Titus Andronicus

Summary: Titus Andronicus returns from battle with Tamora, the Queen of the Goths, as his captive. Despite Tamora’s pleading, Titus sacrifices one of her sons to the gods. The remainder of the gory play recounts the vengeance-filled struggle between Tamora and her sons and lover on one side and Titus and his family and friends on the other.

Absolutely bonkers. Loved it.

I will admit that I am predisposed to disliking Shakespeare, so take this with a grain of salt, but I did not enjoy this story. My complaints mostly consist of me not caring about the characters, being unable to connect with them because they don't act like people, the villains being over-the-top comical villains who cackle and deliver mustache-twirling villain monologues about how evil they are, and the plot itself being stuffed full of “shocking” moments with no emotional weight attached to them – and don't even get me started on the "honor killing" of the rape victim. Not a fan.

While Titus Andronics is an excellent example of a Renaissance Revenge tragedy, to the modern reader it's laughably gory and dramatic. However, the characters, specifically Aaron redeem it due to their three dimensional aspects and traits. When looking through the lens of this era, Titus Andronicus is a wonderful piece.