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Aaron In Titus Andronicus Essay

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In Shakespeares tragedy, Titus Andronicus, Aaron, a Moor and a slave, uses his influence on Tamora to create havoc in Rome because the whites treat him poorly due to him being a black slave.

Because Aaron is a Moor, he is automatically considered an outcast. He is born into a society which spell[s] out with brutal claritythat [he is] a worthless human being(Baldwin, Dungeon Shook). His society treats him as though he is nothing. It would not matter if he existed because it was only worth half a cent to kill a nigger, and half a cent to bury one,(Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass). Aaron is forced to walk the streets of Rome, live in hate, and follow orders from others. This is probably why he causes destruction in the state.

Nobody ever really shows compassion or love toward Aaron in the tragedy. This is likely another reason why he decides to do all of the terrible deeds. Aaron has no emotional ties to anybody in the state, so he feels no remorse committing all of the crimes. The Romans are not kind toward [him] and do not treat him as [a] humble friend(Seneca, Letter to a Stoic). Instead, they treat Aaron as how Aristotle says to treat slaves: as tools, instruments, and living possessions. His society does not even think he is human, such as how Baldwins society decide[s] that black men are not really men. When the nurse sees Aarons child, she calls the baby a devil. Because of this, Tamoras son, Chiron, wants to kill the child, the only thing Aaron loves in his life. Due to the lack of compassion and love from his society, Aaron builds up hate, and unleashes it by getting revenge on the Andronicus family.

He achieves his goal by using Tamora. She is the closest thing to a person who loves Aaron. However, Aaron takes advantage of this and uses his influence on Tamora to carry out malicious plans. Aaron is the mastermind behind the horrifying rape of Lavinia. Also, he is responsible for the death of Bassianus and the amputation of Tituss hand. The vengeful slave uses Tamora to get her sons to perform the deeds and create chaos in the royal family. Eventually, he is stopped. Nonetheless, Aaron does not let slaveryhold [him] with its foul embrace(Frederick Douglass, Narrative) and, in a way, achieves his goal by using Tamora to cause trouble in the Andronicus family which makes Rome deteriorate as a state.

Aaron uses his influence on Tamora to get revenge on his society. Although Aaron is cruel and cold-blooded for carrying out those actions, his society forces him to do them because the Romans treat Aaron as if he is not worth anything. In the end, Aaron is not to blame for his actions, but the whole state should be instead.

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