Language and writing are a big deal in Titus Andronicus, especially where women's voices are concerned. When Lavinia's tongue and hands are cut off after a brutal sexual assault, she is completely powerless and unable to name her attackers. Once she finds a way to use a classic literary text (Ovid's Metamorphoses) to communicate, literature rescues her from a life of silence and enables a kind of rebirth. (For more on this topic, check out "Character Clues: Speech and Dialogue.")
Questions About Language and Communication
- Why do Demetrius and Chiron cut out Lavinia's tongue?
- Why does Marcus make a big speech when he finds Lavinia wandering around in the woods?
- What is the significance of the way in which Lavinia reveals her attackers?
- What is the significance of Young Lucius's storybooks in Titus Andronicus? What role do they play?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Reading and writing are the key to recovery in Titus Andronicus.
Lavinia was silenced long before Demetrius and Chiron cut out her tongue.