Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare

34 reviews

indepen's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Murder, Violence, and Rape

Since it’s a play text there is not a graphic description, but there is rape, murder, and violence.

megmata's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, Misogyny, Rape, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Gore, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Infidelity

carrieclothwright's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

This is horrific, zero points Will.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Racism, Torture, Death, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Murder

This play is a bunch of people killing and maiming and raping each other. I'm surprised there's anyone left at the end. Skip it; not even the language makes this one worth it. CW: rape

One of the women is raped by two men, then her hands cut off and her tongue cut out so that she cannot indicate who perpetrated the violence. One of the characters is black, and I know times were different etc etc but there are multiple references to the blackness of his skin equating to the blackness of his soul, and just.... no.

sophia_ryann's review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Murder, Death, Kidnapping, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Blood

malenesp's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Gore, and Blood

Moderate: Racism

kingcrookback's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This isn't my first time reading Titus Andronicus, but somehow the level of violence was still a bit shocking. Between the violence and the racism, this is one of Shakespeare's most difficult plays, though it's very much in the vein of revenge tragedies of the time. There are also some very interesting and complex details to be found here. Unlike Shakespeare's other Roman plays, Titus's story is fictional, not historical, but it's fascinating to see how Shakespeare drew from the Renaissance humanist education that many boys would have received in England at the time. The myth of Philomela, as told by Ovid, exerts significant influence on the play and raises some intriguing questions about women's behavior in patriarchal societies (for example, how lateral aggression between women upholds a patriarchal value system that exerts control over women). The play also sets up juxtapositions between supposed opposites that actually turn out to exhibit significant similarities--Romans vs. Goths, legitimate vs. illegitimate behavior, etc.--which brings to light the instability of concepts such as normality, propriety, and morality as social constructs and thus arbitrary. The aggressive anti-Black racism around Aaron's whole character is...upsetting, to say the very least. And even though one can argue that his villainy is in service of directing attention to the inhumane treatment he's faced, the fact remains that his character affirms anti-Black sentiments within and without the play. There may be some merit to him, but Othello he is not.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gore, Racism, Rape, Blood, Sexual violence, and Cannibalism

Moderate: War

Minor: Xenophobia

emma6544's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence

readingwithalex02's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This might be my favourite Shakespeare play I’ve read/watched so far (shout out to the Globe theatre production). It felt like something out of Game of Thrones; so dark and tragic and violent. One of his most underrated plays I think

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Rape, and Violence

matt315's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

contains the best shakespeare line, “villain, i have done thy mother”

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Murder, Infidelity, Gore, Death, Kidnapping, Violence, Racism, and Misogyny

jjstallone's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

Not my favorite from Shakespeare, but worth the read. What happens to Lavinia is disgusting, and it loses a whole star for making me read that.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Grief, and Violence