Titus Andronicus Lesson Plan

Consider Titus’s statement that Rome has become a "wilderness of tigers." How does this contrast with the state of Rome at the beginning of the play, and how does it contrast with the ideals of Rome that Titus swore to uphold and defend?

Some students may not observe a substantial difference between the Rome that Titus declaims and the Rome that existed at the play's beginning. After all, didn't Saturninus show just as much hypocrisy and inattention to legal norms then, when he tried to steal his brother's bride? However, as other students may also point out, Titus's perceptions are just as important here as the reality. Titus was and is a loyal citizen of the Roman...