The postlapsarian curse of senescence and the various ailments and fragilities that accompany it have provided subject matter for much literary discussion in the recent years. On the one hand there is a quiet acceptance of the approaching inevitability of death on the other there is an ululation over loss of youth, power and potential for greatness. To tackle the disquietude of one’s own ephemeral existence, one may resort to either a stoic acceptance of the inexorable reality and submit to the idea: momento mori[i]; or revel in the hedonistic realization of carpe diem[ii]. This paper explores Shakespeare’s attempt to chronicle the process of aging as well as to comment on the vacillating command of an aging man over his cognitive and physical faculties. With fields like gerontology and medical humanities growing in critical importance in the recent years, it is interesting to study how the passage of time impacts an individual’s agency and identity. The paper attempts to answer these questions taking Titus Andronicus as the core text.

Keywords: Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus, Agency, Senility, Gerontology, Identity, Medical Humanities.

Views (39)