Soren's English Journal

Titus Andronicus Question Aaron’s Soliloquy

What does the figurative language that Aaron uses in his soliloquy at the beginnings of Act 2, Scene 1 suggest to us about his underlying motives in the play?

In order to obtain and hold power, a man must love it.

– LEO TOLSTOY, The Kingdom of God Is Within You

In Act 2, Scene 1 of Titus Andronicus, Aaron is speaking his thoughts about Tamora, the new empress of Rome, who is his apparent lover. Aaron is overall a mysterious character as he has no background information besides his skin colour which means he is shun on by most of Roman society. This makes Aaron become a suspect for spite as he may very well hate society. In his soliloquy he speaks of Tamora, who he holds “fettered in amorous chains.” This furthermore means Tamora is bound to him by chains of love however the fact that he uses the word chains implies that he is holding Tamora prisoner and this further suggests that he is manipulating her through her love hence the word amorous.

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One response to “Titus Andronicus Question Aaron’s Soliloquy”

  1. Christopher Waugh Avatar
    Christopher Waugh

    This is a good start. The points you make are clear, though I would always use an opportunity like this to expand your analysis. You could look at the first section of the soliloquy and explore the use of metaphor and personification there – and taking Alex’s idea of discussing his use of the third person when referring to himself would also add to your argument here.

    Also, watch for accuracy – “he is shun on” is incorrect, and “he has no background information” is incomplete – you’d want to say “Shakespeare has offered us no background information, perhaps thinking that his ethnicity is enough to communicate his character to audiences at the time”

    Thanks, as always, for keeping up with the class work.

    Mr Waugh

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