Enter Lucius, Marcus, and the Goths, ⌜with Aaron,
Guards, and an Attendant carrying the baby.⌝LUCIUS Uncle Marcus, since ’tis my father’s mind That I repair to Rome, I am content.⌜FIRST⌝ GOTH And ours with thine, befall what fortune will.LUCIUS Good uncle, take you in this barbarous Moor,5 This ravenous tiger, this accursèd devil. Let him receive no sust’nance. Fetter him
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Till he be brought unto the Empress’ face For testimony of her foul proceedings. And see the ambush of our friends be strong.10 I fear the Emperor means no good to us.AARON Some devil whisper curses in my ear And prompt me that my tongue may utter forth The venomous malice of my swelling heart.LUCIUS Away, inhuman dog, unhallowed slave!—15 Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in.Sound trumpets. The trumpets show the Emperor is at hand.⌜Guards and Aaron exit.⌝Enter Emperor ⌜Saturninus⌝ and Empress ⌜Tamora⌝
with ⌜Aemilius,⌝ Tribunes, ⌜Attendants,⌝ and others.SATURNINUS What, hath the firmament more suns than one?LUCIUS What boots it thee to call thyself a sun?MARCUS Rome’s emperor, and nephew, break the parle.20 These quarrels must be quietly debated. The feast is ready which the careful Titus Hath ordained to an honorable end, For peace, for love, for league and good to Rome. Please you therefore draw nigh and take your places.SATURNINUS 25Marcus, we will.Trumpets sounding, enter Titus like a cook, placing the
dishes, ⌜with young Lucius and others,⌝ and Lavinia
with a veil over her face.TITUS Welcome, my lord;—welcome, dread queen;— Welcome, you warlike Goths;—welcome, Lucius;—
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And welcome, all. Although the cheer be poor, ’Twill fill your stomachs. Please you eat of it.⌜They begin to eat.⌝SATURNINUS 30 Why art thou thus attired, Andronicus?TITUS Because I would be sure to have all well To entertain your Highness and your empress.TAMORA We are beholding to you, good Andronicus.TITUS An if your Highness knew my heart, you were.—35 My lord the Emperor, resolve me this: Was it well done of rash Virginius To slay his daughter with his own right hand Because she was enforced, stained, and deflowered?SATURNINUS It was, Andronicus.TITUS 40Your reason, mighty lord?SATURNINUS Because the girl should not survive her shame, And by her presence still renew his sorrows.TITUS A reason mighty, strong, and effectual; A pattern, precedent, and lively warrant45 For me, most wretched, to perform the like. Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee, And with thy shame thy father’s sorrow die.⌜He kills Lavinia.⌝SATURNINUS What hast thou done, unnatural and unkind?TITUS Killed her for whom my tears have made me blind.50 I am as woeful as Virginius was, And have a thousand times more cause than he To do this outrage, and it now is done.
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SATURNINUS What, was she ravished? Tell who did the deed.TITUS Will ’t please you eat?—Will ’t please your Highness55 feed?TAMORA Why hast thou slain thine only daughter thus?TITUS Not I; ’twas Chiron and Demetrius. They ravished her and cut away her tongue, And they, ’twas they, that did her all this wrong.SATURNINUS 60 Go fetch them hither to us presently.TITUS Why, there they are, both bakèd in this pie, Whereof their mother daintily hath fed, Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred. ’Tis true, ’tis true! Witness my knife’s sharp point.He stabs the Empress.SATURNINUS 65 Die, frantic wretch, for this accursèd deed.⌜He kills Titus.⌝LUCIUS Can the son’s eye behold his father bleed?⌜He kills Saturninus.⌝ There’s meed for meed, death for a deadly deed.⌜A great tumult. Lucius, Marcus, and
others go aloft to the upper stage.⌝MARCUS You sad-faced men, people and sons of Rome, By uproars severed as a flight of fowl70 Scattered by winds and high tempestuous gusts, O, let me teach you how to knit again This scattered corn into one mutual sheaf, These broken limbs again into one body, ⌜Lest⌝ Rome herself be bane unto herself,75 And she whom mighty kingdoms curtsy to,
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Like a forlorn and desperate castaway, Do shameful execution on herself. But if my frosty signs and chaps of age, Grave witnesses of true experience,80 Cannot induce you to attend my words,⌜He turns to Lucius.⌝ Speak, Rome’s dear friend, as erst our ancestor, When with his solemn tongue he did discourse To lovesick Dido’s sad-attending ear The story of that baleful burning night85 When subtle Greeks surprised King Priam’s Troy. Tell us what Sinon hath bewitched our ears, Or who hath brought the fatal engine in That gives our Troy, our Rome, the civil wound.— My heart is not compact of flint nor steel,90 Nor can I utter all our bitter grief, But floods of tears will drown my oratory And break my utterance even in the time When it should move you to attend me most And force you to commiseration.95 Here’s Rome’s young captain. Let him tell the tale, While I stand by and weep to hear him speak.LUCIUS Then, gracious auditory, be it known to you That Chiron and the damned Demetrius Were they that murderèd our emperor’s brother,100 And they it were that ravishèd our sister. For their fell faults our brothers were beheaded, Our father’s tears despised, and basely cozened Of that true hand that fought Rome’s quarrel out And sent her enemies unto the grave;105 Lastly, myself unkindly banishèd, The gates shut on me, and turned weeping out To beg relief among Rome’s enemies, Who drowned their enmity in my true tears And oped their arms to embrace me as a friend.
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110 I am the turned-forth, be it known to you, That have preserved her welfare in my blood And from her bosom took the enemy’s point, Sheathing the steel in my advent’rous body. Alas, you know I am no vaunter, I;115 My scars can witness, dumb although they are, That my report is just and full of truth. But soft, methinks I do digress too much, Citing my worthless praise. O, pardon me, For when no friends are by, men praise themselves.MARCUS 120 Now is my turn to speak. Behold the child. Of this was Tamora deliverèd, The issue of an irreligious Moor, Chief architect and plotter of these woes. The villain is alive in Titus’ house,125 And as he is to witness, this is true. Now judge what ⌜cause⌝ had Titus to revenge These wrongs unspeakable, past patience, Or more than any living man could bear. Now have you heard the truth. What say you,130 Romans? Have we done aught amiss? Show us wherein, And from the place where you behold us pleading, The poor remainder of Andronici Will, hand in hand, all headlong hurl ourselves,135 And on the ragged stones beat forth our souls, And make a mutual closure of our house. Speak, Romans, speak, and if you say we shall, Lo, hand in hand, Lucius and I will fall.AEMILIUS Come, come, thou reverend man of Rome,140 And bring our emperor gently in thy hand, Lucius our emperor, for well I know The common voice do cry it shall be so.
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⌜ROMANS⌝ Lucius, all hail, Rome’s royal emperor!MARCUS, ⌜to Attendants⌝ Go, go into old Titus’ sorrowful house,145 And hither hale that misbelieving Moor To be ⌜adjudged⌝ some direful slaught’ring death As punishment for his most wicked life.⌜Attendants exit. Lucius and Marcus
come down from the upper stage.⌝⌜ROMANS⌝ Lucius, all hail, Rome’s gracious governor!LUCIUS Thanks, gentle Romans. May I govern so150 To heal Rome’s harms and wipe away her woe! But, gentle people, give me aim awhile, For nature puts me to a heavy task. Stand all aloof, but, uncle, draw you near To shed obsequious tears upon this trunk.⌜He kisses Titus.⌝155 O, take this warm kiss on thy pale cold lips, These sorrowful drops upon thy ⌜bloodstained⌝ face, The last true duties of thy noble son.MARCUS Tear for tear, and loving kiss for kiss, Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips.⌜He kisses Titus.⌝160 O, were the sum of these that I should pay Countless and infinite, yet would I pay them.LUCIUS, ⌜to Young Lucius⌝ Come hither, boy. Come, come, and learn of us To melt in showers. Thy grandsire loved thee well. Many a time he danced thee on his knee,165 Sung thee asleep, his loving breast thy pillow; Many a story hath he told to thee, And bid thee bear his pretty tales in mind And talk of them when he was dead and gone.
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MARCUS How many thousand times hath these poor lips,170 When they were living, warmed themselves on thine! O, now, sweet boy, give them their latest kiss. Bid him farewell; commit him to the grave. Do them that kindness, and take leave of them.YOUNG LUCIUS O grandsire, grandsire, ev’n with all my heart175 Would I were dead so you did live again!⌜He kisses Titus.⌝ O Lord, I cannot speak to him for weeping. My tears will choke me if I ope my mouth.⌜Enter Aaron with Guards.⌝ROMAN You sad Andronici, have done with woes. Give sentence on this execrable wretch180 That hath been breeder of these dire events.LUCIUS Set him breast-deep in earth and famish him. There let him stand and rave and cry for food. If anyone relieves or pities him, For the offense he dies. This is our doom.185 Some stay to see him fastened in the earth.AARON Ah, why should wrath be mute and fury dumb? I am no baby, I, that with base prayers I should repent the evils I have done. Ten thousand worse than ever yet I did190 Would I perform, if I might have my will. If one good deed in all my life I did, I do repent it from my very soul.⌜Aaron is led off by Guards.⌝LUCIUS Some loving friends convey the Emperor hence, And give him burial in his fathers’ grave.
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195 My father and Lavinia shall forthwith Be closèd in our household’s monument. As for that ravenous tiger, Tamora, No funeral rite, nor man in mourning weed; No mournful bell shall ring her burial;200 But throw her forth to beasts and birds to prey. Her life was beastly and devoid of pity, And being dead, let birds on her take pity.They exit, ⌜carrying the dead bodies.⌝
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