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William Shakespeares Titus Andronicusis a publicat ion of th e Pen nsylvan ia St at e Un iversit y.Th is Port able Documen t f i le is furn ishe d free and witho ut any ch arge of any k ind.Any p ersonusin g th is docum en t f i le , for any purpose , and in any way doe s so a t h is or her own r i sk .Neith er t he Pen nsylvan ia St at e Universit y n or J im Man is, Faculty Editor, nor an yone associat ewith th e Pennsylvania Sta t e Universi ty assumes any responsib il ity for th e m ate r ia l conta inedwith in t he document or for th e f ile as an e lectronic t ransmission , in an y way.

William Shakespeares Titus Andronicus , t he Pen n sylvan ia St at e University, Jim Man is, Faculty EditorHazleton , PA 18201-1291 is a Portable Documen t File produ ced as pa rt of an ongoing st uden t pu btion project to bring classical works of literature, in English, to free and easy access of those wishi

to make use of th em.

Cover design by Jim Manis; art: William Blake.Portrait of Shakespeare, c. 1 800 - 1803:t emperaon canvas , approximately 16 x 32 inches .

Copyrigh t 1998 Th e Pen n sylvan ia St at e Universit y

The Penn sylvania Stat e Universi ty i s an equal opp or tun i ty Universi ty.

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TITUS ANDRONICUS( w r i tt e n a b o ut 1 5 8 8 - 1 5 9 0 )

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

SATURNINUS: son to the la te Empe ror o f Rom e, andafterwards declared Emperor.

BASSIANUS: brother to Saturnin us; in love with Lavin ia.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: a noble Rom an, gen eral agains t

the Goths .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: tr ibune o f the people, and brothe rto Titus.

LUCIUS, QUINTUS, MARTIUS & MUTIUS: sons to TitusAndronicus .

Young LUCIUS: a boy, son to Lucius.

PUBLIUS: son to Marcus the Tribune .

SEMPRONIUS, CAIUS & VALENTINE: k insmen to Ti tus .

AEMILIUS: a nob le Roman .

ALARBUS, DEMETRIUS & CHIRON: sons to Tamora.

AARON: a Moo r, belove d by Tam ora.

A Captain , Tribune, Mes sen ge r, an d Clown ; Rom ans.

TAMORA: Quee n of the Goths .

LAVINIA: daug hte r of Titus Andron icus.

A Nurse. (Nurse: )

Senators, Tribunes, Officers, Soldiers, and Attendants.

SCENE: Rom e, and th e coun try ne ar i t .

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TITUS ANDRONICUS

ACT I

SCENE I: Rom e. Bef ore th e Capi to l.

[ The Tom b of t he ANDRONICI ap pe aring; t he Tribune s and Senat ors a lo ft . Ent er, be low, fro m one si de,

SATURNINUS and his Followers; and, from the other sid e, BASSIANUS and his Follow ers ; w it h dru m and

co lo urs . ]

SATURNINUS: Noble patr icians, patron s of my right ,Defend the jus t ice o f my cause wi th arms,And, count rymen, my lov ing fo l lowers ,P lead m y success ive t i t le wi th your swords:I am h is f i r s t -born son , that was the las tThat wore the impe r ia l d iadem of Rome;The n le t m y fa the r s hon ours l ive in me,

Nor wrong mine age wi th th is ind ign i ty.

BASSIANUS: Rom ans, fr iend s, fol lowe rs, favorers of my r igh t ,

If eve r Bassian us, Caes ar s so n,Were gracious in th e e yes o f royal Rome,Kee p the n th is passage to the Capi to lAnd suffer no t d ishonour to approach

The impe r ia l seat , to v i r tue conse crate ,To jus t ice , con t inen ce and nobi l i ty ;But le t deser t in pure e lect ion sh ine,And, Romans, f igh t fo r f reedom in your cho ice .

[ Ent er MARCUS ANDRONICUS, a lo ft , w it h t he crow n. ]

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Princes , that s t r ive by fact ionsand by f r iends

Ambi t iou sly fo r ru le an d em pery,Know that the people o f Rome, fo r whom we s tandA specia l party, have, by comm on vo ice ,In e lect ion fo r the Roman empery,

Chose n Andronicus , su rname d PiusFor many goo d and great dese r t s to Rome :A nobler m an, a braver warrior,Lives n o t th is day wi th in the c i ty wal ls :He b y th e sen a t e i s acci t ed h o m eFrom weary wars against the barbarous Goths;That , wi th h is so ns , a te r ro r to our foes ,Hath yo ked a nat ion s t rong , t ra in d up in arms.

Ten years are spe n t s in ce f i r s t he un der tookThis cause o f Rome and chast i sed wi th armsOur enem ies p r ide: f ive t ime s he h ath re tu rndBleed ing to Rome, bear ing h is val ian t sonsIn co ff in s f ro m th e f i e ld ;And now at last , laden with horror s spoils,Returns th e go od Andronicus to Rome,Ren owne d Ti tus , f lour i sh ing in arms.

Titus Andronicus - Act I, scene i

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Let us en t reat , by honour o f h is name,Whom worth i ly you would have now succeed .And in the Capitol and senates r ight ,Whom you pretend to honour and adore ,That you w i thdraw you and abate your s t ren g th ;Dismis s your fo l lowers and , as su i to rs should ,P lead y o u r d ese r t s i n p eace an d h u m b len e ss .

SATURNINUS: How fai r the t r ibune speak s to calm myth o u g h t s !

BASSIANUS: Marcus And roni cus, so I do allyIn thy upr igh tness and in tegr i ty,And so I love and honour thee and th ine ,Thy n oble b ro ther Ti tus an d h is son s ,And her to whom my thoughts are humbled a l l ,Gracious Lavinia, Romes r ich ornament,That I wi l l here d ismiss m y lov ing f r iends ,And to m y for tune s and the peoples favorComm it my cause in balance to be weigh d .

[ Exeunt t he fo llow ers of BASSIANUS. ]

SATURNINUS: Fr iends , that have been thu s fo rward inmy r igh t ,

I thank you a l l and he re d ismiss you a l l,And to th e love and favor o f my coun t ryCommit mysel f , my person and the cause .

[ Exeunt t he fo llow ers of SATURNINUS. ]

Rome, be as jus t and g racious un to meAs I am co n f id en t an d k in d to t h ee .Op en th e g a t es , an d l e t me in .

BASSIANUS: Tribune s, and me, a poor com pe ti tor.

[ Flo uri sh. SATURNINUS and BASSIANUS go up in t o t heCapitol . ]

[ Ent er a Capt a in . ]

Captain : Roman s, make way: the good Andronicus .Pat ron of v i r tue , Rome s bes t cham pion ,Successfu l in the bat t les that he f igh ts ,With h onou r and wi th f o r tune i s re tu rndFrom whe re h e c i rcumscr ibed wi th h is sword ,An d b ro u g h t t o y o k e , t h e en e mies o f Ro me.

[ Drum s and t ru m pet s so unded . Ent er MARTIUS and MUTIUS; Af t er t he m , t w o Men bearing a co ff in covere d

with black; then LUCIUS and QUINTUS. After them,TITUS ANDRONICUS; and t he n TAMORA, w it h ALARBUS, DEMETRIUS, CHIRON, AARON, and ot he r Got hs , p rison-

ers; Soldiers and people following. The Bearers set dow n t he co ff in , and TITUS speaks. ]

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Hail , Rom e, victorious in thymo u rn in g weed s !


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Lo, as the bark , that hath d ischarged he r f raught ,Returns wi th p recious jad ing to th e bayFrom whe nce a t f i rs t she weig hd he r anchorage,Come th Andronicus , bound wi th laurel boughs ,To re-salu te h is count ry wi th h is tears ,Tears of t rue joy for his return to Rome.Thou great de fen der o f th is Capi to l ,S tand gracious to the r i tes that we in tend!Romans, o f f ive and twenty val ian t sons ,Half o f th e n umbe r that King Pr iam had ,Behold the poor remains , a l ive and dead!The se th at su rv ive le t Rome reward wi th love;These that I b r ing un to thei r la tes t home,With bur ia l amon gst the i r ances tors :Here Goths have g iven me leave to sheathe my sword .Ti tus , unk ind and careless o f th ine own,Why suff er s t thou th y sons , un bur ied yet ,To hove r on th e d readfu l sh ore o f S tyx?Make way to lay the m by th ei r b re th ren .

[ The tomb is opened . ]

The re g reet in s i lence, as the dead are wont ,And s le ep in peace, s la in in your count rys wars!O sacred receptacle of my joys,Sweet cel l o f v i r tue and nobi l i ty,Ho w man y so n s o f min e h as t t h o u in s to re,That thou wi l t neve r ren der to me more!LUCIUS: Give us the p roudest p r i soner o f the Goths ,

That we m ay hew h is l imbs, and on a p i leAd man es f ra t rum sacri f ice h is f lesh ,Before th is ear thy pr i son of thei r bones;That so the shadows be no t unappeased ,Nor we d is tu rbd wi th p rod ig ie s on ear th .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: I g ive h im you , the nobles t thatsurv ives ,

Th e e ld es t so n o f t h i s d i s t res sed q u ee n .

TAMORA: Stay, Rom an brethren ! Gracious con queror,Victorious Titus, rue the tears I shed,A mothe r s tears in pass ion fo r her son :And i f thy sons were ever dear to thee ,O, th ink my son to be as dear to me !Suff iceth no t that we are b rough t to Rome,To beau t i fy thy t r iumph s and re tu rn ,Capt ive to the e and to th y Roman yoke,But must my son s be s laughte r d in th e s t reets ,For val iant doings in their countrys cause?O, i f to f igh t fo r k ing and comm onwe alWere p i e ty i n t h in e , i t i s i n t h ese .Andronicus , s ta in no t thy tomb wi th b lood:Wil t thou draw near the n ature o f the gods?Draw near them then in being merci fu l :Sweet m ercy i s nob i l i ty s t rue badge :Thrice noble Titus, spare my first-born son.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Pat ien t yoursel f , madam , and


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pardon me.These are thei r b re th ren , whom you Goths beheldAl ive and de ad , and for the i r b re th ren s la inRel ig iously th ey ask a sacri f ice:To th is you r son i s m arkd , and d ie he must ,To appease thei r g roan in g shadows th at are go ne.

LUCIUS: Away wi th h im ! and make a f i re s t ra igh t ;And wi th our swords , upon a p i le o f wood ,Let s hew h is l im bs t i l l they be c lean consum ed.

[ Exeunt LUCIUS, QUINTUS, MARTIUS, and MUTIUS, w it h ALARBUS. ]

TAMORA: O crue l , i rrel ig ious pie ty!

CHIRON: Was ever Scythia h alf so barbarous?

DEMETRIUS: Oppose n ot Scythia to ambi t iou s Rom e.Alarbus goes to rest ; and we surviveTo tremble under Titus threatening looks.Then , madam, s tand reso lved , bu t hope wi thalThe sel f -sam e g ods th at armd the Quee n of TroyWith oppor tun i ty o f sh arp revengeUpon the Thracian ty ran t in h is ten t ,May favo r Tamo ra, the Que en of GothsWhen Goths were Goths and Tamora was queenTo qui t the b loody wrongs u pon h er foes .

[ Re-e nt er LUCIUS, QUINTUS, MARTIUS and MUTIUS,

with t heir swords bloody. ]

LUCIUS: See, lo rd and fa the r, how we have pe rformdOur Rom an rite s: Alarbus lim bs are lopp d,And e n t ra i ls fee d the sacri f ic ing f i re ,Wh o se smo k e , l i k e i n cen se , d o th p e r fu me th e sk y.Remaineth nought , bu t to in ter our b reth ren ,And wi th loud larums we lcome them to Rome .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Let i t be so; and let AndronicusMake th is h is la tes t farewe l l to thei r sou ls .

[ Trumpets sounded, and t he coffin laid in the tom b. ]

In peace and honour res t you here , my sons;Rome s read ies t cham pions , repose you he re in res t ,Secure f rom wor ld ly chances and mishaps!Here lu rks no t reason , here no envy swel l s ,Here g row no damned grudges; here are no s to rms,No no ise , bu t s i lence and e ternal s leep :In peace and honour res t you here , my sons!

[ Ent er LAVINIA. ]

LAVINIA: In peace and ho no ur live Lord Titus lon g;My no ble lo rd and f a the r, l ive in fame !Lo, at this tomb my tr ibutary tearsI render, for my brethrens obsequies;And at thy fee t I knee l , wi th te ars o f joy,


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Shed on the ear th , fo r thy re tu rn to Rome:O, b less me he re w i th thy v ic to r ious han d ,Whose fo r tunes Rome s bes t c i t ize ns app laud!

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Kind Rome , that hast thus loving lyreserved

The cord ia l o f min e age to g lad my he art !Lavinia, l ive; outl ive thy father s days,And fames eternal date, for vir tues praise!

[ Ent er, be lo w, MARCUS ANDRONICUS and Tribunes; re -ent er SATURNINUS an d BASSIANUS, at t end ed . ]

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Long live Lord Titus, my be lovedbrother,

Gracious t r iumphe r in the e yes o f Rome!

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Thanks, gen tle tribune, noble brotherMarcus.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: And welcome, ne phew s, f romsuccessfu l wars ,

You that surv ive, and you that s lee p in fam e!Fair lords, your fortunes are al ike in al l ,That in your countrys service drew your swords:But safer t r iumph i s th is funeral pomp,That h ath asp i red to So lons h appines sAnd t r iumph s over chance in hon our s bed .Ti tus Andronicus , the pe ople o f Rome,

Whose f r iend in jus t ice thou has t ever been ,Send thee by me, thei r t r ibune and thei r t rus t ,Th is pal l iament o f whi te and spo t less hue;An d n ame th ee i n e l ec t i o n fo r th e e mp i re ,With these our la te-deceased emperor s sons:Be candidatus then , and pu t i t on ,An d h e lp t o se t a h ead o n h ead less Ro me.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: A bet ter head he r g lo r ious bodyf i t s

Th an h i s t h a t sh ak es fo r ag e an d f eeb l en ess :What sh ould I don th i s robe, and t rouble you?Be chosen wi th p roclamat ions to -day,To-m orrow yie ld up rule, resi gn m y l ife,And se t abroad ne w busine ss fo r you a l l?Rome , I have been thy so ld ier fo r ty years,And led m y coun t rys s t reng th successfu l ly,And bur ied one and twenty val ian t sons ,Knigh ted in f ie ld , s la in manfu l ly in arms,In righ t an d serv ice o f the i r nob le count ryGiv e me a s t a f f o f h o n o u r fo r min e ag e ,But no t a scep t re to con t ro l the wor ld :Uprigh t h e h eld i t , lo rds, that h eld i t l as t .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Ti tus , thou shal t ob ta in andask th e e mp ery.

SATURNINUS: Proud and ambi t ious t r ibune, canstthou te l l?


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TITUS ANDRONICUS: Patie nce, Prince Saturnin us.

SATURNINUS: Roman s, do me r igh t :Pat ric ians , d raw your swords: and sh eathe them notTil l Saturninu s be Rom es e mpe ror.Andronicus , would tho u we r t sh ippd to h el l ,Rather than rob me of the peoples he ar ts !

LUCIUS: Proud Saturn in e, in ter rup ter o f the goodThat nob le-minded Ti tus means to thee!

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Conte nt the e, prince ; I will resto reto thee

The peoples hear t s , and wean them f rom themselves .

BASSIANUS: Andronicus , I do no t f la t ter the e ,But honour the e , and wi l l do t i l l I d ie :My fact ion i f thou s t reng then wi th thy f r iends ,I wi l l most thankfu l be; and thanks to menOf noble minds i s honourab le meed .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: People of Rome, and peoples tribuneshere,

I ask your vo ices and your suff rages:Wil l you bes tow the m f r iend ly on Andronicus?

Tribunes: To grat ify the g ood Andron icus,And gratu la te h is saf e re tu rn to Rome,

The people wi l l accep t whom he admi ts .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Tribune s, I than k you: and thissu i t I make,

That you create your emperor s eldest son,Lord Saturnine; whose vir tues wil l , I hope,Reflect on Rome as Titans rays on earth ,And r ipen jus t ice in th is commonweal :The n , i f you wi l l e lect by my advice ,Crown him and say Long l ive our emperor!

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: With vo ices and app lause o f every sort ,

Pat r icians and p le beians , we createLord Saturninu s Rome s great em peror,And say Long l ive our Emperor Saturnine!

[ A lo ng flourish t il l t he y co m e dow n. ]

SATURNINUS: Titus Andronicus, for thy favors doneTo us in o ur e lect ion th is day,I g ive thee thanks in par t o f thy deser t s ,An d wi l l w i th d ee d s req u i t e t h y g e n t l en ess :And, f o r an on set , Ti tus , to advanceThy nam e an d hon ourable fami ly,Lavin ia wi l l I make my e mpress ,Rome s royal mis t ress , mis t ress o f my he ar t,An d in t h e sacred Pan th eo n h e r e sp o u se :Tel l me, Andronicus , do th th i s mot ion p lease the e?


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TITUS ANDRONICUS: I t doth , my worthy lord; and inth is match

I ho ld me h igh ly hon our d o f you r g race:And he re in s igh t o f Rome to Saturn ine,King and commander o f our commonweal ,The wide worlds emperor, do I consecrateMy swo rd , my char io t and m y pr i sone rs ;Presents well worthy Romes imperial lord:Receive them then , the t r ibu te that I owe,Mine h onou r s ens i gns hu mbled a t thy fee t .

SATURNINUS: Thank s , nob le Ti tus , fa ther o f my l i fe!How proud I am of the e and o f thy g i f t sRome shal l record , and whe n I do fo rgetThe leas t o f these unspeakable deser t s ,Roman s, fo rget your feal ty to me.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: [ To TAMORA] Now, madam, areyou pr i soner to an emperor ;

To h im that , fo r your hon our and you r s ta te ,Wil l use you n obly and yo ur fo l lowers .

SATURNINUS: A goodly lady, t rus t me ; o f the h ueThat I would choose, we re I to choose an ew.Clear up , fa i r quee n , th at c loudy coun ten ance:Though chance of war hath wrought th is change of

cheer,Thou comest no t to be made a scorn in Rome:

Princely sh al l be th y usage every way.Rest on my word , and le t no t d iscon ten tDaunt a l l your hope s: madam , he comfor ts youCan m ake yo u greater than th e Quee n of Goths .Lavin ia , you are no t d isp leased wi th th is?

LAVINIA: Not I, my lord; si th t rue n obil i tyWarrants these words in princely courtesy.

SATURNINUS: Than ks, swee t Lavin ia. Rom ans, let usg o ;

Ransomless here we set our p r i soners f ree:Proclaim our hon ours , lo rds, wi th t rump and drum.

[ Flo uri sh. SATURNINUS co urt s TAMORA in dum b show. ]

BASSIANUS: Lord Titus, by your leave, this m aid ism i n e .

[ Seizing LAVINIA. ]

TITUS ANDRONICUS: How, s i r! are you in earne s t then ,my lord?

BASSIANUS: Ay, no ble Titus ; and resolved wi thalTo do m ysel f th i s reason and th is r igh t .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Suum cuique is our Roman ju s t ice :


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This p r ince in jus t ice se izeth bu t h is own.

LUCIUS: And that he wil l , and shall , i f Lucius l ive.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Trai tors, avaunt! Whe re is theemperor s guard?

Treason, my lord! Lavinia is surprised!

SATURNINUS: Surprise d! by wh om ?

BASSIANUS: By h im that jus t ly mayBear his betrothd from al l the world away.

[ Exeunt BASSIANUS and MARCUS w it h LAVINIA. ]

MUTIUS: Bro the rs , help to convey h er hen ce away,And w i th m y sword I l l keep th is doo r safe .

[ Exeunt LUCIUS, QUINTUS, and MARTIUS. ]

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Follow, my lord, and Ill soon bringher back.

MUTIUS: My lord, you pass not here.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: What, vi l lain boy!Barr st me my way in Rome?

[ Stabbing MUTIUS. ]

MUTIUS: Help, Lucius, he lp!

[ Die s.]

[ Durin g t he fr ay, SATURNINUS, TAMORA, DEMETRIUS,CHIRON and AARON go out and re-ent er, abov e. ]

[ Re-e nt er LUCIUS. ]

LUCIUS: My lo rd , you are un jus t , and , mo re than so ,In wrongfu l quarre l you h ave s la in your son .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Nor thou , nor he , are any sons o f m i n e ;

My sons would never so d ishonour me:Trai tor, resto re Lavin ia to the em peror.

LUCIUS: Dead , i f you wi l l ; bu t no t to be h is wif e ,That is another s lawful promised love.

[ Exit . ]

SATURNINUS: No, Ti tus , no ; the e mpe ror ne eds he rn o t ,

Nor he r, nor the e , nor any of thy s tock :I l l t rus t , by le i sure , h im that m ocks me once;The e n ever, nor thy t ra i to rous h aughty s ons ,Confe derates a l l thus to d ishon our me.


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Was there none e lse in Rome to make a s ta le ,But Saturnine? Full well , Andronicus,Agree these deeds wi th that p roud brag of th ine ,That saidst I beggd the empire at thy hands.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: O mo nst rous! wh at reproachfulwords are these?

SATURNINUS: But go thy ways; go , g ive that chang ingp iece

To h im that f lour i shd fo r he r wi th h is swordA val ian t son- in - law th ou sh al t en joy ;One f i t to bandy wi th thy lawless sons ,To ruff le in th e com mon weal th o f Rome.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: The se words are razors to mywo u n d ed h ear t.

SATURNINUS: And the refore, lovely Tamo ra, quee n of Goths,

That l ike the s ta te ly Phoebe mongst her nymphsDost oversh ine the gal lan t s t dame s of Rome,If t h o u b e p l eased wi th t h i s m y su d d en ch o ice ,Behold , I choose the e , Tamora, fo r my bride ,And wi l l create thee empress o f Rome,Speak , Quee n of Goths , dost th ou app laud my choice?And h ere I swear by a ll the Roman gods ,S i th p ries t an d ho ly water are so n earAnd tapers burn so b righ t an d every th ing

In r eadin ess fo r Hy me n aeu s s t an d ,I wi l l no t re-salu te the s t ree ts o f Rome,Or cl imb my palace, t i l l from forth this placeI lead esp o u sed m y b rid e a lo n g wi th m e .

TAMORA: And he re, in sight of he aven, to Rome I swear,I f Saturn ine advance the Quee n of Goths ,She wi l l a handmaid be to h is des i res ,A lov ing nurse , a mothe r to h is you th .

SATURNINUS: Ascend , fa i r quee n , Pan the on . Lords ,accompany

Your noble emperor and his lovely bride,Sen t by the heavens fo r Pr ince Saturn ine,Wh o se wi sd o m h a th h e r fo rtu n e co n qu ered :There shal l we consummate our spousal r i tes .

[ Exeunt a ll but TITUS. ]

TITUS ANDRONICUS: I am not b id to wai t upon th i sbride.

Ti tus , whe n we r t thou wont to walk a lone,Dishon our d thus , an d chal lenged of wrongs?

[ Re-e nt er MARCUS, LUCIUS, QUINTUS, and MARTIUS. ]

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: O Titus, se e, O, see w hat th ouh as t d o n e!

In a bad quarre l s la in a v i r tuous son .


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TITUS ANDRONICUS: No, foo l i sh t r ibune, no ; no son of m i n e ,

No r t h o u , n o r t h ese , co n fed era t es i n t h e d eedThat hath dishonour d al l our family;Unworthy bro the r, and unworthy son s!

LUCIUS: But le t us g ive h im bur ia l, as become s;Give Mutius burial with our brethren.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Trai tors, away! he rests no t inth i s t o mb :

Th i s m o n u me n t f i v e h u n d red y ea rs h a th s to o d ,Which I have sumptuously re-ed i f ied :Here non e bu t so ld iers and Rome s se rv i to rsRepose in fame; none basely s la in in b rawls :Bu ry h im wh ere y o u can ; h e co mes n o t h e re .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: My lo rd , th i s i s impiety in you:My n eph ew Mut ius dee ds do p lead f o r h imHe must be bur ied wi th h is b re th ren .

QUINTUS & MARTIUS: And shal l , o r h im we wi l l accompany.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: And shall! wh at villain wa s itthat spake that word?

QUINTUS: He that would vouch i t in any p lace bu t

h e re .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: What , would you bury h im in m yd esp i t e?

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: No, no ble Titus, but entreat of t h e e

To pardon Mutius and to bury him.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Marcus, even tho u hast struckupon my cres t ,

And , wi th these boys, mine honou r thou has t wounde d:My foe s I do repu te you every one ;So , t roub le me no more, bu t get you gone.

MARTIUS: He i s no t wi th h i mse l f ; l e t us wi thdraw.

QUINTUS: Not I, t i l l Mutiu s bone s be buried.

[ MARCUS and t he Sons of TITUS kneel . ]

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Bro the r, fo r in that nam e do thnature p lead ,

QUINTUS: Fathe r, and in that nam e doth nature speak,

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Speak thou no m ore, i f all the restwil l speed.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Ren owne d Ti tus , more than


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hal f my sou l ,

LUCIUS: Dear fathe r, soul and substan ce of us al l ,

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Suffe r thy brothe r Marcus toi n t e r

His noble ne phe w he re in v i r tues nes t ,That died in honour and Lavinias cause.Thou art a Roman; be not barbarous:The Greeks upon advice did bury AjaxThat s lew h im sel f ; and w ise Laer tes sonDid graciously p lead fo r h is fu ne rals :Let n o t youn g Mut ius , the n , th at was thy joyBe barr d his entrance here.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Rise , Marcus, rise.The dismallst day is this that eer I saw,To be d ishon our d by my sons in Rome !Wel l , bury h im, and bury me the nex t .

[ MUTIUS is put in t o t he t om b. ]

LUCIUS: The re l ie thy bones , swee t Mut ius , wi th thyf r i en d s ,

Ti l l we wi th t roph ie s do adorn thy tomb.

All: [ Kneeling] No man sh ed te ars fo r nob le Mut ius ;He l ives in fame that d ied in v i r tues cause .MARCUS ANDRONICUS: My lo rd , to s tep ou t o f these

dreary dum ps,How come s i t that the sub t le Quee n of GothsIs o f a sudden thus advanced in Rome?

TITUS ANDRONICUS: I kn ow no t , Marcus; but I kn ow i ti s ,

Whether by dev ice o r no , the heavens can te l l :Is sh e n o t t h e n b eh o ld in g to t h e manThat b rough t he r fo r th is h igh g ood tu rn so far?Yes, and wi l l nob ly h im rem une rate .

[ Flo uri sh . Re-e nt er, from one sid e, SATURNINUS a t - t end ed , TAMORA, DEMETRIUS, CHIRON and AARON; from t he ot he r, BASSIANUS, LAVINIA, and ot he rs. ]

SATURNINUS: So, Bassianu s, you have playd yourpr ize:

God give you joy, sir, of your gal lant bride!

BASSIANUS: And you of yours, my lord! I say nomore,

Nor wish n o less ; and so , I t ake m y leave.

SATURNINUS: Trai tor, i f Rom e h ave law or we havepower,

Thou and thy f act ion shal l repe n t th is rape.

BASSIANUS: Rape, cal l you i t , my lord, to se ize m yo wn ,


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My t ru th-bet ro thed love and now my wife ?But le t the laws of Rome determine a l l ;Meanw hi le I am posse ssd o f that i s m ine.

SATURNINUS: Tis good , sir: you are very short with u s;But , i f we l ive , wel l be as sharp wi th you .

BASSIANUS: My lord, wh at I have do ne, as be st I may,Answe r I must an d shal l do wi th m y l i fe .Only thu s mu ch I g ive your g race to kn ow:By all the du t ies th at I owe to Rome,This noble gentleman, Lord Titus here,Is in op in ion and in h onou r wrongd ;That in the rescue of Lav in iaWi th h i s o wn h an d d id s l ay h i s y o u n g es t so n ,In zeal to you and h igh ly m oved to wrathTo be control ld in that he frankly gave:Receive h im , the n , to favor, Saturn in e,That hath expressd h im sel f in a l l h i s dee dsA father and a f r iend to thee and Rome.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Prince Bass ianus , leave to p leadmy d eed s :

Tis thou and th ose that have d ishon our d me.Ro me an d th e r ig h t eo u s h eav en s b e m y ju dg e ,How I have loved and hon our d Saturn in e!

TAMORA: My worth y lord, if ever Tam oraWere gracious in those p r incely eyes o f th ine ,

Then hear me speak in ind i fferen t ly fo r a l l ;And at my su i t , sweet , pardon what i s pas t .

SATURNINUS: What , madam ! be d ishon our d open ly,And basely pu t i t up wi thout revenge?

TAMORA: Not so , my lo rd ; the gods o f Rome forfen dI should be au thor to d ishonour you!But on mine honour dare I under takeFor good Lord Titus inn ocen ce i n al l ;Wh o se fu ry n o t d i s semb led sp eak s h i s g r i e f s :The n , a t my s u i t , look graciously on h im;Lose no t so noble a f r iend on vain suppose,Nor wi th sour looks aff l ic t h i s gen t le hear t .

[ As id e t o SATURNINUS]

My lord, be ruled by me, be won at last ;Dissemble a l l your g r iefs and d iscon ten ts :You are bu t ne wly p lan ted in your th rone;Lest , then , the people , and pat r ic ians too ,Upon a just survey, take Titus part ,And so supplan t you f or ingrati tude,Wh ich Ro me rep u tes t o b e a h e in o u s s in ,Yield a t en t reats ; and then le t me a lone:I l l f ind a day to m assacre the m al lAnd raze the i r faction and the i r fami ly,The cruel fa th er and h is t ra i to rous son s ,To wh om I sued fo r my de ar sons l i fe,


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And make them know what t i s to le t a queenKneel in the s t reets and beg for g race in vain .

[ Aloud . ]

Come, come, swe et e mpe ror ; come, Andronicus;Take up th is good o ld man , and che er the h ear tThat d ies in tempest o f thy angry f rown.

SATURNINUS: Rise, Titus, r ise; my em press hathprevaild.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: I than k your majest y, and he r,my lord:

Th ese wo rd s , t h ese l o o k s , i n fu se n ew l i f e i n m e .

TAMORA: Titus, I am in corporate in Rome,A Roman now adopted h appi ly,And must adv ise the emperor fo r h is good .This day al l quarrels die, Andronicus;And le t i t be m ine hon our, good m y lo rd ,That I have reconci led you r f rien ds and you .For you, Prince Bassianus, I have passdMy word and promise to the em peror,That you wil l be more mild and tractable.And f ear no t lo rds , and you , Lav in ia ;By my advice , a l l humbled on your knees ,You sh all ask pardon of h is m ajesty.LUCIUS: We do, and vow to heaven and to his highne ss,

That what we d id was mi ld ly as we might ,Ten der ing our s i s ter s h onou r and ou r own.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: That , on mine h onou r, here Ido pro tes t .

SATURNINUS: Away, and talk not; t rouble us no m ore.

TAMORA: Nay, nay, swe et em peror, we mus t all bef r i en d s :

The t r ibune and h is nephews kneel fo r g race;I wi l l no t be den ied : swee t hear t , look back .

SATURNINUS: Marcus, for thy sake an d thy brothe r sh e re ,

And at m y lovely Tamo ras e ntreats,I d o remi t t h ese y o u n g m en s h e in o u s f au l t s :S tand u p .Lavin ia , thou gh you le f t me l ike a chur l ,I found a f r iend , an d sure as death I sworeI would no t par t a bachelor f rom the p r ies t .Come, i f the emperor s court can feast two brides,You are m y gue st , Lav in ia , an d your f r iends .This day s hall be a love-d ay, Tamo ra.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: To-m orrow, an i t p lease yo urmajes ty

To hun t the pan th er and the h ar t wi th m e,With horn and hound wel l give your grace bonjour.


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SATURNINUS: Be i t so , Titus, and grame rcy too.

[ Flo uri sh. Exeunt . ]

ACT IISCENE I: Rom e. Bef ore th e Palace.

[ Ent er AARON . ]

AARON: Now climbe th Tam ora Olym pus top ,Safe ou t o f fo r tune s sho t ; and s i t s a lo f t ,Secure o f th unde r s crack or l igh tn in g f lash ;Advanced above pale en vys th reaten ing reach .As wh en th e g o ld en su n sa lu t es t h e m o rn ,An d , h av in g g i l t t h e o cean wi th h i s b eams ,Gal lops th e zo d iac in h is g l i s ter ing coach ,And over looks the h ighest -peer ing h i l l s ;So Tamora:Upon her wi t do th ear th ly honour wai t ,And v i r tue s toops and t rembles a t he r f rown.The n , Aaron , arm thy h ear t , and f i t thy th ough ts ,To mou nt a lo f t wi th thy im per ia l mis t ress ,An d mo u n t h e r p i tch , wh o m th o u in t ri u mp h lo n gHast p ri sone r held , fe t ter d in amorous chainsAnd f as ter bound to Aarons charmin g eye sThan is Prometheus t ied to Caucasus.

Away wi th s lav ish weeds and serv i le thoughts!I wi l l be b r igh t , and sh i ne in pe ar l and go ld ,To wai t upon th is n ew-m ade em press .To wai t , sa id I? to wanton wi th th is queen ,This goddess , th i s Semiramis , th i s nymph,This siren, that wil l charm Romes Saturnine,And see h is sh ipwreck and h is commonweal s .Holloa! what s to rm is th is?

[ Ent er DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, bra v in g. ]

DEMETRIUS: Chi ron , thy years want wi t , thy wi t wantse d g e ,

And manners , to in t rude where I am graced ;And m ay, fo r aught thou know st , affecte d be .

CHIRON: Dem etr ius , thou dost over-ween in a l l ;And so in th is , to bear me down wi th b raves .Tis n o t the d i fferen ce of a year o r twoMakes me less g racious o r thee more fo r tunate :I am as ab le an d as f i t as thouTo se rve, and to de serve m y m istress grace;And th at my sword upon the e sh al l approve,And plead my passions for Lavinias love.

AARON: [ As id e] Clubs, clubs! these lovers wil l notk eep th e p eace .

DEMETRIUS: Why, boy, althou gh our mothe r, unadvise d,

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Gave you a dancing-rapier by your side,Are you so de sperate g rown, to th reat your f r iends?Go to ; have your la th g lued wi th in you r sheathTi l l you kn ow bet ter how to h andle i t .

CHIRON: Mean wh ile, sir, with the l i t t le sk i l l I have,Fu l l wel l shal t thou perceive how much I dare .

DEMETRIUS: Ay, boy, grow ye so brave?

[ They dra w. ]

AARON: [ Coming forward ] Why, ho w n ow, lords!So near the emperor s palace dare you draw,And m ain ta in s uch a quarre l open ly?Ful l wel l I wot the g round of a l l th i s g rudge :I would no t fo r a mi l l ion of go ldTh e cau se we re k n o wn to t h em i t mo s t co n cern s ;Nor would your noble moth er fo r much m oreBe so d ishon our d in the cour t o f Rome.For sham e, pu t up .

DEMETRIUS: Not I , t i l l I have she athedMy rap ier in h is bosom and wi th alThrust these reproachfu l speeches down h is th roatThat he hath b reathed in my d ishonour here .

CHIRON: For that I am prepared and fu l l resolved.Foul -spoken coward , that th unde r s t wi th thy ton gue,

And wi th thy weapon no th ing dares t per form!

AARON: Away, I say !Now, by the gods that warl ike Goths adore,This pet ty brabble wil l undo us al l .Why, lo rds, and th in k you n o t how dan gerousIt is to jet upon a princes r ight?What , i s Lav in ia then become so loose ,Or Bass ianus so de gen erate ,That for her love such quarrels may be broachdWithout con t ro lme nt , jus t ice , o r reven ge?Young lo rds , beware! and should the e mpress knowThis d iscords g round , the musi c would no t p lease .

CHIRON: I care no t , I, knew sh e and a l l the w or ld :I love Lavin ia m ore than a l l the wor ld .

DEMETRIUS: Young l ing , learn thou to make som emean e r ch o ice :

Lavin ia i s th i ne e lder b ro the r s h ope.

AARON: Why, are ye mad? or know ye no t , in RomeHow fur ious and impat ien t they be,And cann ot b rook compe t i to rs in love?I te l l you , lo rds , you do bu t p lo t your deathsBy th is dev ice .

CHIRON: Aaron , a thousan d deathsWould I p ropose to ach ieve he r whom I love.

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AARON: To achie ve he r! how ?

DEMETRIUS: Why make st thou i t so s t range ?She i s a woman , therefore m ay be wood ;Sh e i s a wo man , t h e re fo re may b e wo n ;She i s Lav in ia , the refore m ust be loved .What , man! more water g l ideth by the m i l lThan wo ts the mi l ler o f ; and e asy i t i sOf a cu t loaf to s teal a sh ive , we kn ow:Though Bassianus be the emperor s brother.Better than he have worn Vulcans badge.

AARON: [ As id e] Ay, and as g ood as Saturn inus may.

DEMETRIUS: The n why should he despai r that knowsto court i t

With words, fair looks and l iberal i ty?What , has t n o t thou f u l l o f ten s t ruck a doe,And borne h er c lean ly by the ke epe r s nose ?

AARON: Why, the n, i t seem s, som e certain snatch or soWould serve your turns.

CHIRON: Ay, so the turn were se rved.

DEMETRIUS: Aaron , thou has t h i t i t .

AARON: Would you had h i t i t too!

Then should no t we be t i red wi th th is ado .Why, hark ye , hark ye! and are you such foo lsTo square fo r th is? would i t o ffend you , the nThat bo th should speed?

CHIRON: Faith , no t me .

DEMETRIUS: Nor me, so I were one.

AARON: For shame, be frie nds, and join for that you jar:Tis policy and stratagem must doThat you affect ; and so m ust you reso lve,That wh at you cannot as you wou ld ach ieve,You m ust pe r force accompl ish as you may.Take th is o f me : Lucrece was no t more chasteThan this Lavinia, Bassianus love.A sp eed ie r co u rse t h an l i n g er in g l an g u i sh men tMust we pu rsue, and I have fou nd the path .My lo rds , a so lemn hunt ing i s in hand;The re wi l l the lovely Roman lad ies t roop :The fores t walks are w ide an d spacious;And many unfrequented p lo ts there areFi t ted by k ind fo r rape an d v i l lany :Sin g le y o u th i t h e r t h en th i s d a in ty d o e ,And s t r ike h er hom e by force , if no t by words:This way, o r no t a t a l l , s tand you in hope.Come, come, our em press , wi th h er sacred w i tTo v i l lany an d ven gean ce conse crate ,Wil l we acquain t wi th a l l that we in te nd ;

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Titus Andronicus - Act II, scene iii

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[ To TAMORA]

Madam, now shal l ye seeOur Roman hun t ing .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: I have dogs, my lord,Wil l rouse the p roudest pan ther in the chase ,And cl imb the h ighest p romontory top .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: And I have h orse wil l fol lowwh ere t h e g ame

Makes way, and run l ike swal lows oer the p la in .

DEMETRIUS: Chi ron , we hun t no t , we, wi th horse norh o u n d ,

But hope to p luck a dain ty doe to g round .

[ Exeunt . ]

ACT II

SCENE III: A lon e ly part of th e fo rest .

[ Ent er AARON, w it h a bag of gold . ]

AARON: He that had wi t would th in k that I had non e,To bury so much gold under a t ree,

And n ever af ter to inhe r i t i t .Let h im that th inks o f me so ab ject lyKnow th at th is go ld mu st co in a s t ra tagem ,Which , cunning ly effected , wi l l begetA very excel len t p ie ce o f v i l lany :And so repose, sweet go ld , fo r thei r unres t

[ Hid es t he gold . ]

That have the i r a lms ou t o f the em press ches t .

[ Ent er TAMORA. ]

TAMORA: My lovely Aaron, whe refore lookst thou sad,Wh en ev ery t h in g d o th mak e a g l ee fu l b o ast ?The b i rds chan t melody on every bush ,The snake l ies ro l led in the cheerfu l sun ,The green leaves qu iver wi th the coo l ing windAnd m ake a che quer d shadow on the g round:Under thei r sweet shade, Aaron , le t us s i t ,An d , wh i l s t t h e b abb lin g e ch o mo ck s t h e h o u n d s ,Reply ing shr i l ly to the wel l - tuned horns ,As i f a double hu nt were h eard a t once,Let us s i t down and mark thei r yelp ing no ise;And, af ter conf l ic t such as was supposedThe wande r ing pr ince an d Dido once e n joyd ,When wi th a happy s to rm they were surpr i sedAnd cur ta in d wi th a counse l -keep i ng cave,We m ay, each w reathe d in th e o th er s arms,

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Our pas t imes done, possess a go lden s lumber ;Whi les hounds and horns and sweet melod ious b i rdsBe un to u s as i s a nu rses songOf lul laby to bring her babe asleep.

AARON: Madam, though Ven us govern your des i res ,Saturn i s dominator over mine:What s ign i f ies my dead ly-s tand ing eye,My s i len ce and m y cloudy me lancholy,My f lee ce o f wo ol ly hai r that now u ncur lsEven as an adder when she do th unro l lTo do som e fa ta l exe cu t ion?No , mad am, t h e se a re n o v en e rea l s i g n s :Ven g e an ce i s i n my h ear t , dea th i n my h an d ,Blo o d an d rev en g e a re h amme r in g in my h e ad .Hark Tamora, the em press o f m y sou l ,Wh ich n ev er h o p es m o re h eav en th an res t s i n t h e e ,This i s th e day o f doom for Bass ianus:His Ph i lomel must lose her tongue to -day,Thy sons make p i l lage o f her chas t i tyAnd wash the i r hands in Bass ianus b lood .Seest thou th is le t ter? take i t up , I p ray thee ,And g ive the k ing th is fa ta l p lo t ted scro l l .Now q u es t io n me n o m o re ; we a re e sp i ed ;Here com es a parcel o f our hope fu l boo ty,Which dreads n o t yet th ei r l ives des t ruct ion .

TAMORA: Ah, my swee t Moor, sweete r to me than l i fe !AARON: No more, g reat em press ; Bass ianus come s:

Be cross wi th h im ; and I l l go fe tch thy son sTo back thy quarrels, whatsoeer they be.

[ Exit . ]

[ Ent er BASSIANUS and LAVINIA]

BASSIANUS: Who have we h ere? Rom es royal em press,Unfurn ishd of her wel l -beseeming t roop?Or is i t Dian, habited l ike her,Who hath abandoned her ho ly g rovesTo see t h e g e n era l h u n t in g in t h i s fo res t ?

TAMORA: Saucy control ler of our private ste ps!Had I the power that some say Dian had ,Thy temples should be p lan ted presen t lyWith h orns , as was Actaeon s ; and the hou ndsShould dr ive upon thy new-t ransformed l imbs,Unmanner ly in t ruder as thou ar t !

LAVINIA: Under your pat ien ce, gen t le empress ,Tis thou ght you h ave a goodly g i f t in h orn ing ;And to be doubte d that you r Moor and youAre s ing led fo r th to t ry exper iments :Jove sh ie ld your husband f rom h is hounds to -day!Tis p i ty th ey sh ould take h im f or a s tag .

BASSIANUS: Bel ieve me, quee n , your swar thCimmerian

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Doth m ake your hon our o f h is bodys hue,Spot ted , detes ted , and abominable .Why are you sequester d from al l your t rain ,Di smo u n ted f ro m y o u r sn o w-wh i t e g o o d ly s t ee d .And wander d h i the r to an obscure p lo t ,Accompanied but with a barbarous Moor,I f fou l des i re had no t conducted you?

LAVINIA: And, being in te rcep ted in your sport ,Great reason that m y n oble lo rd be ra tedFor sauciness . I p ray you , le t us h en ce,And let her joy her raven-colour d love;This val ley f i t s the purpose pass ing wel l .

BASSIANUS: The k in g my bro the r shal l have no te o f t h i s .

LAVINIA: Ay, for the se sl ips h ave m ade h im n ote dlo n g :

Good k ing , to be so might i ly abused!

TAMORA: Why have I pat ien ce to endure a l l th i s?

[ Ent er DEMETRIUS and CHIRON . ]

DEMETRIUS: How now, dear sovereign , and our graciousmother!

Wh y d o th y o u r h ig h n e ss l o o k so p a l e an d wan ?TAMORA: Have I no t reason , th ink you , to look pale?

The se two h ave t iced me h i th er to th is p lace:A barren dete s ted vale , you see i t i s ;The t rees , though summer, yet fo r lo rn and lean ,Oercome wi th moss and balefu l m is t le toe:Here n ev er sh in es t h e su n ; h e re n o th in g b reed s ,Unless the n igh t ly owl o r fa tal raven :And when they showd me th is abhorred p i t ,They to ld me, here , a t dead t ime of the n igh t ,A th o u san d f i en d s , a t h o u san d h i s s in g sn ak e s ,Ten thousan d swel l ing toads , as many u rch ins ,Would make such fear fu l and confused cr iesAs any m or ta l body he ar ing i tShould s t ra igh t fa l l mad , o r e l se d ie suddenly.No sooner had they to ld th is hel l i sh ta le ,But s t ra igh t they to ld me they would b ind me hereUnto the body of a d ismal yew,An d l eav e m e to t h i s m i se rab le d ea th :And th en they call d m e f ou l adu l teress ,Lasciv ious Goth , an d a l l the b i t teres t termsThat ever ear d id he ar to such effe ct :And , had you no t by wondrous fo r tune come,Th i s v en g ean ce o n me h ad th ey ex ecu ted .Reven ge i t , as you love your moth er s l i fe ,Or be ye not henceforth cal ld my children.

DEMETRIUS: This i s a wi tness that I am thy son .

[ Sta bs BASSIANUS. ]CHIRON: And th is fo r me, s t ruck hom e to show my

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s t r en g th .

[ Al so st abs BASSIANUS, w ho d ie s. ]

LAVINIA: Ay, com e, Sem iramis, n ay, barbarous Tamo ra,For no nam e f i t s thy n ature bu t thy own !

TAMORA: Give me thy poniard ; you shal l know, myboys

Your mo the r s han d sha ll righ t your mo the r s wrong .

DEMETRIUS: S tay, madam; here i s more belongs toh er ;

Fi rs t th rash the corn , th en af ter burn the s t raw:This min ion s tood upon her chas t i ty,Upon h er nu p t ia l vow, he r loyal ty,And wi th that pain ted hope braves your might iness :And sh al l she car ry th is un to he r g rave?

CHIRON: An i f she do , I would I were an eun uch .Drag hence her husband to some secret ho le ,And m ake h is dead t runk p i l low to our lus t .

TAMORA: Bu t wh en y e h av e th e h o n ey y e d es i re ,Let n o t th is wasp ou t l ive , us bo th to s t ing .

CHIRON: I warran t you , madam, we wi l l make th atsure .

Come , m is t ress , n ow pe rforce we wi l l en joy

That n ice-preserved honesty o f yours .

LAVINIA: O Tam ora! th ou bear st a wom an s face ,

TAMORA: I wi l l no t hear her speak ; away wi th h er!

LAVINIA: Sweet lo rds , en t reat her hear me bu t a word .

DEMETRIUS: Liste n, fair madam : let i t be your gloryTo se e he r tears ; bu t be you r hear t to th emAs unrelen t ing f l in t to d rops o f ra in .

LAVINIA: Whe n d id the t iger s young one s teach thed am?

O, do no t learn he r wrath ; she taugh t i t the e;The mi lk th ou su ckdst f rom h er d id tu rn to marb le ;Even a t thy te at thou h adst thy ty ranny.Yet e very mothe r bree ds no t so ns a l ike :

[ To CHIRON ]

Do thou en t reat he r show a woman p i ty.

CHIRON: What , wouldst thou have me prove myse l f abastard?

LAVINIA: Tis t rue; the raven doth n ot hatch a lark:Yet h ave I he ard,O, could I f in d i t n ow!The l ion moved wi th p i ty d id endure

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And le t my sp leenfu l sons th is t ru l l def lour.

[ Exit . ]

[ Re-e nt er AARON, w it h QUINTUS and MARTIUS. ]

AARON: Come on , my lo rds , the bet ter foo t before:S t ra igh t w i l l I b ring yo u to th e loathsom e p i tWhere I esp ied the pan ther fas t as leep .

QUINTUS: My sight is very dull , wh ateer i t bode s.

MARTIUS: And mi ne, I promi se you; weret not for shame,Well could I leave our sport to sleep awhile.

[ Fa lls in t o t he p it . ]

QUINTUS: What art thou falln? What subtle h ole is th is,Whose mou th i s coverd wi th rude-growing briers ,Upon whose leaves are d rops o f new-shed b loodAs f resh as morn in g dew d is t i l l d on f lowers?A very fa ta l p lace i t se em s to me .Speak , b ro the r, has t thou hur t thee wi th th e fa l l?

MARTIUS: O broth er, with the dism allst object hurtThat ever eye wi th s igh t made hear t lament !

AARON: [ As id e] Now wi l l I fe tch the k ing to f indth em h ere ,

That he thereby may g ive a l ikely guessHow these were they that made away h is b ro ther.

[ Exit . ]

MARTIUS: Why dost no t comfo r t me, and help me ou tFrom th is unhal lowed and b lood-s ta ined ho le?

QUINTUS: I am surpri sed wi th an uncouth fe ar;A ch i l l ing sw eat o er- runs my t rem bl ing jo in ts :My h e art su sp ec t s mo re t h an min e ey e can see .

MARTIUS: To prove thou has t a t rue-d iv in in g hear t ,Aaro n an d th o u lo o k d o wn in to t h i s d e n ,And see a fear fu l s igh t o f b lood and death .

QUINTUS: Aaron i s gone ; and my compassionate h ear tWi l l n o t p e rmi t m in e ey es o n ce t o b eh o ldThe th ing whereat i t t rembles by surmise;O, tel l m e h ow i t i s; for neer t i l l nowWas I a ch i ld to fe ar I know not w hat .

MARTIUS: Lord Bass ianus l ies embrewed he re ,Al l on a h eap , l ike to a s laugh ter d lamb,In th is detes ted , dark , b lood-dr ink ing p i t .

QUINTUS: I f i t be dark , how dost thou kn ow t i s he?

MARTIUS: Up o n h i s blo o d y f in g er h e d o th wear

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A precious r ing , th at l igh ten s a l l the ho le ,Wh ich , l i k e a t ap e r i n so me m o n u me n t ,Doth sh in e upon th e dead m ans ear thy cheek s ,And shows the ragged en t ra i l s o f the p i t :So p a l e d id sh in e t h e m o o n o n Py ramu sWh en h e b y n ig h t l ay b ath ed in maid en b lo o d .

O bro the r, he lp me w i th thy f a in t in g han dIf f ea r h a th mad e th ee f a in t , a s me i t h a th Out of th is fe l l devour ing recep tacle ,As hateful as Cocytus misty mouth.

QUINTUS: Reach me thy hand, that I may he lp thee ou t;Or, want ing s t reng th to do thee so much good ,I may be p luckd in to th e swal lowing wom bOf this deep pi t , poor Bassianus grave.I have no s t reng th to p luck thee to the b r ink .

MARTIUS: Nor I no strength to cl imb without thy he lp.

QUINTUS: Thy han d once more; I wi l l no t loose again ,Til l thou art here aloft , or I below:Thou canst no t come to me: I come to thee .

[ Fa ll s in . ]

[ Ent er SATURNINUS w it h AARON . ]

SATURNINUS: Along with m e: Ill see w hat hole is he re,And wh at he i s th at now is leapd in to i t .

Say who ar t thou that la te ly d ids t descendIn to th is gap ing ho l low of the ear th?

MARTIUS: The un happy son of o ld Andronicus:Brough t h i the r in a most un lucky hour,To f i nd thy bro ther Bass ianus dead .

SATURNINUS: My broth er dead ! I kn ow thou dost but je s t :

He and h is lady bo th are a t the lodgeUp o n th e n o rth s id e o f t h i s p l easan t ch ase ;Tis n o t an hour s in ce I lef t h i m th ere .

MARTIUS: We know n ot whe re you lef t h im al l a live;But , ou t , a las! he re have we found h im dead .

[ Re-e nt er TAMORA, w it h At t endant s; TITUS ANDRONICUS, and Luciu s. ]

TAMORA: Whe re i s my lo rd the k ing?

SATURNINUS: Here, Tamo ra, tho ugh grieve d withk i l l ing gr ief .

TAMORA: Whe re i s thy bro the r Bass ianus?

SATURNINUS: Now to the bo t tom dost thou search mywo u n d :

Poor Bass ianus he re l ies m urdered .

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TAMORA: The n al l too late I bring this fat al wri t ,The complo t o f th is t imeless t ragedy;And won der g reat ly that man s face can f o ldIn p leas ing smi les such murderous ty ranny.

[ She giv et h SATURNINUS a let te r. ]

SATURNINUS: [ Reads] An i f we miss to me et h imh a n d s o m e l y

Sweet hun tsman, Bass ianus t i s we meanDo thou so much as d ig th e g rave fo r h im :Thou kn owst our me ani ng. Look for thy rewardAmong the net t les a t the e lder- t ree

Wh ich o v ersh ad es t h e mo u th o f t h a t same p i tWhe re we decreed to bury Bass ianus .Do th i s , and purchase us thy las t ing f r iends .O Tamo ra! was ever h eard th e l ik e?This i s the p i t , and th is the e lder- t ree .Look , s i r s , i f you can f ind the huntsman ou tThat sh ould have m urdered Bass ianus h ere .

AARON: My graciou s lord, he re is the bag of gold.

SATURNINUS: [ To TITUS] Two o f th y w he lps , fe l l cursof b loody k ind ,

Have he re beref t my bro the r o f h is l i fe .S i rs , d rag them f rom the p i t un to the p r i son :Th ere l e t t h em b id e u n t i l we h av e d ev i sed

Some never-heard-of to r tu r ing pain fo r them.

TAMORA: What, are they in this pi t? O won drousth in g !

How eas i ly m urder i s d iscovered!

TITUS ANDRONICUS: High em peror, upon my fee b lek n e e

I beg th is boon , wi th tears no t l igh t ly shed ,That th is fe l l fau l t o f my accursed sons ,Accursed i f th e fau l t be p roved in the m,

SATURNINUS: I f i t be p roved! you see i t i s apparen t .Who fou nd th is le t te r? Tamora, was i t you?

TAMORA: Andronicus h imse l f d id take i t up .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: I did, my lord: yet let m e bethe i r bai l;

For, by m y f athe r s reveren d tom b, I vowThey shal l be ready a t you r h ighn ess wi l lTo answe r thei r susp ic ion w i th th ei r l ives .

SATURNINUS: Thou shal t no t bai l them : see th oufo l low me.

Some br ing th e m urderd body, some the murderers :Let the m n ot speak a word ; the gu i l t i s p la in ;For, by my sou l , were the re worse e nd than death ,Th a t en d u p o n th em sh o u ld b e ex ecu ted .

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TAMORA: Andronicus , I wi l l en t reat the k in g ;Fear no t thy sons; they shal l do wel l enough .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Com e, Lucius, com e; stay not tot a lk wi th t h em .

[ Exeunt . ]

ACT II

SCENE IV: Ano th e r part of th e fo rest .

[ Ent er DEMETRIUS and CHIRON w it h LAVINIA, ra v is he d; he r ha nds cu t off , and he r t ongue cu t out. ]

DEMETRIUS: So , now go te l l , an i f thy tongue cansp eak ,

Who twas that cu t thy tongu e an d rav ishd the e .

CHIRON: Write down thy mind, bewray thy meanin g so,

An i f thy s tu mps w i l l le t the e p lay the scribe .

DEMETRIUS: See, how wi th s igns and tokens she canscrowl.

CHIRON: Go hom e, call for sweet water, wash thy h an ds.DEMETRIUS: She hath no tongue to cal l, nor hands to

wash ;And so le t s leave h er to he r s i len t walks .

CHIRON: An twere my case , I shou ld go hang myse l f .

DEMETRIUS: If t h o u h ad s t h an d s to h e lp t h ee k n i t t h e

cord.

[ Exeunt DEMETRIUS and CHIRON . ]

[ Ent er MARCUS. ]

MARCUS: Who i s th is? my n iece , that f l ies away sofas t !

Cousin , a wo rd ; where i s your h usband?If I do dream , would a l l my we al th would wake m e!If I d o wak e , so me p l an e t s t r i k e me d o wn ,That I may s lumbe r in e ternal s leep!Sp eak , g en t l e n i e ce , wh a t s te rn u n g en t l e h an d sHave loppd and hewd and made thy body bareOf her two branches , those sweet o rnaments ,Whose c i rc l ing shadows k ings have sought to s leep in ,

An d mig h t n o t g a in so g rea t a h ap p in essAs have thy love? Why dost no t speak to me ?Alas, a crimson river of warm blood,Like to a bubbl ing fo untain s t i r rd wi th wind ,Doth r i se and fa l l between thy rosed l ips ,Comin g and go ing wi th thy hon ey breath .But , su re , some Tereus hath def lowered the e ,

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A d l h h ld d hi h D d b k f i l l i h h

Titus Andronicus - Act III, scene i

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And, les t thou shoulds t detect h im, cu t thy tongue.Ah, n ow thou tu rns t away thy face fo r shame !And, no twi ths tand ing a l l th i s loss o f b lood ,As f rom a condui t wi th th ree i ssu ing spouts ,Yet d o thy che ek s look red as Titan s faceBlush ing to be encountered wi th a c loud .

Shall I spe ak for thee ? sh al l I say t is so?O, that I kne w thy h ear t ; and kn ew th e be as t ,That I migh t ra i l a t h im, to e ase my m ind!Sorrow con cealed , l ike an oven s toppd ,Doth burn the he ar t to c inders whe re i t i s .Fai r Ph i lom ela , she bu t los t her tongu e,And in a ted ious sampler sewd her mind:But , lovely n iece , that mean i s cu t f rom thee;

A craf t ier Tereus , cousin , has t thou me t ,An d h e h a th cu t t h o se p re t t y f i n g e rs o f f ,That cou ld h ave bet te r sewd than Phi lomel .O, had the m onste r see n those l i ly han dsTremble , l ike aspe n- leaves , upon a lu te ,An d mak e th e s i l k en s t r i n g s d e l ig h t t o k i s s th em ,He would no t then have touchd them for h is l i fe!Or, had he he ard the he avenly harmon y

Wh ich th a t swee t t o n g u e h a th mad e ,He would have droppd h is k n i fe , an d fe l l as leepAs Cerberus at the Thracian poets feet .Come, le t u s go , and m ake thy fa the r b lind ;For such a sight wil l bl ind a father s eye:One hour s s to rm wi l l d rown the f ragran t m eads;What wi l l whole m onth s o f tears thy fa the r s eyes?

Do no t d raw back , fo r we wi l l mourn wi th theeO, cou ld our mourn in g ease thy m isery!

[ Exeunt . ]

ACT IIISCENE I: Rom e. A st ree t.

[ Ent er Judges, Sena t ors and Tribunes, w it h MARTIUS and QUINTUS, bound, pass in g on t o t he p la ce of

execution; TITUS going before, plead ing. ]

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Hear me , grave fath ers! no blet r ibunes , s tay!

Fo r p it y o f min e ag e , wh o se y o u th was sp en tIn dange rous wars , whi l s t you se curely s lep t ;For al l my blood in Romes great quarrel shed;For al l the frosty nights that I have watchd;And for these b i t ter tears , which now you seeFi l li n g t h e ag ed wr in k les i n my ch eek s ;

Be p i t i fu l t o my co n d em n ed so n s ,Whose sou ls are no t corrup ted as t i s thou ght .For two and twen ty sons I neve r wept ,Because they d ied in honour s lo f ty bed .

[ Lie t h dow n; t he Judges, &c., pass by him, and Exeunt. ]For these , the se , t r ibune s , in the dust I wri te

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M h t d l d l d t did h


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My hearts deep languor and my souls sad tears:Let m y te ars s tanch the ear th s d ry appet i te ;My son s swee t b lood wi l l make i t sh ame and b lush .O ear th , I wi l l bef r ien d the e m ore wi th ra in ,That shal l d i s t i l f rom th ese two ancien t u rns ,Than youthfu l Apr i l shal l wi th a l l h i s showe rs :

In summer s drought I l l drop upon thee st i l l ;In win te r wi th warm te ars I l l mel t the snowAn d k e ep e t e rn a l sp rin g - t ime o n th y f ace,So thou refuse to d r ink my dear sons b lood .

[ Ent er LUCIUS, w it h hi s sw ord d ra w n. ]

O reverend t r ibune s! O gen t le , aged m en !

Un b in d my so n s , r ever se t h e d o o m o f d ea th ;And le t m e say, that neve r wept before ,My tears are now prevail ing orators.

LUCIUS: O noble fa the r, you lame nt in vain :The t r ibune s he ar you no t ; no m an i s by ;And you recoun t your sorrows to a s ton e.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Ah, Lucius, fo r thy brothe rs letme p l ead .

Grave t r ibunes , o nce more I en t reat o f you ,

LUCIUS: My gracious lord, no tr ibune h ears you speak.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Why, t i s no m at ter, man; i f they

did hear,They would no t m ark me, o r if the y d id mark ,They would no t p i ty m e, yet p lead I must ;An d b o o t l es s u n to t h e mThe refo re I te l l my sorrows to th e s to ne s;Who, though they cannot answer my d is t ress ,

Yet in some sor t they are bet ter than the t r ibune s ,For that they wi l l no t in tercep t my ta le :Wh en I d o weep , t h ey h u mb ly a t my fee tRece iv e my t ea rs an d seem to weep wi th m e;And, we re th ey bu t a t t i red in g rave wee ds ,Rome could afford no t r ibune l ike to these .A s tone i s so f t as wax ,tr ibunes more hard than

s t o n e s ;

A sto n e i s s i l en t , an d o ff en d e th n o t ,An d t r i bu n es wi th t h e i r t o n g u es d o o m m en to d e a th .

[ Ris es. ]

But wherefore s tands t thou w i th thy we apon drawn?

LUCIUS: To rescu e my two broth ers from th ei r dea th:

For which a t tempt the judges have pronouncedMy ever las t ing doom of ban ishment .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: O happy man! they have befriendedthee.

Why, foo l i sh Lucius , dost thou no t perceiveThat Rome is bu t a wi lderne ss o f t ig ers?

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Tigers mu st prey and Rome affords no prey Give m e a sword Il l chop off m y h ands to o ;


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Tigers mu st p rey, and Rome affords no preyBu t me an d min e : h o w h ap p y a rt t h o u , th en ,From these devourers to be ban ished!But who com es wi th our b ro the r Marcus he re?

[ Ent er MARCUS and LAVINIA. ]

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Titus, prepare thy aged eye s tow e e p ;

Or, i f not so, thy noble heart to break:I b r ing consuming sorrow to th ine age.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Will i t consum e me ? let me see i t ,t h en .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Thi s was thy daugh ter.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Why, Marcus, so sh e is.

LUCIUS: Ay me, th is ob ject k i l ls me!

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Fain t-he arted boy, arise, and

look upon her.Speak , Lav in ia , w hat accursed han dHath made thee handless in thy fa ther s s igh t?What foo l hath added water to the sea ,Or brought a faggot to bright-burning Troy?My gr ief was a t the heigh t before thou camest ,And now l ike Ni lus , i t d i sdaineth bounds .

Give m e a sword , I l l chop off m y h ands to o ;For they h ave fough t fo r Rome , and a l l in vain ;An d th ey h av e n u r sed th i s wo e , i n f ee d in g l i f e ;In boot less p rayer have they been held up ,An d th ey h av e se rved me to e f f ec t l e s s u se :Now all the serv ice I requ i re o f th em

Is that the one wi l l help to cu t the o ther.Tis we l l , Lav in ia , th at thou has t n o h ands;For hands, to do Rome service, are but vain.

LUCIUS: Speak , gen t le s i s ter, who hath m ar tyr d thee ?

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: O, that del igh t fu l eng in e of h e r t h o u g h t s

That b labbd the m wi th such p leas in g e loquence,Is to rn f rom for th that p re t ty h o l low cage,Where , l ike a sweet melod ious b i rd , i t sungSweet var ied no tes , enchant ing every ear !

LUCIUS: O, say thou for her, who hath don e th is de ed?

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: O, thus I fou nd he r, strayin g in

the park ,Seek in g to h id e h e r se l f , a s d o th t h e d ee rThat hath received some unrecur ing wound .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: I t was my deer ; and he th atw o u n d e d h e r

Hath h u r t me m o re t h an h ad h e k i l l ed me d e ad :

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For now I stand as on e u pon a rock No no they would not do so fou l a deed ;


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For now I s tand as on e u pon a rockEnvironed wi th a wi lderness o f sea ,Who m arks the waxin g t ide g row wave by wave,Ex p ec t in g ev er wh en so me en v io u s su rg eWil l in h is b rin ish bowels swal low h im.This way to death my wretched sons are gone;

Here s t an d s my o th e r so n , a b an i sh ed man ,And here my bro ther, weeping a t my woes .But that which g ives my sou l the g reates t spurn ,Is dear Lav in ia , de arer than my sou l .Had I bu t seen thy p ic tu re in th is p l igh t ,I t would have madded me : what sh al l I doNow I beh old thy l ively body so?Thou h as t no h ands , to wipe away thy tears :

Nor tongue , to te l l me w ho h ath m ar tyr d the e:Thy hu sband he i s dead : and for h is deathThy bro thers are condem nd , and dead by th is .Look , Marcus! ah, son Lucius, look on he r!When I d id name her b ro thers , then f resh tearsSto o d o n h e r ch ee k s , a s d o th t h e h o n ey -d ewUpon a gather d l i ly almost wither d.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Perchance she weeps becausethey k i l l d he r husband;

Perch an ce b ecau se sh e k n o ws th em in n o cen t .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: I f they d id k i l l thy husband ,th en b e jo y fu l

Becau se t h e l aw h a th t a en rev en g e o n th e m.

No, no , they would no t do so fou l a deed ;Witness the sorrow that thei r s i s ter makes .Gen t le Lav in ia , le t m e k iss thy l ips .Or mak e so me s ig n h o w I may d o th ee e ase :Shall thy good uncle, and thy brother Lucius,And thou , and I , s i t round about some fountain ,

Lookin g a l l downwards to beh old our cheek sHow they are s ta in d , as m eadows, yet no t d ry,With miry s l ime lef t on them by a f lood?An d in t h e fo u n ta in sh a l l we g aze so l o n gTi l l the f resh tas te be take n f rom th at c learness ,And m ade a b r ine-p i t w i th ou r b i t ter tears?Or shal l we cu t away ou r hands , l ike th ine ?Or shal l we b i te o ur tongue s , and in dum b shows

Pass the remainder o f our hatefu l days?What shal l we do? le t us , that have our tongu es ,P lo t some deuce of fu r ther misery,To mak e us wonde r d a t in t im e to com e.

LUCIUS: Sweet fath er, cease yo ur tea rs; for, at yourgr ief ,

See h o w my wre t ch ed s i s t e r so b s an d weep s .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Patie nce, dear ni ece. GoodTi tus , d ry th ine eyes .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Ah, Marcus, Marcus! broth er, we llI wot

Thy napki n canno t d rink a te ar o f m ine,

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Let me redeem my bro thers bo th from death . be is dispatchd.


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Let me redeem my bro thers bo th f rom death .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: And, for our fathe r s sake andmo the r s care,

Now le t me show a b ro the r s love to the e .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Agree betw ee n you; I wil l sparem y h a n d .

LUCIUS: The n Il l go fe tch an axe.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: But I wi l l use the axe.

[ Exeunt LUCIUS and MARCUS. ]

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Com e hi th er, Aaron ; Ill de cei vet h e m b o th :

Len d m e th y h an d , an d I wi ll g iv e t h ee min e .

AARON: [ As id e] If that be calld dece it, I will be h one st,And n ever, whi l s t I l ive , deceive me n so :But I l l deceive you in another sort ,

And that youl l say, ere half an hour pass.

[ Cuts off TITUSs hand . ]

[ Re-e nt er LUCIUS and MARCUS. ]

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Now stay your str i fe : wh at shal l

be is dispatch d.Good Aaron , g ive h is m ajes ty m y han d:Tel l h im i t was a han d that warded h imFrom thou sand dang ers ; b id h im bury i tMore h ath i t me r i ted ; that le t i t have.As fo r my son s , say I accoun t o f the m

As jewels purchase d a t an easy pr ice;And yet dear too , because I bought mine own.

AARON: I go, Androni cus: and for thy han dLook by and by to have thy sons wi th thee .

[ As id e]

The ir he ads, I me an. O, how this vi l lanyDo th f a t me wi th t h e v e ry t h o u g h t s o f i t !Let f oo ls do go od , and fa i r me n cal l fo r g race .Aaron w i l l have h is s ou l b lack l ike h is f ace .

[ Exit . ]

TITUS ANDRONICUS: O, here I li f t th i s one hand up to

h e a v e n ,An d b o w th i s f e eb l e ru in t o t h e e a rth :I f any power p i t ies wretched tears ,To that I call!

[ To LAVINIA]Wh at , w i l t th o u k n ee l wi th m e?

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Do, then, dear heart; for heaven shall hear our prayers; But like a d runkard must I vomi t them .


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, , ; p y ;Or wi th ou r s ighs we l l b reathe the welk in d im,An d s t a in t h e su n wi th fo g , a s so met ime c lo u d sWh en th ey d o h u g h im in t h e i r me l t i n g b o so ms .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: O broth er, speak with poss i-

b i l i t ies ,An d d o n o t b reak in to t h ese d eep e x t reme s .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Is no t my sorrow deep , hav ing n ob o t to m?

Th en b e my p ass io n s b o tto mless wi th t h e m.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: But yet le t reason govern thy

l amen t .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: I f the re were reason for thesemise r i es ,

The n in to l imi ts cou ld I bind my woes:When heaven do th weep , do th no t the ear th o er f low?If t h e win d s r ag e , d o th n o t t h e sea wax mad ,Th rea t en in g th e we lk in wi th h i s b ig - swo ln f ace?

And wi l t th ou have a reason for th is co i l?I am th e se a; hark , how h er s ighs do b low!Sh e i s t h e we ep in g we lk in , I t h e e a rth :Th en mu s t my sea b e m o v ed wi th h e r s ig h s ;Then must my ear th wi th her con t inual tearsBecome a deluge, overflowd and drownd;For why my bowels cannot h ide her woes ,

The n g ive me leave, fo r losers wi l l have leaveTo ease th ei r s tomachs wi th thei r bi t ter tongue s .

[ Ent er a Mes senger, w it h t w o he ads and a ha nd . ]

Messen g er: Worthy Andron icus, i l l ar t tho u repaidFor that good h and th ou se n t s t the em peror.Here a re t h e h ead s o f t h y two n o b le so n s ;And h eres thy h and , in scorn to th ee sen t back ;Thy g r iefs th ei r spor ts , thy reso lu t ion mockd ;Th a t wo e i s m e to t h in k u p o n th y wo esMore than rem em brance of my fa th er s death .

[ Exit . ]

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Now let hot AEtna cool inSicily,

And be my hear t an ever-burn ing hel l !These miser ies are more than may be borne.To weep wi th t h em th a t weep d o th ease so me d e a l ;But sorrow f lou ted a t i s double de ath .

LUCIUS: Ah, that th i s s igh t should make so deep awo u n d ,

And yet detes ted l i fe no t shr ink thereat !That ever death should le t l i fe bear h is n ame,Where l i fe hath no more in teres t bu t to b reathe!

[ LAVINIA kis se s TITUS. ]

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And would usurp upon my watery eyes


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MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Alas, poor he art , that kiss isco mfo r t l e s s

As f rozen wate r to a s tarved sn ake.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Whe n wi l l th i s fear fu l s lumber

h av e an en d ?

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Now, farewe ll , f lat te ry: die,Andronicus;

Thou dost no t s lumbe r : see , thy two sons he ads ,Thy war l ike hand , thy mangled daughter here:Thy o the r ban ish d son , wi th th i s dear s igh tStruck pale and bloodless; and thy brother, I ,

Even l ike a s tony im age, co ld and num b.Ah, n ow no more wi l l I con t ro l thy gr iefs :Ren d off thy s i lver hai r, thy o the r handGnawing wi th thy teeth ; and be th is d ismal s igh tThe c los ing up of our most wretched eyes;Now is a t im e to s to rm; why ar t thou s t i l l?

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Ha, ha, ha!

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Why dost thou laugh? i t f i t sno t wi th th is hour.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Why, I have no t an o the r tear tos h e d :

Besides , th i s sor row is an enemy,

p p y y yAnd m ake th em b l ind wi th t r ibu tary tears :The n w hich way shal l I f ind Revenge s cave?Fo r t h ese two h e ad s d o seem to sp eak to me ,And th reat m e I shal l never come to b l i ssTi l l a l l the se misch i efs be re tu rnd again

Even in thei r th roats that have commit ted them.Come, le t me see what task I have to do .You h eavy pe ople , c i rc le me about ,That I may tu rn me to each on e of you ,And swe ar un to my sou l to r igh t your wrongs .The vow is m ade. Come , b ro the r, t ake a he ad ;And in th is h and th e o th er I wi l l bear.Lav in ia , thou shal t be employd : the se arms!

Bear t h o u my h an d , swee t wen ch , b e tween th y t ee th .As fo r thee , boy, go get thee f rom my s igh t ;Thou ar t an ex i le , and th ou m ust no t s tay :Hie to the Goths , and ra i se an army the re:And, i f you love m e, as I th in k you do ,Let s k iss an d par t , fo r we have much to do .

[ Exeunt TITUS, MARCUS, and LAVINIA. ]

LUCIUS: Farewell Andron icus, my noble fathe r,The wofu l l s t man that eve r l ived i n Rome:Farewell , proud Rome; t i l l Lucius come again,He leaves h is p ledges dearer than h is l i fe :Farewell , Lavinia, my noble sister;O, would thou wer t as thou to f ore has t bee n!

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But now nor Lucius nor Lavinia l ives Beats in th is ho l low pr i son of my f lesh ,

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But in ob l iv ion and hatefu l g r iefs .I f Lucius l ive , he wi l l requ i te your wrongs;And make proud Saturn ine and h is empressBeg at the gates , l ike Tarqu in and h is que en .Now wil l I to the Goths, and raise a power,

To be revenge d on Rome and Saturn in e.

[ Exit . ]

ACT III

SCENE II: A roo m in Tit us s h ou se . A ban-

que t se t ou t .

[ Ent er TITUS, MARCUS, LAVINIA and You ng LUCIUS, a boy.]

TITUS ANDRONICUS: So, so; now si t : and look you e atn o m o re

Than wi l l p rese rve jus t so m uch s t reng th in u s

As wi l l revenge these b i t ter woes o f ours .Marcus , unkn i t that so r row-wreathen kno t :Thy n iece and I , poor creatures , want our hands ,And cannot pass ionate our tenfo ld g r ief With fo lded arms. This poor righ t han d of mineIs lef t to ty rann ize upon my breas t ;Who, when my hear t , a l l mad wi th misery,

Then thus I thump i t down.

[ To LAVINIA. ]

Thou map of woe, that thus dost ta lk in s igns!

When thy poor hear t beats wi th ou t rageous beat ing ,Thou canst n o t s t r ike i t thus to m ake i t s t i l l .Wound i t wi th s igh in g , g i r l , k i l l i t wi th g roans;Or g e t so me l i t t le k n i f e b e tween th y t ee th ,And jus t agains t thy hear t make thou a ho le ;That a l l the tears that thy poor eye s le t fa l lMay run in to that s in k , and soak in g inDrown the lament ing foo l in sea-sal t t ears .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Fie, broth er, f ie ! teach her no tthus to lay

Such v io len t hands upon her tender l i fe .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: How now! has sorrow made theedote a l ready?

Why, Marcus, no man should be mad but I .

What v io len t hands can she lay on her l i fe?Ah , wh e re fo re d o s t t h o u u rg e t h e n ame o f h an d s ;To bid AEne as te l l the tale twice oer,How Troy was burn t an d he made mise rab le?O, handle n o t the th em e, to ta lk o f han ds ,Lest we remember s t i l l that we have none.Fie, f ie, how franticly I square my talk ,

38

As i f we sh o u ld fo rg e t we h ad n o h an d s ,

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I f Marcus d id no t n ame the word of hands!Come, lets fal l to ; and, gentle gir l , eat this:Here i s no dr ink! Hark , Marcus , what she says;I can interpret al l her martyr d signs;She says she d r inks no o ther d r ink bu t tears ,

Brewd wi th he r sor row, mesh d upon he r cheek s:Speech less complaine r, I wi l l learn thy th ough t ;In thy dum b act ion wi l l I be as pe r fectAs begging hermi ts in thei r ho ly p rayers :Thou shal t no t s igh , nor ho ld thy s tumps to heaven ,No r win k , n o r n o d , n o r k n e e l , n o r mak e a s ig n ,But I o f the se wi l l wres t an a lphabetAnd by s t i l l p ract i se learn to know th y me aning .

Young LUCIUS: Good grandsi re , leave these b i t te rd eep l amen t s :

Make my aunt merry wi th some p leas ing ta le .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Alas , the te nde r boy, in pas-s io n mo v ed ,

Doth weep to see h is g randsi res heav iness .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Peace, tend er saplin g; tho u artmade of tears ,

And te ars wi l l qu ick ly me l t thy l i fe away.

[ MARCUS st rike s t he d is h w it h a knif e. ]What dost th ou s t r ike a t , Marcus , wi th thy kn i fe ?

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: At that that I have ki l l d , mylord; a fly.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Out on the e, mu rderer! tho ukil lst my heart ;

Mine eyes are c loyd wi th v iew o f ty ranny:A d eed o f d ea th d o n e o n th e i n n o cen tBecomes no t Ti tus b ro the r : get the e gon e:I see tho u ar t no t fo r my company.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Alas, my lord, I ha ve but ki llda fly.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: But how, if that f ly had a fa theran d mo th er?

Ho w wo u ld h e h an g h i s s l en d er g i l ded win g s ,An d b u zz l amen t in g d o in g s i n t h e a i r !Poor harmless f ly,That , wi th h is p re t ty buzzin g me lody,Came he re to make us m erry! and tho u has t k i l l d h im .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Pardon me , sir ; i t was a blackill-favor d fly,

Like to the empress Moor; therefore I ki l l d him.

TITUS ANDRONICUS: O, O, O,Then pardon me for reprehending thee ,For thou has t don e a char i tab le de ed .

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Give me thy kn i fe , I wi l l insu l t on h im; ACT IVTitus Andronicus - Act IV, scene i

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Flat ter ing myse l f , as i f i t we re the MoorCome h i ther purposely to po ison me.The res f or thys elf , and that s f or Tamo ra.Ah, sirrah!Yet, I thi nk , we are n ot brough t so low,

But that betwe en us we can k i l l a f lyThat comes in l ikeness of a coal-black Moor.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Alas , poor man ! g r ief has sowro u g h t o n h im ,He takes fa l se shadows for t rue substances .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Com e, take away. Lavini a, go

w i t h m e :Il l to thy closet ; and go read with theeSad s to r ies chanced in the t imes o f o ld .Come, boy, and go wi th m e: thy s igh t i s youn g ,An d th o u sh a l t read wh e n m in e b eg in t o d azz le .

[ Exeunt . ]

ACT IV

SCENE I: Rom e. Tit u ss ga rde n .

[ Ent er young LUCIUS, and LAVINIA ru nn in g aft e r him ,

and t he boy fl ie s from he r, w it h books under hi s a rm .Then enter TITUS and MARCUS. ]

Young LUCIUS: Help, grand sire, he lp! my aun t Lavin iaFol lows me every wh ere , I know not wh y:Good un cle Marcus , see how sw if t she comes.Alas , sweet aun t , I know not what you mean .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Stand by me, Lucius; do no tf ea r t h in e au n t .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: She loves the e , boy, too wel l tod o th ee h a rm.

You n g LUCIUS: Ay, whe n my fa the r was in Rome shed id .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: What mean s my n iece Lavin iab y th ese s ig n s?

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Fear her no t , Lucius : som ewh atd o th s h e m e a n :

See , Lu c iu s, see h o w mu ch sh e mak es o f t h e e :

40

So mewh i th e r wo u ld sh e h av e th ee g o wi th h e r. So me b o o k th e re i s t h a t sh e d es i res t o se e .f

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Ah, boy, Cornelia never with more careRead to h e r so n s t h an sh e h a th r ead to t h eeSweet poetry and Tullys Orator.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Canst thou not guess whe refore

she p l ies thee thus?

Young LUCIUS: My lord, I kn ow no t , I , no r can I gues s,Un less so m e f i t o r f ren zy d o p o ssess h e r:For I have heard my grandsire say ful l oft ,Ex t remi ty o f g r i e f s wo u ld mak e men mad ;And I have read that Hecuba of TroyRan mad th rough sorrow: that made me to fear ;

Al though , my lo rd , I know m y noble aun tLoves m e as de ar as eer my m othe r d id ,And wou ld no t , bu t in fu ry, f righ t m y youth :Which made me down to th row my books , and f lyCauseless , pe rhaps . But pardon m e, swee t aun t :And, m adam, i f my uncle Marcus go ,I wi l l most wi l l ing ly a t tend yo ur ladysh ip .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: Luciu s, I wi ll.

[ LAVINIA t urn s ov er w it h he r st umps t he books w hich LUCIUS ha s le t fa ll . ]

TITUS ANDRONICUS: How now, Lavin ia! Marcus, wh atmean s t h i s?

Which i s i t , g i r l , o f these ? Open them , boy.But thou ar t deepe r read , an d bet te r sk i l l dCome, and take choice of al l my l ibrary,And so be gui le thy sorrow, t i ll the h eaven sReveal the damn d con t r iver o f th is dee d .

Wh y l i f t s sh e u p h e r a rms in seq u en ce th u s?

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: I t h in k sh e me an s t h a t t h e rewas mo re t h an o n e

Confe derate in th e f act : ay, more there was;Or e l se t o h e av en sh e h eav es t h e m fo r rev en g e .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Lucius , what book i s that she

to sse th so ?

Young LUCIUS: Grands ire, tis Ovid s Me tam orph ose s;My moth er gave i t me.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: For love of he r thats gon e,Perhaps sh e cu l l d i t f rom am ong the res t .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Sof t ! see h ow busi ly she tu rnsth e l eav es !

[ Help in g he r. ]

What would she f ind? Lavinia, shal l I read?This i s the t rag ic ta le o f Ph i lome l ,

41

And treats of Tereus t reason and his rape:A d I f f hi

Insp i re me, that I may th is t reason f ind!M l d l k h l k h L i i

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And rape, I fear, was root of thine annoy.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: See, bro the r, see; no te h ow shequotes the leaves .

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Lavinia, wert thou thu s surprised,sweet gir l,Ravishd and wrongd, as Philomela was,Forced in the ru th less , vas t , and g loomy woods?See , see !Ay, such a p lace there i s , wh ere we d id h untO, had we never, never hun ted th ere!Pat ternd by that the poet he re descr ibes ,

By nature m ade fo r murders and for rapes .

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: O, why shou ld natu re build sofo u l a d en ,

Un less t h e g o d s d e l ig h t i n t rag ed ies?

TITUS ANDRONICUS: Give s igns , swee t g i r l, fo r he rea re n o n e b u t f ri en d s ,

What Roman lo rd i t was durs t do the dee d :Or slunk not Saturnine , as Tarquin erst ,That left the camp to sin in Lucrece bed?

MARCUS ANDRONICUS: S i t down, sweet n ie ce:bro the r, s i t down by me.

Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury,

My lord, look here: look he re, Lavin ia:This san dy p lo t i s p la in ; gu ide, i f th ou canstT

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