It seems Billy Shakes was relieving some blood rage with this one.
This play relates a violent and gory cycle of revenge between Titus, a Roman general, and Tamora, the Queen of the Goths. I’d say it’s like the Oresteia on crack, but the events of the Oresteia are nowhere near as fucked up as in this play. The atrocities reach shocking heights, including but not limited to, rape, mutilation, and cutting off tongues—and that's just the crap committed against one person in the span of, like, an hour. Dismemberment, cannibalism, and much more permeate the rest of the play.
I’ve read the play and watched the Anthony Hopkins film adaptation. Both left a bad taste in my mouth, and I couldn’t stomach the taste of beef for at least a few weeks.
I wish I could say something more about the language, the meaning behind the story, but honestly, I am at a loss with this one.
2 stars and not really recommended for the faint of heart. Though, I still think it's worth reading at least once since it is Shakespeare.
