THE COMPARISON OF HUMAN NATURE THROUGH THE STUDY OF LITERARY DEVICES Anonymous

Throughout Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, Tamora and Aaron seek to harm Titus for the murder of the Goth prince. While it is clear that the queen’s motive for seeking retribution is to avenge the death of her son, it is not certain that revenge is Aaron’s motive. After all, Tamora is merely his lover and her eldest son was not conceived by the moor. Rather, Aaron’s actions against Titus are of a different nature, one of inherent evil, as he refers to the color of his skin as a possible precursor to his own human nature. Through the use of literary devices, Shakespeare shows that Aaron’s desire to harm Andronicus is deeper than the mere want to avenge the death of his lover’s son.

In Act III, Scene One, it is evident that Titus is troubled by the disappearance of his two sons. According to Aaron the moor, Titus learns that he must cut off his own hand to satisfy the king and thus have his sons returned to him. While Lucius and Marcus Andronicus begin to plot another way to bring the sons to safety, Titus steals away with Aaron to finish the cold-blooded deal by cutting off his own hand and giving it to Aaron, in hopes of filling the king’s requirements. To a dismayed Lucius and Marcus, Titus says, “Now stay...