Foolish Criminals

I agree with most of what's been said. The forest represents a place of transformation to everyone who symbolizes or participates in the old way of doing things. Bassianus is royal because his father was, Lavinia is important because she not only married Bassianus but is the daughter of the man who won great military battles. They both reach their downfalls in the forest. That Marcus discovers his niece and the things that have happened to her, I question. Maybe I missed something, but weren't Demetrius and Chiron supposed to prevent her from telling on them? I was under the impression that they would kill her and therefore make her fate undiscoverable. Though cutting off her tongue and hands might keep her from speaking or weaving the identities of her attackers into a tapestry, what's to stop Marcus from pointing at every man who was supposed to be on the hunt and asking Lavinia if that was him? She can nod her head. Couldn't they have gouged out her eyes or something so she couldn't see? They already raped her and cut off her hands and tongue, gouging out her eyes wouldn't be that big of a deal after all that. I feel that they haven't covered their tracks very well and that there are still ways for her to identify them without Marcus having to speak for her. Also, why is railing at her assailants all that Marcus is going to do? Rail at them? Really? That's it? While I agree that he's the voice of reason here, I believe Lavinia would have told him, if she could talk, that he was an unkind (unnatural) uncle for not avenging her and I would have to agree. I wonder that Shakespeare abandons this principle of 'natural' affection for his reasonable elected official.