Tus Andronicus Lavinia Essay

Lavinia in Titus Andronicus is one instance where you can hardly separate her from her architype. Her architype is so deep rooted in her that she is hardly an independent character at all. Lavinia’s architype is Philomena, from Boo 6 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, someone you would not want to be compared to. The first mention of Philomena is used for no more than to praise her virtue and beauty. However, by Act 2, they are fully entwined, as both girls were raped. Philomena is beautiful but innocent, and attracts the unwanted attention from her brother in law, Tereus. Tereus rapes her and then to prevent her from telling anyone what happened, he cuts out her tongue. Philomena however, weaves a tapestry explaining her story and sends it to her sister to expose Tereus. The characters in Titus Andronicus are aware of this story and When Lavinia is raped, Chiron and Demetrius, cut of Lavinia’s hands as well. This shows that Shakespeare not only took inspiration from this sources but copied the entire plotline. He does pay respect to his source when Lavinia borrows a copy of Ovid’s Metamorphoses from her nephew in order to reveal to her family what happened.
Another depth Shakespeare employs is when the characters do have similar psycological qualities as certain mythologicaal characters, in an entirely different setting. After a
This is a reference to Book 13 in Metamorphoses, ‘The Sufferings of Hecuba’, wife of King Priam of Troy. Hecuba is also mentioned in Homers Illiad, however, Ovid gives Hecuba a passion and depth that the Illiad version lacks. In Ovid, Hecuba is a grieving mother and widow, who witnessed the death of her family. This drives the poor woman insane, and who can blame her. She attacks the murderer and savagely tears the man to pieces using only her bare