Titus virtus under attack

"As the film unfolds, alterations of praise and blame in the representations of these body parts closely coalesce with the modulations of Titus's identity as his masculinity or masculine attributes (reason, courage, honor, virtue, and virtues amongst others) are ruthlessly assaulted from all sides."
This is an interesting interpretation of Titus's loss of his hand as a representation of his castration. Titus, who is assaulted by Aaron of his parts is symbolic to Lavina's rape in that they were both deprived of their human bodies of its wholeness in others attempts to objectify it and taking away their identity (feminine). When Titus cut off his hand, he lost his identity and his trace of masculinity. His role of a Roman solider and hero, the chief representative of Rome's values and traditions gave way. Marti points out that his unheroic and embarrassing death fits into this new role of him. This is all very similar to the power/climbing/world image that was discussed in class. He began at the top and quickly fell to the bottom, even though he didn't even want to be at the top.