Trauma and Abandoned Testimony in Titus Andronicus and Rape of Lucrece

This article explores how Shakespeare presents sexual trauma in two of his earlier texts: Titus Andronicus and The Rape of Lucrece. I discuss how and why testimony, a central component of healing in contemporary trauma theory, does not help either of the female rape victims at the center of these two texts. Specifically, this notion of testimony hinges on the power of feminine communication signified by Philomela's tapestry in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Neither Lavinia nor Lucrece have access to a community of women; nor can they use that uniquely feminine communication that offers Philomela a chance at vengeance. Instead, both of Shakespeare's rape victims must rely on the sympathy, actions, and reactions of Roman men and ultimately cannot find peace after their traumatic experiences.