A 'Ludicrous and Inappropriate' Dinner Guest:

The Character of the Titus Andronicus Fly

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12745/et.28.1.5636

Keywords:

Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus, corporeality, subjectivity, objectivity, selfhood, identity, entymology

Abstract

This article proposes a new approach to Titus Andronicus's infamous ‘Fly-Killing Incident’ in act 3, scene 2 which prioritizes the role of the segmented fly as a character alongside the dismembered Andronici. Rejecting the critical tendency to read the diminutive figure as a passive emblem for interpreting humanity, this article explores the subjectivity of the fly as an individual with a particular focus on the implications of its murder and dismemberment. Whilst acknowledging its often-flippant critical history, this article asks, ‘What if we took the fly seriously’?

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Published

2025-06-10

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Articles

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