Titus Andronicus has been regarded by many scholars, including Ben Jonson and T.S. Eliot, as an inferior play, lacking the depth and inspiration of Shakespeare's other tragedies.
It is a revenge play, with an unashamed focus on violence and horror and bloodshed. The motifs of mutilation and atrocity especially revulse contemporary audiences, but the play needs to be considered in light of the fact that it is distinct from the rest of Shakespeare's tragedies. Rather than insight into the self which is encouraged by King Lear, for example, Titus Andronicus is successful only in giving the overwhelming impression that human relations inevitably capitulate in violence and brutality.
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Sparknotes: Titus Andronicus -- summaries of the scenes, information on context and characters; useful mainly for school students
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/titus/
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