1.462-64). Tamora put emphasis on her new-founded citizenship as Rome's emperor, which removes all ordinary barriers between the enemies and brings the offended close to the offender into a realm of likeness. Saturninus's marriage is filled with abnormality, and Titus sees the price of this social difference only after his daughter has been disfigured as he mirrors, "That Rome is but a wilderness of tigers?/Tigers must prey, and Rome affords no prey/But me and mine" (3.1.54-6).3 At this point, Titus sees that the war he thought was ended-with the Goth's exodus to Rome-is not ended and is now at the of the city, and he and his family are the main prey of the Goth's warfare. Nancy Paxton closes by saying that Tamora targets Lavinia as a means to Titus's end "Since she cannot strike directly at the men who oppress her, Tamora chooses to revenge herself on Lavinia." Tamora's status of queen allows her to function within the limitations of that position, so all movement against Titus and Rome must be engaged in secretly. Lavinia's expectations are continually enacted on her by others, especially people who are seeking to advance politically and/or payback. Lavinia is the channel for this inter-social conflict between the Roman-Romans and Goth-Romans.
Lavinia's worth is negotiated by the deceitful acts of Demetrius and Chiron, but it is Tamora who foretells Lavinia's worthless mutation with her menacing, intimidating description of the pit in Act II, scene III. As Titus tortured and killed Alarbus-despite Tamora's begging for his life "And if thy sons were ever dear to thee, O, think my son to be as dear to me"-Tamora with the help of her evil sons will especially punish Titus through Lavinia as she will remain unpleasant to Andronicus until her death (1.1.107-8). Yet unlike Titus's abrupt, spiritual reasons for dismembering and killing Alarbus, Tamora exudes with sinister appearances of hatred as she describes the pit, which is an indication of Lavinia's rape and disfigurement: "here nothing breeds," and the pit would "make such fearful and confusèd cries/As any mortal body hearing it/Should straight fall madly, or else die suddenly" (2.
