Research.

Why was the play so rejected at the time?

This question lead to an enquiry which was found to disprove the statement in the question as the play Titus Andronicus was very popular in the time at which it was written and played. The play was not rejected but simply did not meet its commercial potential, meaning the money invested was not overrun by the profit made from it. The play was criticised majorly for the severity of violence but was still watched with full audiences regularly. Throughout time critics have quite harshly stated that Titus Andronicus was one of the worst playwrights by the best writer. The play was so brutally criticised due to its lack of structure and uninspiring tone, but on the stage was performed exotically and with exaggerated scenes of unthinkable violence. The predominant reason for its popularity of the time is that in the Elizabethan era males took the large percentage of the theatre up, due to the role of the average woman, which was a ‘housewife’ role which was to provide comfort in her home for her children and husband, therefore spent the majority of her time in their home. This was he perfect audience for his play, as males thrive of gore and violence. The theatre was so male orientated that there were no actresses but simply young males dressed up as women, it was also like this for coloured actors, there were none.

William Shakespeare was a man of the stage, who took part in the most spectacular plays, which were exotic and ‘over the top’, because of this, Titus Andronicus was seen as a play to be performed not merely to be read in black and white. It should involve action and intensity which simply reading does not posses, therefore was popular on the stage but not a commercially.

Before Titus Andronicus was written a gentleman called Thomas Kyd released a play called ‘The Spanish Tragedy’ as in the Elizabethan era revenge tragedies were widely popular, William Shakespeare reacted to this with Titus Andronicus, using his youthful techniques but Includes speeches which are very formal. The play was seen as an apprentice piece, to boost his understood skills as a writer, the play was shocking at the time as it was a strictly Christian society, due to this Titus Andronicus and it’s murderous routine would have been frowned upon by many, also contributing to its commercial failure.