Thompson, Ayanna. “Empire and gender in Titus Andronicus.” Throughlines. Throughlines.org/suite-content/empire-and-gender-in-titus-andronicus. [date accessed].
Empire and gender in Titus Andronius
The complilcated ideal of the silent woman
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Titus Andronicus is invested in how gender is shaped by empire. Tamora’s prolific motherhood is cast as excessive and foreign. Her ability to transfer that foreigness into an imperial heir is a core aspect of her villainy. Meanwhile, Lavinia’s silence and chastity expose how ideals of Roman womanhood depend on control, objectification, and violence. As revenge unfolds, both figures reveal how imperial power collapses moral distinctions. The play ultimately challenges the audience to question whether silence, consent, and reproductive capacity can hold stable meaning within this imperial frame.
Further learning
Indecorum and empire in Titus Andronicus
The gore, violence, and revenge fantasy depicted in Titus Andronicus is usually the first (and sometimes last) thing that people talk about. But it's rarely examined to understand the diliberate questions at stake in the play. Namely, what does it mean for a society to cease to behave decorously?
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Titus Andronicus as the gateway drug
Students believe they know what Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet or Macbeth mean, but rarely do those “meanings” stem from the students’ close engagements with the texts. Using Titus Andronicus at the beginning of any Shakespeare class forces students to experience Shakespeare anew.
Recommended
Henry V and belonging
Shakespeare's language and status in the Western canon can feel inhospitable to many students, especially students of color. Teaching Henry V with a focus on linguistic identity, legitimacy, and belonging can open conversations that allow students to carve out a Shakespeare for themselves.
Critical theories and methods
This class investigates and gauges the value of critical theories and methods focused on race, racism, and racial justice. The aim of this course is to engage meaningfully with scholars, cultural productions, and criticism that draw on critical race studies within their artistic and scholarly work.
