Titus Andronicus as a Classic Tragedy

Titus Andronicus is a classical tragedy from the beginning to the end. For instance the introduction of the characters to the play shows a clear picture of a classical tragedy. In this play, the characters are introduced by bringing them on stage without any prior notification and at the same time, at certain point, the characters are introduced by other characters at the stage (Greenblatt 98).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Titus Andronicus as a Classic Tragedy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The play starts up with minor characters whose roles in the play are not of much importance, these characters are used to introduce the more important characters. For instance, the play starts after the death of the roman emperor and his two sons. The conflict is created at the beginning of the play, whereby the two sons Saturninus and Bassianus were disagreeing on, who will succeed their dead father. The act of the two s ons conflicting on who will rule is an aspect of the author to bring out the need of identifying oneself with the hero (Greenblatt 250). The roman emperor was a hero, and the two sons wanted to be identified with this hero. The aspect of identifying oneself with a hero is a good example of a classical tragedy. The conflict between the two sons turned to be violent until when the tribune came up with a final solution of making the emperors brother Titus to be his fathers successor. In addition, at a certain point in the play, Aaron is seen persuading Demetrius to plan the murder of Bassianus, so that they can have a good opportunity of raping Lavinia. The play acts of characters planning to kill other characters and barbaric acts of raping others brought the emotional response in the play. Unlike the comedies that does not show any aspect of emotional such as fear and pity, a classical tragedy like this one demonstrates much pity and fear in most of the incidences throughout the play . There is a sense of fear when Bassianus is murdered and his body dumped. Lavinia undergoes a painful process of a violent rape in a forest. Lavinia suffered a great deal, as the rapists cut her tongue and her hands to prevent her from telling the truth. The act of human suffering is another aspect demonstrated in a classical tragedy. In Titus Andronicus play, human suffering is a major theme especially what Lavinia underwent. For instance, during the celebration party that took place in Titus house, Saturninus advised Titus that it was possible for a father to kill his raped daughter.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Shortly, Titus decided to murder his daughter, by breaking her neck and revealed the secret of rape to Saturninus. The play moves with a lot of solemnity and foreboding (Greenblatt 103). The play ends with rigid finality, whereby Titus murders Tamora, and Saturninus kills Titus. After killing Titus, Saturninus is killed by Lucius out of anger of past memories of his father’s death, he did that purposely to revenge. Moreover, due to continuous murders of the characters, Lucius gets an opportunity of becoming an emperor, being a ruler, he commanded his people to give Saturninus a state burial (Greenblatt 156). On the other hand, he ordered Tamoras body to be thrown away for the wild beasts to feast on him. Lucius the emperor ordered Aaron to be punished by hunger and thirst until his death. To Aaron that was not a big issue as he did not repent even at the end, and he wished to have done more evil in his life. Work Cited Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Shakespeare Based on the oxford Edition. New York:Â  W.W Norton Company, 2006. This essay on Titus Andronicus as a Classic Tragedy was written and submitted by user Keaton Durham to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Ancient Law Codes essays

Ancient Law Codes essays Laws have been around for many centuries. A law is known to be a set of official rules and regulations, which are generally found in constitutions, legislation, judicial opinions and that is applied and enforced amongst all members of society. The nature and functions of law have varied throughout history. Laws develop as society evolves. Historically, the simplest societies were tribal. The members of the tribe were bonded together originally by the understanding and worship of the same gods. Even in the absence of courts and legislature there was lawa combination of custom, morality, religion and magic. There are three predominant Ancient law codes that are known by many people. These codes are: The Code of Hammurabi, The 10 Commandments and the Old Testament and The Book of the Dead. The earliest known codification of law is the Code of Hammurabi. It has been around for about 4000 years. The Code of Hammurabi was known to be the mist earliest record of codification. This code was known as an Eye for an Eye. This meant that the more severe the crime was the harsher the punishment was. The Code of Hammurabi was an attempt to bring order to Babylonian society. The laws and punishment were very direct and plain. The punishments seem harsh to us today, but they were no better or worse to other societies. Our modern laws are more open to interpretation and the punishments seem to be less harsh and fairer. The Code of Hammurabi contained no laws that had to do with religion. The law offered protection to all classes of Babylonian society. It seeked to protect the weak and the poor, including women, children and slaves against the injustice at the hands of the rich and poor. The code was particularly humane for the time in which it was announced. The 10 Commandments or the Law of Moses were written about 300 years after Hammurabi. Many people figured that since these were laws given by God down to ...