Titus Andronicus - E-book - ePub

The great Roman general, Titus Andronicus, returns home after fighting Rome's enemies for the last 10 years. He brings along his captives, Tamora, Queen of the Goths, her three sons and Aaron the Moor. Having lost 21 of his 25 sons in the conflict, Titus decides to sacrifice one of Tamora's sons, following Roman customs. He then offers Tamora as a slave to the new Roman emperor, Saturninus. Meanwhile, Saturninus promises Titus to make his daughter Lavinia his empress.
After his brother Bassianus takes off with her, Saturninus marries Tamora instead. Tamora, angry at Titus, makes it her mission to get back at Titus. After becoming the emperor's wife, she uses her position to exact revenge on Titus and his family. Driven by his own sense of honor and duty, Titus and his family retaliate with dire consequences for all involved. "Titus Andronicus" is a drama about honor, loyalty, death and revenge.
In this play, Shakespeare takes on cannibalism, rape, murder, mutilation and punishment. These themes might be familiar to the fans of dramas like "Pulp Fiction", "Spartacus" or "Gladiator". William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is widely considered the world's greatest dramatist and is often referred to as England's national poet or the Bard. Most famous for his timeless plays, he also wrote a multitude of poems and sonnets.
Shakespeare was the blockbuster writer of his day, his many works concerning universal themes of life, love, death, revenge, grief, jealousy, murder, magic, and mystery. Among some of his most famous are "Macbeth", "Romeo and Juliet", and "Hamlet", but the list is long, and many continue to be studied and performed, both their original form and modern adaptations.