Essay on Suffering in Titues Andronicus and King Lear

Suffering in Titues Andronicus and King Lear An essential element to any Shakespearean tragedy is the idea of human suffering. In both Titus Andronicus and King Lear no one can deny that the characters in these plays do indeed suffer and at great lengths, but the question begs to be asked what is the source of this suffering? Keeping in mind that during the times in which William Shakespeare wrote death, adultery and fragrant sexuality where at an optimal level and as such single parent families frequently resulted. Shakespeares Titus Andronicus and King Lear are indeed tales that show the follies of such single parent families and more precisely those families that lack a mothering figure. It is this lack of the female in the†¦show more content†¦This is the first example of how Titus love of o Rome and his position as a parent blur together horribly. It is this over dedication to Rome and his lacking of the lacking of the feminine, which also causes Titus to turn a cold heart to Tamoras pleas. Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed, a mothers tears in passion for her son; and if thy sons were ever dearer to thee O, think my son to be as dear to me! (Shakespeare, I.i, 106-108) However, Titus devotion to Roman customs and inability to identify with a mothers pleas, that her son is markd and die he must, tappease their groaning shadows that are gone (Shakespeare, I.i, 125-126.) His lack of femininity and desire that Roman tradition be followed allows him no sympathy for this upset mother and as result will suffer later in the play. Titus failings as a parent and extreme devotion to Rome become most apparent when, In a bad quarrel, he, [slays] a virtuous son (Shakespeare, I.i, 341) for opposing his decision to allow Lavina, Titus daughter, to become the wife of Romes new emperor, Saturninus. Even in this decision he does not consult with his daughter to see if it is her desire to become Romes royal mistress. (Shakespeare, I.i, 241) It is clear that Titus is unable to separate his role as a father from his position as a General in Romes army. Traub argues that those characters left outside of the world of marriage tend to be masculine because of their