Titus Adronicus

[kenkyodeshi]

The question I profess to you is this- What is the difference between personal justice and revenge?

Titus says himself he has no found no justice and shoots his pleas to the gods. Then he goes about planning his revenge. Does justice have to come from an authoritative position or can one take it upon his own hands to do the same that which the government would do?

Just some short notes: Time- Imperial Rome A.D.
Author- Shakespeare
Context-the inheritance of the kingdom

[Kootje]

I think it should go through the goverment because the can see it from a different visions while 'titus' is filled with anger because of his los, even if the goverment does the same thing as he would do it wouldn't be justice when he acted alone and selfishly

[kenkyodeshi]

It could go through the government except for the fact that the government was the one who did the injustice to Titus. The question is when personal government fails to do justice because of corruption, can one do personal justice to satisfy personal satification or should another do it for him?

[TwilightFlower]

Titus could not have managed objective justice. The entire play was one personal vendetta after another until there was nobody left to kill. Both sides let their judgements become clouded by grief, rage, and greed. If there had been an objective third party to pass judgement, perhaps it oculd have been obtained. However, no such object individual existed. Therefore, no true objective justice was administered.

[kenkyodeshi]

But can you really say that it was a personal vendetta? The play revolves around religon as well. The opening scene was the sacrifice of Tomorah's son due to the spirit's call of justice. Now since we only have that one religon to deal with is Tomorah's revenge just revenge or perhaps her religon demanded blood for blood. However that would not account for the amount of blood that she took from Titus. Titus, however, only took the blood of the people which his religon said too. Such as her first son, Chiron and Demetrius for the rape of Lavinia. Titus also kills his own daughter due to the answer of Saturninus, Titus based his question off of Virginius who kills his own daughter that was raped. Why? Well, the question is about culture, a raped women was a disgrace, that's why so many conquering armies raped and pillaged. Anyway, the fact of the matter is according to religion, Titus had done what was right by taking the lives he did. In light of his religon can one say that justice itself was done outside of the central government?