In 5.2 of Titus Andronicus, Titus Androncius blossoms once more into his psychotic mentality as he pretends to be almost tricked by Tamora, Chiron, and Demetrius. At first, the audience is tricked into believing that he fell for their disguises, but within the passage I chose, it is evident that the deceit displayed to him did not work at all (5.2.145-47,158-64). Shakespeare appeals to the audience through numerous cues that elicit responses from the reader’s senses.
The dialogue that he chooses to use for Titus sets a lot of things into motion and leads the readers to question or even imagine what Titus’s next moves are. For instance, Titus says “I knew them all, though they supposed me mad” (5.2.145). Having this as the first line of his aside not only clearly tells the readers that Titus knows that he was deceived, but also gives the readers a bigger part to play since he tells them and not the other characters. Of course, Titus is not actually talking to the audience, but by utilizing an aside, especially for this character, Shakespeare helps the reader imagine what Titus might be thinking or feeling in this scene.
With words such as “o’erreach” and “devices”, Shakespeare also helps the audience imagine what Titus’s plan will be to take down Tamora, Chiron, and Demetrius (5.2.146). It’s also really interesting how Titus never separates the perpetrators and includes them together in his threats. For instance, Chiron and Demtrius are guilty of rape and murder, so they have their own agenda in mind, so does Tamora. However, Titus sees them all as “A pair of cursèd hellhounds and their dam” (5.2.147). This line that Shakespeare uses helps the audience see how Titus views the ones that betray him and what kind of dangerous situation that the guilty three have voluntarily put themselves in.
For Titus, it’s him against the world and the ones that stand in his way or make a fool of him are automatically his enemies. Shakespeare displays this with Titus’s impulsive actions and words throughout this passage. For example, Titus doesn’t even hesitate to say the order to find Chiron and Demetrius and “Therefore bind them sure,/And stop their mouths if they begin to cry” (5.2.163-64). The viciousness in his orders paint who Titus is as a person and display his perspective of the ones below him through the animal-like imagery of binding them and silencing their wails. It’s as if the audience can hear his booming voice and his retreating footsteps as he smugly exits the scene because he knows that he has the most power in this situation and the audience knows it too.
Works Cited:
Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus. Folger Digital Texts. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine with Michael Poston and Rebecca Niles. Folger Shakespeare Library. Created on Apr 23, 2016, from FDT version 0.9.0.1. https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/titus-andronicus/act-5-scene-2/. Accessed March 6, 2022.