In the section of my thesis entitled “Canonical Cannibals,” I discuss two classical stories – Titus Andronicus by Shakespeare and “Tereus, Procne and Philelmola” from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. These stories are of particular importance to my larger argument, because they present clear examples of the humanist modes of thought at work with in much of traditional literature. In both works cannibal figures (both literal and metaphorical) are made animal in some sense or another, asserting that a singular divide between man and animal must be upheld to preserve a glorified notion of humanity.
Brief Synopses:
“Tereus, Procne and Philelmola”
In the story “Tereus, Procne and Philomela,” two vengeful women lash out at the abusive and lustful Tereus by making him a cannibal. Even more horrifying, the women feed Tereus the dismembered young Itys, Tereus and Procne’s son.
Titus Andronicus
This dramatic work draws from Ovid’s tale “Tereus, Procne and Philelmola,” changing the story into something even more gruesome, ultimately creating cannibals out of (almost) all characters involved (in the metaphorical and literal sense).
Connections to The Walking Dead
Shane mimics the character Aaron from Titus Andronicus as he infiltrates the Grimes family through sex with Lori, the matriarch.
Rick is much like Titus in that he focuses on the normative family as a unit of preserving the world that once was. Additionally, his physical and mental decline mirror that of the patriarch of the Andronici.
