I.iii, 67) with Aaron. The act of adultery is clearly a very unfeminine one however, she commits this with out a second thought and both her and her new child suffers as result. Tamora’s decision to commit adultery with Aaron the Moor leads to a greater complication for the new empress. In act four scene two of the play it is revealed that she gives birth to a black child, which would ultimately serve as the “Empress’ shame and stately Rome’s disgrace.” (Shakespeare, IV.ii, 60) As the nurse remarks that, “the Emperor in his rage will doom her death.” (Shakespeare, IV.ii, 113-114) Ania Loomba “Much like today racial conflict was very much a popular theme in Shakespeare’s times,” (Loomba, 151) and through Tamora’s actions show what a hot topic it was for such peoples in the sixteenth century. She receives this new child of hers with so much contempt that she order’s it dead and such actions clearly lack any kind of motherliness. As result of her adulterous actions, Tamora suffers the burden of unwanted child, which could lead to her own death and the child suffers the sadness of not being only rejected by his own mother but to be ordered to death by her as well. The next event where Tamora’s shows an absence of womanliness is during the rape of Lavinia. Valerie Traub attacks her character claiming “Tamora, who enlists the aid of her own two sons commits an action so horrid that the reader cannot but feel contempt for her.” (Traub, 130) Traub’s attack is clearly justified as Tamora coldly turns her back to Lavinia’s please that, “Where never man’s eyes behold my body...Do this, and be a charitable murder,” (Shakespeare II.iii, 177,178 and responds devoid of any femininity, “Farewell, my sons, see that you make her sure, spleenful sons this trull deflow’r.” (Shakespeare 186-187, 190). The ra...
