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Simile
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Black Dog:
In Act 5, Scene 1, Aaron and his son are caught by the Goths and taken prisoner. Desperate to preserve the life of his child, Aaron promises to tell Lucius about the evil, heinous deeds he has committed, as well as Tamora’s ongoing pursuit of vengeance. He proceeds to by enumerating every wrong ever enacted by himself, Tamora, Chiron, and Demetrius. Lucius and the Goths, in turn, grow more and more aghast, until one onlooker cannot help but ask if the man has any shame at all (“What, canst thou say all this and never blush?”). Aaron responds with the following simile:
Aye, like a blush like a black dog, as the saying is.
This simile, while short, gives Aaron’s character significantly more depth. It is telling that Aaron’s response to the question of his shame is not to deny its existence, but rather its appearance. While he goes on to state that he does not regret his actions and would even do more bad deeds should the occasion arise, Aaron’s words betray a motivation that is not driven purely by plain-old evil. This simile highlights Aaron’s shameless behavior while also making a pun about his skin, the very thing that nearly gets him in trouble when Tamora’s baby is born with skin of a similar tone (thus revealing his paternity). As an outsider in terms of foreign origin and skin color, Aaron’s position in the play and in his lover’s heart is precarious, even as he seeks to enact their revenge. Thus, his focus on appearance implicitly signals his own embittered understanding of his place within Roman society.
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