{"id":{"repo_id":"mo-state","oai_identifier":"oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-1235"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mo-state/oai:bearworks.missouristate.edu:theses-1235","repository":{"repo_id":"mo-state","name":"Missouri State University","base_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Mis/Reading the Hero: a Case For Aaron in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus","abstract":"Traditionally, Shakespearean scholars have interpreted Aaron the Moor in Titus Andronicus as the play's villain. These scholars have held to the notion that as the villain, Aaron is evil incarnate and embodies all that countermands the order of the Roman patriarchy. I assert that these scholars have failed to consider the implications of the play's \"hyper-racialized\" state upon those who are deemed \"other\"-specifically Aaron, whose skin is black. In this thesis, I will illustrate that Michael Foucault's theories of historicism create for contemporary scholars new methods with which to interrogate the discourses of \"race\" and to offer fresh understandings of Aaron's subject position in the play. Futhermore, utilizing Jacques Derrida's notion of \"play\" and M.M. Bakhtin's configurations of heroes in polyphonic texts, I will \"mis/read\" the play to prove that Aaron is the hero of this earliest Shakespearean tragedy.","abstract_html":"Traditionally, Shakespearean scholars have interpreted Aaron the Moor in Titus Andronicus as the play's villain. These scholars have held to the notion that as the villain, Aaron is evil incarnate and embodies all that countermands the order of the Roman patriarchy. I assert that these scholars have failed to consider the implications of the play's "hyper-racialized" state upon those who are deemed "other"-specifically Aaron, whose skin is black. In this thesis, I will illustrate that Michael Foucault's theories of historicism create for contemporary scholars new methods with which to interrogate the discourses of "race" and to offer fresh understandings of Aaron's subject position in the play. Futhermore, utilizing Jacques Derrida's notion of "play" and M.M. Bakhtin's configurations of heroes in polyphonic texts, I will "mis/read" the play to prove that Aaron is the hero of this earliest Shakespearean tragedy.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Clem, Bill"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts in English","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Mary Baumlin"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1998,"date_issued":"1998-07-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"1998-07-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:15:17Z","subjects":["English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":["© Bill Clem"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/234","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Mary Baumlin"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Clem, Bill"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts in English"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© Bill Clem"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/234"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Traditionally, Shakespearean scholars have interpreted Aaron the Moor in Titus Andronicus as the play's villain. These scholars have held to the notion that as the villain, Aaron is evil incarnate and embodies all that countermands the order of the Roman patriarchy. I assert that these scholars have failed to consider the implications of the play's \"hyper-racialized\" state upon those who are deemed \"other\"-specifically Aaron, whose skin is black. In this thesis, I will illustrate that Michael Foucault's theories of historicism create for contemporary scholars new methods with which to interrogate the discourses of \"race\" and to offer fresh understandings of Aaron's subject position in the play. Futhermore, utilizing Jacques Derrida's notion of \"play\" and M.M. Bakhtin's configurations of heroes in polyphonic texts, I will \"mis/read\" the play to prove that Aaron is the hero of this earliest Shakespearean tragedy."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Mis/Reading the Hero: a Case For Aaron in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Mary Baumlin"],"dc:creator":["Clem, Bill"],"dc:description.abstract":["Traditionally, Shakespearean scholars have interpreted Aaron the Moor in Titus Andronicus as the play's villain. These scholars have held to the notion that as the villain, Aaron is evil incarnate and embodies all that countermands the order of the Roman patriarchy. I assert that these scholars have failed to consider the implications of the play's \"hyper-racialized\" state upon those who are deemed \"other\"-specifically Aaron, whose skin is black. In this thesis, I will illustrate that Michael Foucault's theories of historicism create for contemporary scholars new methods with which to interrogate the discourses of \"race\" and to offer fresh understandings of Aaron's subject position in the play. Futhermore, utilizing Jacques Derrida's notion of \"play\" and M.M. Bakhtin's configurations of heroes in polyphonic texts, I will \"mis/read\" the play to prove that Aaron is the hero of this earliest Shakespearean tragedy."],"dc:identifier":["https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/234"],"dc:rights":["© Bill Clem"],"dc:subject":["English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["Mis/Reading the Hero: a Case For Aaron in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts in English"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:15:17Z"}