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  • Essay / Aaron, the villain in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus

    "The function of wisdom is to distinguish between good and evil"Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay -Cicero- There are villainous characters throughout the history of literature who capture our greatest fears of hatred, revenge, and psychotic behavior. However, the complexity of the characters one comes to love arises when, suddenly, the character manifests some sort of moral condition or provides understandable reasoning for their psychotic actions. From Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (who later received sympathetic reviews from audiences due to his discrimination and his conflicts with his daughter) to modern day villains such as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of Silence by Thomas Harris. Lambs (who was discovered to find love for his protégé), these characters symbolize humanity and give readers optimism in that not everything and everyone is purely concentrated evil or good , there's rather a bit of both emotions inside even the most psychotic villains. Aaron the Moor, taken from Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, is, however, only described as a treacherous and detestable individual who encompasses all that is truly diabolical and malevolent in humanity. Aaron's character shows no sympathy for those around him, including his own flesh and blood, unless this process brings him greater benefit. Additionally, although Aaron was eventually confronted with all of his crimes, he never showed remorse and demonstrated a lack of empathy towards his victims, making him a modern-day sociopath. Although Aaron was not Titus' only villain, the other characters were motivated by their own cause to pursue a malicious path (for example, Tamora became an evil person when her son was sacrificed in front of her). Nonetheless, Aaron was the only character who never rationalized his actions, or even attempted to justify his behavior. Through his character, his nefarious deeds, and his dialogue, Aaron is truly portrayed as the supreme and primordial symbol of evil. Aaron is the stereotypical embodiment of pure sin and immorality. He has qualities that are frowned upon by society and considered ungodly and malicious. First, an imperative characteristic that Aaron possesses that also makes him purely evil is that he is black and proud of it. The color black, especially in Shakespeare's time, was considered ungodly and mysterious, as well as being associated with the devil. Aaron is fully aware of this, and when his son is called evil because of his skin color, Aaron responds, "Zounds, damn, is black such a low shade?" (line 71 4.2) and “Coal black is better than any other shade” (line 98). He saw himself and his son as superior to the white Romans, and his sense of dominance and arrogance in this era, when skin color was truly everything, helped the public perceive him and evil . Plus, Aaron was completely perverted in his conversations. , never letting an opportunity pass without hinting at a crude sexual act, etc. For example, in lines 13-14 of Act 2, scene 1, "To ride aloft with their imperial mistress, and ride on her ground which, though long in triumph..." or lines 95 -96, "Why then, it seems that some snatch or two would serve your turn". By speaking so perversely in front of the audience, and even in front of the female characters, Aaron is seen as vulgar and".