Words, Language and Actions in ‘Titus Andronicus’: A Conversation with Eleanor Conlon.

Sep 23, 2024

Eleanor Conlon, an actor and award-winning writer, dives deep into 'Titus Andronicus', exploring its layered themes. She passionately defends the play's appeal, highlighting its blend of spectacle and classical references. Eleanor dissects Lavinia’s symbolic role and the complexities of Aaron the Moor, showcasing the nuanced portrayals in the narrative. With insights on staged violence and dark humor, she emphasizes the importance of performance in conveying meaning, arguing that the play's language creates a visceral experience for audiences.

41:53

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insights

INSIGHT

Violence As Period Spectacle

Titus Andronicus sits within a popular Elizabethan tradition of violent spectaculars rather than being mere youthful failure.
Eleanor Conlon argues its gore served commercial and cultural functions for contemporary audiences.

insights

INSIGHT

Revenge Tragedy As Mass Taste

Audiences then, like now, sought out revenge tragedy as a cultural taste.
Conlon compares its appeal to modern true crime or Scandi Noir as mass-culture entertainment.

insights

INSIGHT

Lavinia As Symbolic Honor

Lavinia functions more as a symbol than a fully formed character, embodying family honour.
Her mutilation represents the political and familial collapse of the Andronica.

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Three Ravens podcast and Rust & Stardust

01:16 • 1min

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Why Titus Andronicus appeals

02:44 • 2min

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Context: Elizabethan spectacle and staging

04:47 • 2min

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Authorship and intertextuality

06:52 • 2min

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Audiences, classical allusions and appeal

Shakespeare's fictional Rome and governance

12:47 • 3min

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Aaron the Moor: complexity and sympathy

15:29 • 4min

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The ambiguous ending and Lucius's child

19:46 • 2min

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Language, metaphor and staged violence

22:03 • 5min

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Hand imagery and dark humour

27:23 • 2min

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Titus's madness and the fly scene

29:11 • 2min

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Lavinia's body as language

30:43 • 1min

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Performance matters: viewing over reading

31:59 • 3min

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Marcus's discovery of Lavinia

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Episode 136:

Having given you my own thoughts on ‘Titus Andronicus’ last time I’m pleased to say that for this special guest episode I was able to take the discussion even further with Eleanor Conlon, a fellow podcaster and a theatre professional as you will hear Eleanor has a lot to say about the play and insights that, in some cases, go in different directions from what I was able to say about the play.

Eleanor Conlon is an actor, director, and award-winning writer based in Sussex.

After completing her BA in English Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, Eleanor earned her MA in Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama at Kings College and Shakespeare’s Globe. While at The Globe, Eleanor worked dramaturgically on productions by Dominic Dromgoole Matthew Dunster and Jeremy Herrin, and with Jenny Tiramani on the Original Practices Costume Archive.

After achieving success with her theatre company The Barefoot Players in the late 2000s and early 2010s, with which she produced plays including Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Doctor Faustus and The Alchemist, the latter two of which she also directed, as well as productions of several of Shakespeare’s works, plays by Ibsen, Oscar Wilde, and others, she founded her current and much acclaimed theatre company Rust & Stardust.

Writing over a dozen plays rooted in English folklore, Eleanor has worked with her puppet-maker partner Katie Sommers to tour Rust & Stardust’s shows all over the UK, including their plays The Wild Man of Orford, Black Shuck, The Marsh Demons of Iken, and Doctor Dee’s Daughter and the Philosopher’s with celebrated recorder quartet Palisander.

In addition to recent adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays including The Tempest and Macbeth with Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells, in 2023 she launched the Three Ravens Podcast with her partner Martin Vaux – also a writer and actor – which explores history, legends, and diverse aspects of folk culture.

Featuring original stories each week based on the lore of England’s 39 historic counties, Three Ravens quickly rose into the Top 1% of podcasts globally. It currently sits in the Top 50 UK Fiction Podcasts, with 4.9/5 star ratings on iTunes, Apple Podcasts and Spotify and a passionate fanbase across social media.

For Three Ravens contact:

Website: https://www.threeravenspodcast.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threeravenspodcast/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threeravenspodcast

X: @threeravenspod

For Rust + Stardust Theatre

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eleanorstardust/

Website: https://www.rustandstardust.co.uk

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www.thehistoryofeuropeantheatre.com

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