How have extremes of emotion expressed in Titus Andronicus and selected WW1 poetry been effectively created by the writers’ craft and performance of the drama text onstage, on screen and in the classroom?
Extremes of emotions are a vital part to any text, whether it is a novel, play or poem. In this essay I will be exploring the emotions felt and the techniques used to display these. I will be analysing the revenge tragedy Titus Andronicus; the first play written by the famous playwright William Shakespeare (written between 1593 and 1594), and poems from a selection of World War One war poems, by the war poets Wilfred Owen and Seigfried Sassoon. Both the play and the poems are founded upon violence and revenge, which plays a significant part in both, and it is because of this that strong emotions are felt in both.
The fact that Titus Andronicus was Shakespeare’s first play is a huge factor towards its violence and base around anger; as a budding playwright with no reputation Shakespeare needed to capture the attention of the public in a big way. To do this, he essentially did the best thing possible: base his play around violence. In the late 16th century, violent action had a large audience, due to the macho attitude of the people and the male predominance in both those acting and viewing plays. Titus Andronicus is considered Shakespeare’s most violent play, probably because he did not need any more to make an ‘entrance’ into the theatrical world. As with life, violence will always have a negative outcome on at least one party, and to suit this, the main emotions show in this play are grief and despair.
Both Wilfred Owen DATES and Seigfried Sassoon DATES were soldiers within the first world war, fighting on the front line. Both wrote the majority of their poems whilst in hospital back from the front lines, and actually met each other in Scotland.
To begin with, it is important to understand the historical of the
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