Shakespeare's first tragedy, Titus Andronicus, sets the stage for most of his future works. According to the scholar Danielle A. St. Hilaire, throughout the work Shakespeare uses quotations from Greek and Latin literary works both to demonstrate that he, as his contemporary, had a solid preparation in classical studies, and to give credibility to the Ancient Roman setting (316). Furthermore, by quoting Roman authors such as Seneca and Ovid, Shakespeare can predict and justify the characters' actions, as well as express the characters' feelings and thoughts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay At the beginning of the work, Saturninus, newly proclaimed emperor, decides that he will marry Lavinia, who was already engaged to his brother Bassianus. Even if the role of emperor legitimizes his decision, Bassianus does not want to give up his beloved; there is nothing they can do to change Bassiano's mind. However, Roman traditions must be respected and, as Marcus Aurelius explains, “Suum cuique is our Roman justice” (1.1.280). By directly quoting the words of Marcus Tullius Cicero which have become a precept of Roman law (Treccani), Marcus not only reinforces the role of Saturninus, but also legitimizes an immoral action as a legal action. Bassianus cannot refuse to act according to the law, especially if the law is embodied by his brother. It is in fact to legitimize an immoral action that Shakespeare quotes and mentions Latin works. If Ovid had not written about Philomela being raped and mutilated by King Tereus, Aaron would never have come up with the idea that "Philomela [of Bassianus] must lose her tongue" (2.3.43), or if Seneca had not written about Atreus' revenge towards Thyestes, Titus would never have “cooked in that cake” (5.3.61) Demetrius and Chiron so that their mother could eat them. Both Aaron and Titus' ideas are immoral and cruel; however, they have a literary antecedent that makes them seem reasonable. Furthermore, the simple fact of having a literary antecedent makes the audience feel more distant from these actions which are recognized as merely works of art even while they are represented on stage. Yet literary antecedents are not only sources used to strengthen the credibility of the work, but also the literary device used to explain a character's feelings and thoughts. For example, Lavinia's grief is not peculiar, but is characteristic of the human condition as it is as strong as the grief Aeneas feels as he tells "the tale twice / How Troy was burned and made wretched" (3.2.27-28). Both the sufferings of Aeneas and Lavinia, respectively the founder of the colony that will later become Rome and the personification of the city of Rome in the work, are a metaphor for the misery that passes through the empire of Rome throughout the entire work. Rome, in fact, is subject to the greatest misfortune that could happen to it: it is governed by an emperor who decides to marry a goth, putting the enemy at the head of the empire. Furthermore, it is through the use of background literature that Lavinia's family can understand what happened to her. Reading Ovid's metamorphosis that the young Lucius continues to carry with him, Titus understood that “Lavinia, if I were so surprised, sweet maiden, / Ravish'd and wrong'd, as Philomela was” (4.1.52-53). As a result, Latin literature becomes a means of communication not only between the character of the work but also between the characters and the audience. The overall plot of the tragedy would not have made sense without knowing all the literary antecedents to which Shakespeare refers. These literary antecedents, in fact, represent the essential narrative framework for Titus Andronicus. Please note: this is just an example., 2017.