growing frustration with his regime in Rome. Titus does not hide his feelings regarding Saturninus as an emperor, as the letter he has delivered to Saturninus gets the messenger executed. There is a comparison that can be drawn between Titus’ treatment at the hand of the government and Shakespeare’s pursuit of gentleman status. Shakespeare only managed to be granted a Coat of Arms much later in his writing career (Callaghan 2013, 73). The similarity stems from both men being required to make themselves known to the government with their writing. This impulsive action by Saturninus serves as another parallel to Shakespeare’s perception of government, and displays a clear shift of power from Saturninus to Titus.
Aaron’s plot is finally unraveled in the end thanks to the character most afflicted by it: Lavinia.

After being silenced for the majority of the play, Lavinia finally regains the power she lost as a result of Chiron and Demetrius’ horrible crimes. The two men responsible for her maiming face swift justice, and Lavinia is essentially put out of her misery by her own father. Shakespeare makes it brutally apparent that written word is stronger than speech by stripping Lavinia of her ability to speak. Shakespeare creates this situation to offer redemption to both Titus and Lavinia, who both were greatly wronged throughout the play. Lavinia gains her power by finding the ability to write the names of Chiron and Demetrius, and maintains that power until she meets her demise. Titus himself feels a great sense of revenge, as he proclaims “For worse than Philomel you used my daughter, / And worse than Procne I will be revenged” (V, iii, 200-201). Shakespeare was very progressive in his decision to give Lavinia the ability to write in the play. His own daughter was incapable of writing, which is potentially a side effect of Shakespeare’s busy life (Callaghan 2013, 27). Ultimately, Lavinia’s power is short-lived, but marks one of the very few times in the play where justice is legitimately

served.
Through the creation of his characters, William Shakespeare offers a very important commentary on the importance of written language. He uses the corruptive nature of Aaron’s letter to demonstrate how easily someone with power can be swayed by a display of writing ability. Titus is able to regain his dignity as he uses written messages intended for the gods to strike fear into Saturninus. Finally, Lavinia is able to share information on her tormenters with Titus as a result of being able to write. Shakespeare demonstrates very clearly that the ability to write brings power, and that power is what drives the story to its bloody ending.