Titus Andronicus : a case study on the Shakespearean play adapted into film by Julie Taymor

Abstract

The inspiration of writing such a dissertation arose from Shakespeare himself The idea that the bard's work is still refreshingly relevant to contemporary life, is felt throughout his work and is something director Julie Taymor sought to explore. The first chapter deals with some historical background of the play and the sources that proved to be inspirational to Shakespeare in the writing of one of his earliest plays. Furthermore this chapter attempts to answer the question on why critics, scholars and directors alike have neglected this early tragedy for so many years. This is followed by a detailed assessment of the central characters in the play and the way some of them seem to be re-echoed in later famous tragedies by the bard. Such a study would not be complete without exploring the predominating themes in this play. Finally the chapter is concluded with a detailed study of the use of figurative language as well as the use of art, which are particularly important in Titus Andronicus. The second chapter deals with some of the aspects of the film directed by Taymor and simultaneously with her seemingly different vision of Shakespeare then that of 'conventional' Shakespearean adapters. This section is followed by a study of Taymor's use of timelessness that is reflected in the costumes designed, the music and most importantly in the characters contemporary attitude. The chapter is concluded by review of what some critics had to say about the timelessness aspect in Taymor's adaptation of Titus.