Empress Taymor's Titus: An Analysis

According to the late George Michael, “Sex is natural - sex is fun. Sex is best when it's... one on one”. But this is not the case for Shakespeare and Taymor’s lustful vision. In Titus, the audience witnesses the crucial role that sex plays in the story as it is present in every prominent character. It is evident in Empress Tamora’s sinful extramarital affair with Aaron the Moor, “we may, each wreathed in the other’s arms, our pastimes done, possess a golden slumber…” (II, iii, 26-27). Also, in the devious sexual violation of Lavinia by the speed freak punks, Chiron and Demetrius. The audience sees Lavinia dragged off into the woods but Taymor shields our eyes from the actual violence of the brutal situation. It leaves us with the impression
that the attack and rape were so horrible that the images could never be unseen in our fragile minds. The power now lies in the negative space of our thoughts and eventually confirmed by her father, “wert thou thus surprised, sweet girl? Ravished and wronged, as Philomela was, forced in the ruthless, vast, and gloomy woods” (IV, i, 51-53). Taymor explores an area of sexuality that was not included in Shakespeare’s text. This included an elegant orgy party at the home of Emperor Saturninus seen when Titus and his men shoot messaged arrows into the Roman court. This amorous addition to Shakespeare’s play is the perfect blend of lust, sex, and seduction best suited for a modern day Elizabethan masterpiece.