Open Prompt - Essay 3

1972. In retrospect, the reader often discovers that the first chapter of a novel or the opening scene of a drama introduces some of the major themes of the work. Write an essay about the opening scene of a drama or the first chapter of a novel in which you explain how it functions in this way.

Opening scenes of dramas are powerful and are meant to draw the audience into the story both figuratively and literally.  Dramas that begin with short bloody scene usually leave more of a print on the audience and have them on the edge of their seats wanting to know more. In Shakespeare's first tragedy, Titus Andronicus, the opening scene introduces the three major themes that become the meaning and overall purpose of the drama . The opening scene through detail and imagery introduces the themes of power, war and revenge.

The opening speeches from the two sons of the late Roman emperor drive the audience to decide on their values and ideas of what their country should be. When Titus returns a war hero for the Romans bringing the Queen of the Goths and her three sons as prisoners, he is offered the throne. Titus speaks to the Roman people saying that he would rather another take the throne so they can cause trouble and have the burdens of being king. He continues on reminding the people of his years as a soldier and how he would rather be honored and remembered as a soldier than a king. This imagery introduces Titus' views on power and those who are fit to be in power as well as the life of a Roman soldier and the weight it carries both at and away from Rome. 

The theme of war continues when the Queen of the Goths and her three sons are revealed to the people as the last prisoners. While the war is over the Roman people still call for bloodshed and the death of the remaining prisoners.This continued call for violence shows Titus as well as the audience that the Roman people have no care for mercy or human feelings, qualities that are not associated with many wars. To avoid a riot by his own people Titus agrees but in doing so sets the constant cycle of revenge in motion. To save her eldest son from sacrifice the Queen of the Goths, Tamora, pleads with Titus calling him a merciful man and a powerful man to Rome. By telling Titus what he wants to hear Tamora believes that she has saved her son and come into favor with Titus himself. She is gravely misktaken when Titus orders the sacrifice to be preformed right before her eyes. 

To recover from her sons death Tamora plays with the new emperors emotions and gets herself into a new position of power, the wife of the Emperor of Rome. Tamora denounces her previous race saying that she never belonged and has always admired the people and city of Rome. By doing this she establishes her dominance over Rome and now holds the control over those who held her fate.

The struggles of human power mixed with the complexity of human emotions can show many different themes. The themes of Titus Andronicus bring about the idea that power, control and dominance are what those in power live for and are expected to do on a daily basis. To not do so would show weakness and failure, leading to a whole new area of theme and life.