Titus Andronicus Analysis

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Firstly, a women's sexuality had to be controlled by men. However, sexual desire is something that is not controllable. In Titus Andronicus, hegemonic masculinity becomes threatened and made unstable by unrestricted female sexuality. Saturninus finds himself humiliated when his chosen empress Lavinia is engaged to his younger, less worthy brother, Bassianus. He does not expect such actions from passive Lavinia; and refers to her engagement as a sexual matter, in that Bassianus “flourished…her with his sword” (1.1.315). The imagery here has sexual overtones through the sword as a phallic symbol. The verb “flourished” connotes Lavinia’s attraction to Bassianus sexual prowess and undermining him as emperor. Therefore, Saturninus relies on appointing Tamora, as his empress to establish his male dominance in society to subordinate her. …show more content…

Cuckoldry is a man’s inability to satisfy a woman’s sexual needs. Shakespeare alludes to Saturninus as an Actaeon figure, following the Greek mythology of Actaeon disobeying Artemis’s wishes and changes him into a deer that his hunting dogs eat (2.2.70). This classical allusion works to “pity” Saturninus as the almighty Roman emperor turned “stag” who, once his wife’s body has been sexually active, cannot policy her because of his emasculation. Furthermore, Actaeon’s once loyal hounds turn on him which may represent Tamora’s loyalty to fool Saturninus as a “handmaid to [his] desires” (1.1.290). Tamora’s further control is as “the siren that will charm Rome’s Saturnine / and see his shipwreck” (1.1.520-523). The analogy to the legendary sea creature proves how Tamora’s unrestricted sexuality is destructive to Saturninus’ masculinity. Therein, male dominance over containing female sexuality is a social construct representing this as an idea rather than representing Saturninus’s

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