Scott Tenorman Must Die

http://www.allsp.com/

Season 5, Episode 1

This is one of my favorite episode's of South Park. It's humor is (as usual) crude and over the top, but once you reach the end, the reference is obvious. I'd heard that it was based ons ome classic story, but after reading Act V I know. The irony, in my opinion is that this is one of the episodes that people point to as being a moment whent he series sacrifices taste for a laugh, unfortunately i think that Shakespeare would disagree. While Cartman's reaction is perhaps unwarranted, the themes remain the same as those present in Titus. The idea of a figure manipulating the main character, wronging them, and then that character seeking revenge hasn't changed in the past 400 or so years. As a result, it becomes obvious that South Park in its quest to make a joke and shock it's audience (which, when I first saw it, it did), they've managed to introduce a new generation to one of Shakespeare's lesser known tragedies, and thus keep the material fresh and uncompromised.
I could harp on the brilliance of South Park all day, but on with the text. The most poignant lines in this act, I think are the ones spoke by Aaron at the beginning. His concern for his child, coupled with his unrepenant confession of his actions really serve to flesh out his character. In the end, he's a monster that is human at his core. As we can see, he is capable of empathy and compassion (as with the kid) yet he delights in this manipulation and torture that he uses throughout the play. Also brilliant, I though, was Titus' manipulation of Tamora. His repeated assertion that she looks like the queen when she's in disguise builds the tension to an almost unbearable breaking point, and when he takes the sons prisoner it's an excellent end to the scene.