The origins of Holla

Let it be known that not only has Shakespeare come up with the “Your Mom” joke but that he also he came up with the word “Holla.” When I thought that the reading of Shakespeare could not get any better I stumbled upon act 2 scene 1 of Titus Andronicus.
Moving beyond the origins of the word “holla”….
Titus… what a play? In the beginning of the play in my anthology T.S. Eliot is quoted as having said that the play was, “one of the stupidest and most uninspired plays ever written.”
Harsh Eliot. Harsh.
Although, I must agree with him to some extent. Forcing myself through the first two acts I found the play read like an Elizabethan version of Saw. It was bloody and the scenes were just horrifying. I would not recommend reading this before you go to bed. In fact, I wonder how Shakespeare managed to sleep at all during the writing of this play?! Maybe the cutting of tongues was more commonplace then? Even so, it just seems that (at two acts in) anyone who is remotely good is being mutilated, killed, or thrown in jail.
Can I just say that Titus is stupid. I mean, why wouldn’t he just take the role as the king? Why did he think that Saturninus was such a good idea? Especially for the fact that right after he crowned him, Saturninus was asking for Titus’ daughter to marry when she was with Bassianus, Saturninus’ brother! Wasn’t this a clue that Titus shouldn’t run after his sons and daughter, who were fleeing from the wrath of Saturninus, only to kill his youngest son? Come on Titus! Plus, what is up with them talking about themselves in third person?
The only character that I really like in this play is Marcus. He tries to split up Bassianus and Saturnius when they were fighting in the beginning. And he tries to take care of his brother, Titus. He also has an amazing speech at the end of act 2 when he happens upon his niece after she has been raped and her tongue and hands are cut off. It is a bit horrifying when you think of his speaking in his reaction to her because I can’t imagine having words when seeing something so horrible. However, I imagine that the costumes and makeup of the time were not the best forcing the audience to rely on the speeches to know what was going on. Marcus’ speech is moving. He love for his niece and the fact that he carries her mourning as well makes him the most human of the characters. I wonder how Titus will react? Perhaps he will blame his daughter for this misfortune or perhaps he will open his eyes to what is truly happening when he sees his daughter’s current state.

Might I also add that when reading Titus, watch the movie as well. It skips some of the lines but I think that it does it justice by allowing you to see the horror visually as well as hearing it in the lines!