Titus Andronicus - Appearance vs. Reality Just as appearances play an important role in society, they also play an important role in William Shakespeare's play, Titus Andronicus. From the first scene to the last, Shakespeare develops the theme of appearance versus reality through plot and characters. The plot of the play is full of incidents and events that are not what they seem: from Titus's "mental breakdown" and Tamora's prolonged deception, to Aaron's overt actions. Each case presents a contrast between what the senses perceive and what reality presents. Some characters are better defined by their actions than by their speech. Tamora is a true mold for the perfect Machiavellian character. She does not aspire to power, as her marriage to the emperor suggests at first glance, but to revenge. However, she is fatally flawed since she cannot perceive the obvious signs that Titus is on some level aware of the reality around him. She is too absorbed in her own projects, and thus denies the signs of her lucidity. His ruse and extensive plotting are one-sided. She recognizes but does not fully understand Titus' state of mind: TAMORA Act 5, scene 2 (lines 1-8) So in this strange and sad garb I will meet Andronicus, and say that I am vengeance, sent from below to join with him and right his odious wrongs. Knock at his desk, where, they say, he stands, To brood over strange plots of terrible vengeance; Tell him that vengeance has come to join him, And bring confusion upon his enemies. In line 6, she explicitly states that she is aware of Titus's revenge plot against her, but she does not believe that he will carry out his plans, as evidenced by the word "strange." His reason...... middle of paper ...... reality of their situation and their characters. The play is shrouded in deception on diploid levels, with both the plot and the underlying personalities and motivations displaying disparities between appearance and reality. Works cited and consultedBate, Jonathan. "Introduction." Titus Andronicus. The Arden Shakespeare. London: Routledge, 1995. 1-121. Carducci, Jane. “Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus: an experience of expression.” Cahiers Elisabethains 31 (1987): 1-9.Danson, Lawrence N. “The Apparatus of Wonder: Titus Andronicus and Revenge Tragedies.” » Texas Studies in Literature and Language 16 (1974): 27-43. Hulse, S. Clarke. "Destroying the Alphabet: Oratory and Action in 'Titus Andronicus.'" Critique 21 (1979): 106-18. Shakespeare, William. “Titus Andronicus” The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor. New York/London, WW Norton Company, 1997.