Women’s Body and Voice in Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus Anonymous College

Through in-depth studying and interpretation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, the two voices of Lavinia and Tamora are not only visibly present to the audience, but completely different of how women’s voice were portrayed during that time in history. Lavina’s voice is depicted through her physical actions whereas Tamora’s voice is her physical speech, but uses her own power for more evil doings. Though Lavinia’s voice is affected from her bodily defects, her voice remains more powerful than Tamora’s physical speech and actions throughout the play. Not only does Lavina’s voice begin to define new rape laws, but Tamora’s character stands for barbarism, savagery, and ultimate ruthlessness. Tamora’s character plays to the opposite effect of Lavina’s especially through her sexual appetite in the play that was seen as threatening or as a masculine fear of femininity.

These issues of Tamora’s body play against her voice and to the advantage of Lavina’s. An article written by Emily Detmer-Goebel called ““The Need For Lavinia’s Voice: Titus Andronicus and the Telling of Rape”, detailed the changing laws of rape victims during the time of this play, but also highlighted how this made men more uncomfortable with the rape victim as it...