Analysis Of Titus Andronicus In Julia Taymor's Titus

Julia Taymor’s Titus is a 1999 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s earliest work, Titus Andronicus. The largest change is in broadening the role of Young Lucius. In the original manuscript, he was likely referred to only as "The Boy". He is the first and last character we see, a sign of significance in Shakespeare's work. Perspective shifts typically serve to put audiences at ease; however, seeing the violence through Young Lucius makes everything more horrible. Titus Andronicus¬ begins with two brothers campaigning for the recently vacated title of Roman Emperor. While the scene comes close to a violent outburst, no blood is shed. In Taymor’s Titus, this scene occurs later in the timeline. Instead, we are greeted immediately with an up-tempo song and a bit of classic American/European imagery. The setting is a small suburban kitchen, with a metal-rimmed table and a checkered floor. Young Lucius, a preadolescent boy sits at the table eating calmly, when he suddenly begins to play loudly and violently with a collection of action figures and other toys. For Shakespeare’s audience, Rome was the "Father" or prototypical empire. Its civilians and leaders were thought of as civilized and educated. A Roman man drawing a sword on his brother in public was almost as shocking as someone in the audience doing the same. Thus, in the late 1500s, audiences recognized this as a sign of the upcoming violence. Yet, the stories of the Roman Empire that have been preserved in popular culture almost exclusively involve war. However, Saturninus drawing his sword would have been a cause for excitement in a modern screening. For a post-World War II audience, violence must be completely overdone to be shocking. Swords are not shocking in a world where we can kill millions on the other side of the planet. Children enacting violence, however, is still shocking. In Titus, Taymor replaces the placeholder of the father of a society with the child of another. In Rome's stead, we see a young jean clad boy. Taymor’s innovative use of the already present Young Lucius serves to resensitize an audience overly familiar with gore, violence, and horror. She brings Young Lucius into a contemporary setting; It is something familiar enough to be our own home. We see him acting as our own children, like we, ourselves, may have done as a child when suddenly he is overtaken with violence. …show more content…
Young Lucius, taking the place of Marcus in the original, strikes a fly dead during a family dinner. After the fly is killed, his grandfather, Titus begins a scolding speech. He questions the value of life and implores the killer to think of the fly’s father and mother. Because Titus is mirroring the paternal feelings the audience has towards the young character, we take his concerns more seriously. Yet, when the fly is compared to Aaron, an enemy of the family, Titus recants his objections and praises Young Lucius. This sudden switch reminds us of the strange violence in the common act of killing flies and of the consequences of normalizing violence.
Young Lucius is additionally effective because he is us in a larger sense. He serves not only as a placeholder for the individual but for the collective. We are concerned both because we could be him and because he could be under our care. However, he is not a source of comfort. While Young Lucius is at times happy, gentle, and innocent, he is also volatile, violent, and easily