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in a downward spiral of betrayal and misfortune, Titus' stoicism begins to falter. Ironically, it is only when he has lost control of his emotions entirely and entered a state of madness that he is freed from his ignorance and reaches a state of heightened clarity. Driven insane by his grief, Titus is finally aware of Rome's glaring imperfections and the corruption festering beneath its lawful veneer. In a moment of madness-induced lucidity, he references this newfound understanding:

Why, foolish Lucius, dost though not perceive
That Rome is but a wilderness of tigers?
Tigers must prey, and Rome affords no prey
But me and mine.
(Titus III.i.53-56)

It is only when wracked by uncontrolled emotion, (in Titus' case, extreme grief) that he becomes conscious of extent of his betrayal, and that he is now among enemies in his own, beloved city. Armed with this knowledge, he finally abandons his love of law and civic duty in favor of revenge, a highly emotional and personal act. Though Titus' end is not a happy one, as is the nature of tragedy, he is finally revenged upon Saturnine and the Goths. This is due, in large part, to his abandonment of his former stoicism, which suggests that allowing one's emotions to be influenced by external events can work to one's favor.

Through the characters of Titus Andronicus, The Comedy of Errors, and any number of his other works, Shakespeare proves himself to have been gifted with an understanding of the complexities of thought and emotion underpinning human interaction and existence. It is apparent that he viewed human emotion as an inextricable alloy of the internal and external, and this compound vision serves to imbue his characters with all the depth of feeling of ordinary people placed in extraordinary situations.

Learn more about this author, Matt Dubois.
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