As I look through the assorted posts here the first thing that catches my attention can be described in just five words, “Gratuitous Violence and Dramatic Treachery”. I guess it doesn’t really matter what time frame or era we like to think we exist in as one thing remains the same for a great many people: drama, betrayal, and violence sells. Granted, probably not as much as sexual objectification, but still… This “relatively simple” idea is prevalent in just SO much of the multimedia that many of us consume on a daily basis, most especially in the television and movie industries, and is actually quite diverse. From a ridiculous amount of explosions (any Michael Bay movie ever) to gory slashers and thrillers (the Saw movie franchise for example) we see its many forms pretty much every where. And, oh boy, don’t even get me started on the amount of dramas that are watched, as well as read, that are filled with characters that we just love to hate. *Cough* Game of Thrones *Cough*!
Like I said though, the use of concepts that we would find abhorrent in our daily lives to entertain us is not a new phenomenon. Shakespeare, as well as many others I assume, knew of this and used it just as it is used today. Or, seemingly, very nearly at least. If you don’t believe me just look at Titus Andronicus. I mean, holy crap! Yes, it has other very valid points that could be said about it and Shakespearians have analysed the characters every way to Sunday for centuries, but I’m going to go out on a bit of a limb here and say that the one thing this play will be remembered for first and foremost is the many violent acts that are portrayed. Now, while I see most of these bigger acts as being on par with one another on my personal “Violence (That’s just not right!) Meter” the one I want to focus on is near the end of the play, when Titus feeds Tamora her own children in a pie.
For this post we were supposed to find and illustrate for all of you lovely readers out there how the ideas used in many of Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into the modern world. Well, I found cannibalism being used for the sake of humour. And it is only just now, as read through my last sentence, that I hear just how ridiculous that sounds. Just watch, you’ve been warned:
Pretty screwed up right? Yeah, I thought so too. Anyway, I guess my point is that one of the major factors for a play like Titus Andronicus is still widely used today and, in all honesty, I don’t think it’s going anywhere. And don’t get me wrong, while I’m nowhere near a fan of slashers and the like personally, I can’t say I’m immune to the pull of such things. After all, if I was I wouldn’t have found the episode that the above clip comes from. So in a lot of ways I’m just like many others, but I’m not here to preach that such things are inherently bad or some such just that this is a thing and that I don’t think it’s going anywhere.
Shax Lives 
I have to laugh that i put in the wrong age and it said that I was an insufficient age to access this video. I have four children and the gift of mother’s day was to discover a white hair, but apparently I am too young to watch this video!. Shakespeare in its true form is more violent than most people realize. It just takes a little imagination than having television play it out on a large screen television.
My nana raised me, so bare with me. Do you remember old time black and white romances? The guy carried the girl up the stairs into the room the the next morning you saw them in their pajamas?!?!? Shocking I know! No one needed to tell you what they did or draw you a diagram, but there was something incredibly sexy about it. So much more sexy than, lets say 50 Shades of Gray. Yup, I went there. Just because someone can shock you, doesn’t make it sexy.
Same thing with Shakespeare. Titus Andronicus had an amazing amount of violence and horrific cannibalism, but nothing is actually seen on stage. My imagination is so much worse. That is what what we need in today society. More imagination, and less television doing it for us.
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