There are several key elements to a good revenge tragedy: blood, murder, gore, and manipulation. All of these can be found in the ever-gruesome play Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s take on the Roman tragedy genre is nothing short of brilliantly horrifying. What sets Titus a part, though, are its two principal female characters. Complicated and compelling, the ideal Roman daughter and vengeful foreign Queen make Titus a fascinating piece of Elizabethan theatre. They not only serve a literal purpose, but a greater one that goes beyond the pages of the script. They exemplify the adversities faced by Elizabethan women and manifest the expectations and principles placed on “powerful” females in the 16th century. As characters, Lavinia and Tamora are strikingly different, yet in their contrast they reflect the relationship between women and power in the Elizabethan era.

written by fellow English playwright George Peele. Nevertheless, the play consists of five separate acts with several scenes within them. The Rose Theatre was public, meaning all people were allowed to attend productions regardless of social status. However, since women were not allowed to perform on stage in England until the restoration during the 1660s under King Charles Ⅱ, the roles of Lavinia and Tamora would not have been played by women. Rather, the women would likely have been portrayed by young boys (Wadsworth 267). Contextually, it is important to understand that women were not physically being represented though the characters are thoroughly feminine. 

father live in fame” (Shakespeare 19). In Elizabethan society, as in the play, women are often used as a means of political exchanges of power (Harris 1). As Bernice Harris suggests, Lavinia acts as a “changing piece” or, a masculine symbol of power that is transferred and circulated throughout the beginning of the play (2). When Saturninus proclaims to Titus that he will, “...advance thy name and honorable family (and) Lavinia will I make my empress” he exemplifies this idea by labeling her by name as a means of transaction. Although she possesses this power as a noble woman, the way in which it is used is completely up to the men around her. When the quarrel between the nobleman breaks out over who has claim to Lavinia as a wife, she remains passive and unaffected while they possessively claim, “...this maid is mine” (Shakespeare 27). Though she is ultimately given to Bassianus, Lavinia’s silence enables her function as a symbolic currency of political exchanges and reflects the gender norms and marital practices of Elizabethan society (Harris 1). 

     Complimentary to her noble birth, part of what makes Lavinia so desirable as a woman is her chastity. Serving as a means of social measurement and religious principle, sexuality is a driving force behind Lavinia as a character as well as during the time of Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth modeled herself to look like the Virgin Mary as a way to propagandize virginity and, therefore, power over her people (Doran 32). In the case of Lavinia, her virginity is contingent to her value as a changing piece. In fact, Harris argues that Lavinia is only valuable as long as her chastity is maintained (5). With virginity idolized as a form of feminine power, Lavinia reflects a sexually powerful Elizabethan woman which makes her desired by most of the male characters in the play.

      When Elizabeth took the throne, her principal secretary, William Cecil, presumed she would leave the decision and policy making up to her counselors (Doran 31). However, Elizabeth reigned politically, passing policies and preventing Parliament from enacting legislations without her approval (Doran 31-32). Similar to this, Tamora manipulates Saturninus into making political decisions based on her say so. We see this in Act 1 when she states, “...if ever Tamora were so gracious in those princely eyes of thine...hear me speak indifferently for all” (Shakespeare 39). Additionally, she uses her position to influence the men around her, convincing her sons to rape and kill Lavinia as a political power move against Titus, stating, “Revenge it as you love your mother’s life” (Shakespeare 69). Like Elizabeth, Tamora uses her position in power to make decisions that affect everyone around her, regardless of the fact that she is a female.  

      As the play draws to a climax, Tamora is seen to be the antagonist, as seen in the line “She is the enemy” (Shakespeare 179). Tamora, however, is not the only villain of the story. She is perceived to be the antagonist due to her position and use of power. In her article, "I'll Find a Day to Massacre Them All": Tamora in Titus Andronicus and Catherine de Médicis,” Jo Carney compares Tamora’s development to that of Catherine de Médicis. Médicis, much 

like Tamora, was forced into a politically arranged marriage with a man who became King of France in 1547 (Carney 416). After his death, Catherine ruled as queen and queen mother throughout the reigns of three of her children and was arguably the most powerful woman in Europe for most of the 16th century (Carney 416). Her political control and influence over her children is reflected in Tamora and the way she manipulated the other characters to do her dirty work. Their narratives intersect in the societal consensus that they were to blame for events they did not commit. In the case of Catherine, she was denounced by many political and religious groups for her and her son's role in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in August of 1572 that killed thousands (Carney 416-417). By the end of the play, Titus blames Tamora for all his misfortune and challenges her power by raising an army of Goths to fight her. With her power in jeopardy, Tamora resorts to manipulation to try to save herself, but outwitted and killed by Titus as he yells, “Witness my knife’s sharp point” (Shakespeare 197). Tamora’s relationship to political power is similar to that of 16th century rulers Elizabeth Ⅰ and Catherine de Médicis and reflective of what it was like to have a woman in power in a patriarchal society.

       The power dynamics of Lavinia and Tamora are very different. Lavinia goes from holding as much power in her given society as she can, to being virtually powerless and given up to the judgement of men. Tamora goes from a powerless prisoner, to the most powerful woman in Rome. Their arcs are contrasting yet individually they represent the relationship between women and power in the Elizabethan era. Lavinia reflects the marital arrangements women were put through, as well as the sufferings of rape victims during the 16th century. Tamora resembles the two most powerful women of the 16th century and how their unique position in a world of men made it difficult to be taken seriously 

      In 1597, only three years after the first staging of Titus, Queen Elizabeth passed the first rape legislation in over a century. It took away clerical protection and gave the state full authority to prosecute any perpetrator. In addition, the legislation recognized rape as a crime against the woman as an individual rather than her family (Wynne-Davies 267). This, in turn, enacted a greater significance of the crime and was the beginning of a systematic fight for justice that continues today. Titus Andronicus might

 just be a play, but the mirror it held to society in terms of its women was authentic. Elizabeth's contribution might have just been a small step, but it’s one that sums up the literal and figurative use of these ever-feminine characters.