Comparing The Play 'Thyestes And Titus Andronicus'

The plays Thyestes by Seneca and Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare have several similarities regarding life and death. Titus Andronicus and Atreus both regard murder as a tool for their means and destroy as they please for their benefit. This is shown with how Atreus disgraces Thyestes by killing his sons in order to fulfill a revenge plot that goes against the furies. This is also shown with Titus when he sacrifices Tamora’s eldest son Alarbus for the gods and murders his own son Mutius to keep his honor. These important male characters have biased views in regards to the dead and religion which signifies their disgrace to the audience as well as other characters. Thyestes has a central theme around how characters relate to the dead. This is shown through Atreus’ thoughts as well as the actions of the attendant, messenger, and Thyestes. The attendant is an important character because he reveals Atreus’ beliefs and attitudes towards the gods. Atreus’ manipulation is best shown with his own words, “Do you think I want to be king on sufferance? Let them / suffer whatever they must and, first of all, me” (217-219). In ancient Greece, power was believed to be held in the hands of the people under democratic rule. As the sovereign, Atreus wants to rule with totalitarianism …show more content…
Atreus is rebellious against godly power so much that he equates himself as a god even saying “No god remains, but only myself” (896) whereas Titus is loyal to the gods, and is duly punished for it. This shows that the gods wanted strife, and it is a gamble amongst who dies. When Atreus shows his disbelief in the gods, he shows his hubris which destroys his credibility in the eyes of those who know such as the attendant who proclaims “without honor and virtue, what is a throne”(219). As both characters use the gods for their own needs, they either have, or will have ample punishments awaiting