THE TRAGEDY OF
TITUS ANDRONICUS

SATURNINUS, the older son of the late Emperor of Rome, later became Emperor
BASSIANUS, the brother of Saturninus

TITUS ANDRONICUS, a noble Roman, General fighting against the Goths
MARCUS ANDRONICUS, Tribune of the People, and brother of Titus

LAVINIA, daughter of Titus Andronicus
LUCIUS, son of Titus Andronicus
QUINTUS, son of Titus Andronicus
MARTIUS, son of Titus Andronicus
MUTIUS, son of Titus Andronicus

YOUNG LUCIUS, a boy, son of Lucius
PUBLIUS, son of Marcus the Tribune

SEMPRONIUS, relative of Titus
CAIUS, relative of Titus
VALENTINE, relative of Titus

AEMILIUS, a noble Roman

TAMORA, Queen of the Goths
AARON, a Moor, loved by Tamora
ALARBUS, Tamora's son
DEMETRIUS, Tamora's son
CHIRON, Tamora's son

A CAPTAIN
MESSENGER
A NURSE, and a Black child
CLOWN
Goths and Romans

Tribunes, Senators, Officers, Soldiers, and Attendants

Enter the Tribunes and Senators above. Then enter Saturninus and his followers from one side, and Bassianus and his followers from the other, with drums and trumpets.

SATURNINUS.
Noble patricians, supporters of my cause,
Stand up for the justice of my case with arms;
And, fellow countrymen, my loyal followers,
Fight for my rightful claim with your swords.
I am his firstborn son, the last
To wear the imperial crown of Rome;
So let my father’s honors live on in me,
And don’t disrespect my age with this indignity.

BASSIANUS.
Romans, friends, supporters, advocates of my cause,
If ever Bassianus, the son of Caesar,
Was respected by the great city of Rome,
Then uphold this path to the Capitol,
And don’t let dishonor come near
The imperial throne, dedicated to
Virtue, justice, self-control, and nobility;
But let true merit stand out in your decision,
And, Romans, stand up for freedom in your choice.

Enter Marcus Andronicus on stage, holding the crown.

MARCUS.
Princes, who compete through factions and allies
Ambitiously for power and rule,
Know that the people of Rome, for whom we stand
As a dedicated faction, have collectively decided,
In the election for the Roman leadership,
To choose Andronicus, known as Pius,
For his many great contributions to Rome.
There isn’t a nobler man or a braver warrior
Alive today within these city walls.
He has been called home by the Senate
From exhausting battles against the savage Goths,
Who, with his sons, a formidable force to our enemies,
Has united a strong nation trained for war.
It’s been ten years since he first took on
This cause for Rome, and humbled our enemies’ pride
With his military might. Five times he has returned
Wounded to Rome, carrying his brave sons
Home in coffins from the battlefield.
And now, finally, laden with the spoils of honor,
The good Andronicus returns to Rome,
Renowned Titus, thriving in battle.
Let’s respectfully invite, in honor of his name,
Whom you rightfully want to succeed,
And in the Capitol and Senate’s honor,
Whom you intend to respect and praise,
To step back and lower your power,
Dismiss your followers, and, like true petitioners,
Present your merits in peace and humility.

SATURNINUS.
How beautifully the tribune speaks to soothe my mind!

BASSIANUS.
Marcus Andronicus, I trust
In your honesty and integrity,
And I love and respect you and your family,
Your noble brother Titus and his sons,
And the one to whom my thoughts are devoted,
The gracious Lavinia, Rome’s shining jewel,
I will now say goodbye to my loyal friends,
And place my future and the people's support
In the hands of fate to be judged.

[Exit Bassianus's followers.]

SATURNINUS.
Friends, who have stood by me in my pursuit of justice,
I thank you all and now let you go,
And to the support and goodwill of my country
I entrust myself, my safety, and our cause.

[Exit the followers of Saturninus.]

Rome, be as fair and generous to me
As I am sure and friendly to you.
Open the gates and let me in.

BASSIANUS.
Tribunes, and I'm just a poor competitor.

Flourish. They head up to the Senate House.

Enter a Captain.

CAPTAIN.
Romans, step aside! The great Andronicus,
Defender of virtue, Rome’s top champion,
Victorious in every battle he faces,
With honor and success, he returns
From where he conquered with his sword
And brought the enemies of Rome to submission.

Sound drums and trumpets, and then enter two of Titus’ sons, followed by two men carrying a coffin draped in black; then two more sons; then Titus Andronicus and then Tamora, the Queen of Goths, along with her sons Alarbus, Chiron, and Demetrius, accompanied by Aaron the Moor, and others as many as possible. They set down the coffin, and Titus speaks.

TITUS.
Hail, Rome, victorious in your mourning clothes!
Just like a ship that has unloaded its cargo
And returns with valuable goods to the harbor
From where it first set sail,
Here comes Andronicus, carrying laurel branches,
To greet his country again with tears,
Tears of true joy for his return to Rome.
You great protector of this Capitol,
Be kind to the ceremonies we plan.
Romans, of twenty-five brave sons,
Half the number that King Priam had,
Look at the sad remains, alive and dead.
Let Rome reward those who survived with love;
These that I bring to their final resting place,
With burial among their ancestors.
Here the Goths have allowed me to put away my sword.
Titus, unkind, and neglectful of your own,
Why do you allow your sons, still unburied,
To linger on the terrifying shore of Styx?
Make way to lay them beside their brothers.

They open the grave.

There they meet quietly, like the dead often do,
And rest in peace, fallen in your country's battles.
O sacred holder of my happiness,
Sweet place of goodness and honor,
How many sons do you hold for me,
That you will never return to me?

LUCIUS.
Bring us the most defiant prisoner of the Goths,
So we can cut him up, and on a pyre
For the spirits of our brothers offer his flesh
Before this earthly prison of their remains,
So that the spirits are satisfied,
And we aren't troubled by ominous signs on earth.

TITUS.
I present to you him, the noblest who remains,
The oldest son of this troubled queen.

TAMORA.
Wait, Roman brothers! Kind conqueror,
Victorious Titus, feel the tears I shed,
A mother’s tears out of love for her son.
And if your sons have ever been precious to you,
Oh, think of my son as precious to me.
Is it not enough that we've come to Rome,
To enhance your triumphs and return
Captive to you and your Roman rule;
But must my sons be killed in the streets
For bravely fighting for their country?
Oh, if fighting for king and country
Is virtuous in your eyes, it is in theirs too.
Andronicus, don’t stain your tomb with blood.
Will you approach the nature of the gods?
Then draw near them by being merciful.
Sweet mercy is the true mark of nobility.
Thrice-noble Titus, spare my first-born son.

TITUS.
Please be patient, madam, and forgive me.
These are their brothers whom your Goths saw
Alive and dead, and for their fallen brothers
They respectfully ask for a sacrifice.
Your son is chosen for this, and he must die
To soothe the grieving spirits that have departed.

LUCIUS.
Get rid of him, and make a fire right away,
And with our swords, on top of a pile of wood,
Let’s chop his limbs until they are completely burnt up.

[Titus’ sons exit with Alarbus.]

TAMORA.
O cruel, godless piety!

CHIRON.
Scythia was never this wild!

DEMETRIUS.
Don't pit Scythia against ambitious Rome.
Alarbus has gone to rest, and we live on
To shake under Titus’ threatening glare.
So, madam, stay determined, but also hope
That the same gods who armed the Queen of Troy
With the chance for sharp revenge
Against the Thracian tyrant in his tent
May support Tamora, the queen of Goths,
(When Goths were real Goths and Tamora was queen)
To avenge the bloody wrongs inflicted on her foes.

Enter the sons of Andronicus again with bloody swords.

LUCIUS.
Look, lord and father, how we’ve carried out
Our Roman rituals. Alarbus’ limbs are cut off,
And his insides are feeding the sacrificial fire,
Whose smoke, like incense, fragrances the sky.
All that’s left is to bury our brothers,
And with loud alarms greet them as they arrive in Rome.

TITUS.
That's how it should be; let Andronicus
Make this his final goodbye to their spirits.

Blow the trumpets, and place the coffin in the tomb.

In peace and honor, you rest here, my sons;
Rome’s most ready champions, lie here at rest,
Safe from life’s chances and misfortunes.
Here, there’s no treachery, no jealousy grows,
No harmful substances; no tempests here,
No noise, just silence and eternal sleep.
In peace and honor, you rest here, my sons.

Enter Lavinia.

LAVINIA.
May Lord Titus live long in peace and honor;
My noble lord and father, may you live in fame.
Look, at this tomb I shed my grateful tears
For my brothers' funerals;
And at your feet I kneel, with tears of joy
Dropped on this ground for your return to Rome.
Oh, bless me here with your victorious hand,
Whose successes the best citizens of Rome celebrate.

TITUS.
Kind Rome, you've truly kept
The heartwarming essence of my life to bring me joy!
Lavinia, live; outlast your father's years,
And the lasting reputation of fame, for the praise of virtue.

Enter Titus Andronicus and Tribunes; re-enter Saturninus, Bassianus and others.

MARCUS.
Long live Lord Titus, my dear brother,
Gracious victor in the sight of Rome.

TITUS.
Thanks, kind tribune, dear brother Marcus.

MARCUS.
And welcome, nephews, from your victorious battles,
You who survive, and you who are honored in memory.
Noble lords, your fortunes are the same,
Since you all drew your swords in service of your country;
But this funeral procession is a safer victory
That strives for Solon’s happiness
And triumphs in honor over chance.
Titus Andronicus, the people of Rome,
Whose loyal friend in justice you have always been,
Send you through me, their tribune and their trusted one,
This robe of white and pure color,
And nominate you for election to the empire
Alongside the recently deceased emperor’s sons.
So be a candidatus now, and put it on,
And help to give a head to headless Rome.

TITUS.
A better mind suits her glorious body
Than his that's shaking from age and weakness.
What, should I put on this robe and bother you?
Be chosen with announcements today,
Tomorrow hand over power, give up my life,
And set new tasks for all of you?
Rome, I’ve been your soldier for forty years,
And led my country’s strength successfully,
And buried twenty-one brave sons,
Knighted in battle, killed honorably in arms,
In service of their noble nation.
Give me a staff of honor for my age,
But not a scepter to rule the world.
Straight he held it, lords, who held it last.

MARCUS.
Titus, you will gain and request the empire.

SATURNINUS.
Proud and ambitious tribune, can you tell?

TITUS.
Hold on, Prince Saturninus.

SATURNINUS.
Romans, treat me fairly.
Patricians, draw your swords and don’t put them away
Until Saturninus is the emperor of Rome.
Andronicus, I wish you were sent straight to hell
Instead of taking away the people's loyalty from me!

LUCIUS.
Proud Saturnine, you disrupt the good
That noble-minded Titus intends for you!

TITUS.
Calm down, prince; I will give you back
The people’s loyalty and help them move past their own desires.

BASSIANUS.
Andronicus, I'm not trying to flatter you,
But I respect you, and I will until I die.
If you support my side with your friends,
I will be very thankful; and gratitude towards noble-minded people
is an honorable reward.

TITUS.
People of Rome, and tribunes present,
I ask for your voices and your support.
Will you kindly give them to Andronicus?

TRIBUNES.
To please the honorable Andronicus,
And celebrate his safe return to Rome,
The people will agree to whoever he allows.

TITUS.
Tribunes, I appreciate you; and I'm here to propose,
That you make the emperor’s eldest son,
Lord Saturnine; whose qualities will, I hope,
Shine on Rome like Titan’s rays on the earth,
And bring justice to this community.
So, if you choose to follow my recommendation,
Crown him, and say “Long live our emperor!”

MARCUS.
With cheers and applause from all around,
Nobles and commoners, we proclaim
Lord Saturninus as Rome’s great emperor,
And shout “Long live our Emperor Saturnine!”

A long flourish.

SATURNINUS.
Titus Andronicus, I want to thank you for your support
in our election today.
I appreciate what you've done and I’ll show my gratitude
with actions that reflect your kindness.
To start with, Titus, to honor
your name and esteemed family,
I will make Lavinia my empress,
the royal mistress of Rome and the one I love,
and I’ll marry her in the sacred Pantheon.
What do you think, Andronicus? Are you pleased with this plan?

TITUS.
It does, my worthy lord, and in this match
I feel greatly honored by your grace;
And here in sight of Rome, to Saturnine,
King and leader of our community,
The emperor of the wide world, I dedicate
My sword, my chariot, and my prisoners;
Gifts truly deserving of Rome’s powerful lord.
So accept them, the tribute that I owe,
My honor’s symbols humbled at your feet.

SATURNINUS.
Thanks, noble Titus, father of my life.
How proud I am of you and your gifts.
Rome will remember, and if I ever forget
Even the smallest of these incredible merits,
Romans, forget your loyalty to me.

TITUS.
[To Tamora.] Now, ma'am, you’re a prisoner to an emperor;
To the one who will treat you and your followers
with respect for your honor and your position.

SATURNINUS.
A lovely lady, believe me, with a beauty
That I would choose, if I had to pick again.
Cheer up, fair queen, and clear that gloomy face.
Even though the fortunes of war have changed your mood,
You’re not here to be humiliated in Rome.
You will be treated like royalty in every way.
Trust my word, and don’t let unhappiness
Dampen your hopes. Madam, the one who comforts you
Can elevate you more than the Queen of Goths.
Lavinia, you’re not upset about this, are you?

LAVINIA.
Not me, my lord, since true nobility
Deserves these words in royal courtesy.

SATURNINUS.
Thanks, dear Lavinia. Romans, let’s move.
Without ransom, we’ll free our prisoners here.
Announce our honors, lords, with trumpet and drum.

[Thrive. Saturninus and his Guards leave, with Drums and Trumpets. Tribunes and Senators leave above.]

BASSIANUS.
Lord Titus, if you don't mind, this girl is mine.

TITUS.
What do you mean, sir? Are you serious then, my lord?

BASSIANUS.
Yes, noble Titus; and I’m determined to give myself this reason and this right.

MARCUS.
To each his own is our Roman justice.
This prince in justice takes only what is his.

LUCIUS.
And he will, if Lucius is alive.

TITUS.
Traitors, go away! Where's the emperor’s guard?

Enter Saturninus and his Guards.

Treason, my lord, Lavinia is shocked.

SATURNINUS.
Surprised? By who?

BASSIANUS.
By him who rightfully can
Take his fiancée away from everyone in the world.

[Exit Bassianus and Marcus with Lavinia.]

MUTIUS.
Brothers, help to take her away,
And I'll guard this door with my sword.

[Exit Lucius, Quintus and Martius.]

TITUS.
Come on, my lord, and I'll have her back in no time.

[Exit Saturninus, Tamora, Demetrius, Chiron, Aaron, and Guards.]

MUTIUS.
My lord, you can't go through here.

TITUS.
What, you little thug,
Blocking my path in Rome?

[Stabbing Mutius.]

MUTIUS.
Help me, Lucius!

[Dies.]

Re-enter Lucius.

LUCIUS.
My lord, you are being unfair, and even more so,
In an unjust conflict, you have killed your son.

TITUS.
Neither you nor he are my sons;
My sons would never bring me such disgrace.
Traitor, give Lavinia back to the Emperor.

LUCIUS.
He may be dead; but I won’t be his wife,
That love is legally promised to someone else.

[Log out.]

Enter above the Emperor Saturninus with Tamora and her two sons and Aaron the Moor.

SATURNINUS.
No, Titus, no; the emperor doesn’t need her,
Not her, not you, nor any of your family.
I’ll take my time to trust someone who mocks me once;
Never you, nor your treacherous arrogant sons,
All colluding to bring me disgrace.
Was there no one in Rome to make a fool
Except Saturninus? Very well, Andronicus,
Match these actions with that proud boast of yours
That claimed I begged for the empire from you.

TITUS.
Oh no! What insulting words are these?

SATURNINUS.
But go ahead; take that shifting piece
And give it to the one who fought for her with his sword.
You’ll have a brave son-in-law;
Someone capable of matching your unruly sons,
To stir things up in the society of Rome.

TITUS.
These words cut like razors to my hurting heart.

SATURNINUS.
So, beautiful Tamora, Queen of the Goths,
Who shines like the grand Phoebe among her nymphs,
You outshine the finest women of Rome,
If you're happy with my sudden decision,
Look, I choose you, Tamora, to be my wife,
And I will make you Empress of Rome.
Speak, Queen of the Goths, do you approve of my choice?
And here I swear by all the Roman gods,
Since the priest and holy water are so close,
And the candles burn so brightly, with everything
Ready for the wedding, I won't re-enter the streets of Rome,
Or go back to my palace, until I lead my bride out of here.

TAMORA.
And here in front of heaven, I swear to Rome,
If Saturnine brings in the Queen of Goths,
She will serve his desires,
A caring nurse, a mother to his youth.

SATURNINUS.
Rise, beautiful queen, Pantheon. Lords, join
Your noble emperor and his lovely bride,
Sent by the heavens for Prince Saturnine,
Whose wisdom has conquered her fortune.
There we will complete our wedding rituals.

[Everyone leaves except Titus.]

TITUS.
I'm not invited to wait on this bride.
Titus, when did you ever walk alone,
Dishonored like this, and accused of wrongs?

Re-enter Marcus, Lucius, Quintus and Martius.

MARCUS.
O Titus, look, oh look at what you've done!
In a terrible fight, you've killed a good son.

TITUS.
No, foolish tribune, no; no son of mine,
Not you, nor these, partners in the act
That has brought shame upon our whole family.
Unworthy brother and unworthy sons!

LUCIUS.
But let's give him a proper burial;
Let's bury Mutius with our brothers.

TITUS.
Traitors, get out! He doesn’t lie in this tomb.
This monument has stood for five hundred years,
And I have lavishly restored it.
Here, only soldiers and servants of Rome
Rest in glory; no one who died shamefully in fights.
Bury him wherever you want, he’s not coming here.

MARCUS.
My lord, this is disrespectful of you.
My nephew Mutius’ actions do speak for him;
He deserves to be buried with his brothers.

MARTIUS.
And we will go with him.

TITUS.
"And shall"? Who was the idiot that said that?

QUINTUS.
Anyone who would claim that anywhere but here.

TITUS.
What, are you going to bury him to spite me?

MARCUS.
No, noble Titus, I ask you
To forgive Mutius and give him a proper burial.

TITUS.
Marcus, even though you've hit my pride,
And with these boys you've hurt my honor.
I consider you all my enemies;
So don't bother me anymore, just leave.

QUINTUS.
He's not in his right mind; let's leave.

MARTIUS.
Not me, until Mutius’ bones are buried.

[Marcus and Titus's sons kneel.]

MARCUS.
Brother, because in that name nature speaks,—

QUINTUS.
Dad, and in that name does nature speak,—

TITUS.
Don't say anything else if the rest of us are going to get things done.

MARCUS.
Famous Titus, more than half of my soul,—

LUCIUS.
Dear father, the heart and soul of us all,—

MARCUS.
Allow your brother Marcus to lay
His noble nephew to rest here in a place of virtue,
Who died for honor and Lavinia’s cause.
You are a Roman; don’t be cruel.
The Greeks, in their wisdom, buried Ajax,
Who took his own life; and wise Laertes’ son
Successfully advocated for his funeral.
So, don’t deny young Mutius, who brought you joy,
His right to be here.

TITUS.
Get up, Marcus, get up.
Today is the most miserable day I’ve ever seen,
To be dishonored by my sons in Rome!
Well, bury him, and bury me next.

They placed Mutius in the tomb.

LUCIUS.
There lie your bones, dear Mutius, with your friends,
Until we decorate your tomb with trophies.

ALL.
[Kneeling.] No one cried for the noble Mutius;
He lives on in glory for dying for a good cause.

MARCUS.
My lord, to get out of these gloomy thoughts,
Why has the clever Queen of Goths
Suddenly risen to power in Rome?

TITUS.
I don't know, Marcus, but I know it is.
Whether it's by design or not, the heavens will reveal.
Is she not grateful to the man
Who brought her this far for such a great deed?
Yes, and she will reward him generously.

Flourish. Enter the Emperor Saturninus, Tamora and her two sons, along with Aaron the Moor. Drums and trumpets sound from one side. Enter from the other side Bassianus and Lavinia with others.

SATURNINUS.
So, Bassianus, you've won your prize.
Congrats, man, on your impressive bride.

BASSIANUS.
And you have yours, my lord. I won’t say anything more,
And I don't want anything less; so I'm taking my leave.

SATURNINUS.
Traitor, if Rome has laws or we have power,
You and your group will regret this violation.

BASSIANUS.
You call it rape, my lord, to take what is mine,
My true fiancée and now my wife?
But let the laws of Rome sort this out;
For now, I have what belongs to me.

SATURNINUS.
It's good, sir. You're being very curt with us;
But if we survive, we'll be just as sharp with you.

BASSIANUS.
My lord, I have to answer for what I've done, and I’ll do it with my life.
Just this much I want your grace to know:
By all the responsibilities I have to Rome,
This noble gentleman, Lord Titus here,
Is wronged in both opinion and honor,
Because, in saving Lavinia,
He killed his youngest son with his own hand,
Out of his passion for you, moved to anger
To be restrained in what he willingly offered.
So please welcome him, Saturnine,
For he has shown himself in all his actions
To be both a father and a friend to you and Rome.

TITUS.
Prince Bassianus, let me defend my actions.
It's you and your people who have dishonored me.
Let Rome and the righteous heavens be my judge
For how I've loved and honored Saturnine.

TAMORA.
My noble lord, if Tamora has ever
Been favored in your royal eyes,
Then listen to me speak fairly for everyone;
And for my request, please forgive what has happened.

SATURNINUS.
What, madam, be publicly dishonored,
And just accept it without seeking revenge?

TAMORA.
Not at all, my lord; the gods of Rome forbid
That I should bring dishonor to you!
But I can boldly promise
That good Lord Titus is innocent in everything,
Whose rage clearly shows his pain.
So please, look kindly on him for my sake;
Don't lose such a noble friend over a silly assumption,
And don't hurt his gentle heart with your harsh looks.
[Aside.] My lord, listen to me, and eventually come around;
Hide all your sorrows and discontent.
You’ve only just taken your place on the throne;
If not, the people, and the patricians too,
Might fairly take Titus’ side,
And you could be replaced for ingratitude,
Which Rome sees as a terrible sin.
Give in to pleas, and then leave the rest to me.
I’ll find a day to wipe them all out,
And destroy their faction and their family,
The cruel father and his treacherous sons,
Who I begged for my dear son’s life;
And make them understand what it means to let a queen
Kneel in the streets and beg for mercy in vain.
[Aloud.] Come on, sweet emperor; come, Andronicus;
Lift up this good old man and comfort the heart
That’s breaking under the storm of your angry frown.

SATURNINUS.
Get up, Titus, get up; my empress has won.

TITUS.
Thank you, your majesty, and you too, my lord.
These words, these looks, give me new energy.

TAMORA.
Titus, I’ve become a part of Rome,
Now happily adopted as a Roman,
And I need to advise the emperor for his benefit.
Today, all disputes end, Andronicus;
And let it be my honor, dear lord,
That I have brought you and your friends back together.
For you, Prince Bassianus, I have given
My word and promise to the emperor
That you will be kinder and more agreeable.
And don’t worry, lords, and you, Lavinia.
Following my advice, all of you humbled on your knees,
You will ask for the emperor's forgiveness.

LUCIUS.
We do, and promise to heaven and to his highness
That what we did was as gentle as we could,
Caring for our sister's honor and our own.

MARCUS.
I swear on my honor that this is true.

SATURNINUS.
Go away, and don’t talk; stop bothering us.

TAMORA.
No, no, dear emperor, we should all be friends.
The tribune and his nephews are kneeling for mercy;
I won’t be turned away. Sweetheart, look back.

SATURNINUS.
Marcus, for your sake, and your brother’s here,
And at my beautiful Tamora’s request,
I forgive these young men’s serious offenses.
Get up.
Lavinia, even though you left me like a jerk,
I found a friend, and as sure as death I promised
I wouldn’t separate a bachelor from the priest.
Come on, if the emperor’s court can entertain two brides,
You are my guest, Lavinia, and your friends.
Today will be a day of love, Tamora.

TITUS.
Tomorrow, if it pleases your majesty
To hunt the panther and the deer with me,
With horn and hound we’ll give your grace hello.

SATURNINUS.
Alright then, Titus, and thank you as well.

[Trumpets sound. Everyone exits except Aaron.]

Aaron by himself.

AARON.
Now Tamora has climbed to the top of Olympus,
Safe from Fortune's aim, sitting high,
Secure from the crack of thunder or flash of lightning,
Raised above the reach of pale envy.
Like when the golden sun greets the morning,
And, gilding the ocean with his rays,
Rides across the zodiac in his shining chariot,
Overlooking the tallest hills;
So is Tamora.
Earthly honor waits on her wit,
And virtue bows and trembles at her frown.
Now, Aaron, steel your heart and prepare your thoughts
To rise high with your imperial mistress,
And reach the height of the one you've long held
As a prisoner, shackled in loving chains,
And more tightly bound to Aaron’s charming eyes
Than Prometheus is to Caucasus.
Cast off the rags of servitude and servile thoughts!
I will shine brightly in pearl and gold,
To accompany this newly crowned empress.
To accompany, did I say? To indulge with this queen,
This goddess, this Semiramis, this nymph,
This siren, who will enchant Rome’s Saturnine,
And witness his destruction and his people's fall.
Hey! What storm is this?

Enter Chiron and Demetrius facing challenges.

DEMETRIUS.
Chiron, you're lacking in experience, your intelligence lacks sharpness
And politeness, to invade where I am welcomed,
And may, for anything you know, be pretentious.

CHIRON.
Demetrius, you’re way too cocky,
And in doing so, you try to put me down with bravado.
It’s not just a year or two that
Makes me less worthy or you more lucky.
I am just as capable and deserving as you
To serve and win my mistress’ favor;
And my sword will prove that,
And fight for my feelings for Lavinia’s love.

AARON.
[Aside.] Clubs, clubs! These lovers won’t settle down.

DEMETRIUS.
Why, kid, even though our mom, not thinking clearly,
Gave you a dancing sword to keep by your side,
Why have you become so reckless to threaten your friends?
Come on; keep that stick in your sheath
Until you learn how to use it.

CHIRON.
Meanwhile, sir, with the little skill I have,
You will clearly see how much I'm willing to take on.

DEMETRIUS.
Oh, so you're getting so confident, huh?

They’re drawing.

AARON.
What’s going on, lords?
How can you dare to confront each other so close to the emperor’s palace
And carry on this argument so openly?
I know exactly what’s behind all this anger.
I wouldn’t want the reason known to those it affects for a million dollars;
And neither would your noble mother want to be
So dishonored in the court of Rome for much more.
For shame, back off.

DEMETRIUS.
Not me, until I have plunged
My sword into his chest, and on top of that
Shoved those insulting words down his throat
That he has spoken about my shame here.

CHIRON.
For that I am ready and fully committed,
Foul-mouthed coward, who roars with your words,
And with your weapon, you dare not act.

AARON.
Get away, I say!
Now, by the gods that those warlike Goths worship,
This silly argument will ruin us all.
Why, lords, don’t you realize how dangerous
It is to challenge a prince’s authority?
What, has Lavinia really become so easy,
Or Bassianus so pathetic,
That for her love such fights can happen
Without any control, justice, or revenge?
Young lords, be careful! And if the empress finds out
What started this conflict, the outcome won’t be good.

CHIRON.
I don't care, I knew she and everyone else.
I love Lavinia more than anyone else.

DEMETRIUS.
Kid, you need to learn to make better choices.
Lavina is your older brother's hope.

AARON.
Why, are you crazy? Don’t you know in Rome
How angry and impatient they are,
And can’t stand rivals in love?
I’m telling you, lords, you’re just planning your own deaths
With this scheme.

CHIRON.
Aaron, I'd go through a thousand deaths
To win over the one I love.

AARON.
To get her! How?

DEMETRIUS.
Why do you find it so unusual?
She’s a woman, so she can be courted;
She’s a woman, so she can be won over;
She’s Lavinia, so she must be loved.
What, man, more water flows by the mill
Than the miller knows; and it’s easy
To take a slice from a cut loaf, as we know.
Even though Bassianus is the emperor’s brother,
Better men than him have worn Vulcan’s badge.

AARON.
[Aside.] Yeah, and just as good as Saturninus can be.

DEMETRIUS.
So why should he lose hope if he knows how to win her over
With charm, good looks, and generosity?
What, haven't you often taken a deer,
And led her away right under the keeper’s nose?

AARON.
So, it looks like a little bit of trickery would do the job for you.

CHIRON.
Yeah, so the tables have turned.

DEMETRIUS.
Aaron, you got it.

AARON.
I wish you had hit it too!
Then we wouldn’t be worn out with all this fuss.
Listen, listen, are you really that foolish
To argue over this? Would it bother you then
If both of us succeeded?

CHIRON.
Trust, not me.

DEMETRIUS.
Not me, if I were one.

AARON.
For shame, let’s be friends and stop fighting.
It’s strategy and cleverness that we need
To get what you want; so you must decide
That what you can’t achieve the way you want,
You have to accomplish in whatever way you can.
Believe me: Lucrece wasn’t more chaste
Than this Lavinia, Bassianus’ love.
We must move faster than this slow suffering
And I’ve found a way to do it.
My lords, a serious hunt is about to happen;
That’s where the beautiful Roman ladies will gather.
The forest paths are wide and open,
And there are many secluded spots
Ideal for assault and wrongdoing.
Go there alone, then, and target this lovely doe,
And take her by force, if not by persuasion.
This is the only way to have hope.
Come on, our empress, with her clever mind
Dedicated to villainy and revenge,
We will tell her everything we plan;
And she’ll equip our schemes with advice
That won’t let you back out,
But will help you both reach your desires.
The emperor’s court is like the house of Fame,
A palace filled with whispers, glances, and listeners;
The woods are merciless, terrifying, silent, and dull.
There, be bold, boys, and take your chances;
There, pursue your desires, hidden from heaven’s sight,
And indulge in Lavinia’s treasures.

CHIRON.
Your advice, kid, shows no sign of cowardice.

DEMETRIUS.
Whether it's right or wrong, until I find the stream
To cool this heat, a spell to soothe these outbursts,
By the Styx, I travel through the spirits.

[Exit.]

Enter Titus Andronicus and his three sons, and Marcus, making a racket with dogs and horns.

TITUS.
The hunt is on, the morning is bright and gray,
The fields smell great, and the woods are green.
Let’s release the hounds here and make a bay,
And wake the emperor and his beautiful bride,
And rouse the prince, and sound a hunter’s call,
So the whole court can hear the noise.
Sons, it’s your responsibility, just like it is ours,
To take care of the emperor closely.
I was troubled in my sleep last night,
But the new day has brought me comfort.

Here a cry of hounds and the sound of hunting horns. Then enter Saturninus, Tamora, Bassianus, Lavinia, Chiron, Demetrius, and their attendants.

Many good mornings to your majesty;
Madam, to you as many and as good.
I promised your grace a hunter’s call.

SATURNINUS.
And you have sounded it loudly, my lords;
A bit too early for newlywed women.

BASSIANUS.
Lavinia, what do you think?

LAVINIA.
I say no;
I've been wide awake for over two hours.

SATURNINUS.
Let’s get some horses and chariots,
And go enjoy our game. [To Tamora.] Madam, now you'll see
Our Roman hunting.

MARCUS.
I have dogs, my lord,
That will stir up the proudest panther during the hunt,
And they can scale the highest cliffs.

TITUS.
And I have a horse that will follow where the game
Goes, and run like swallows across the field.

DEMETRIUS.
Chiron, we don’t hunt with horses or hounds,
But hope to catch a graceful doe on the ground.

[Exit.]

Enter Aaron, by himself, carrying a bag of gold.

AARON.
Anyone with common sense would think I’m an idiot,
To hide so much gold under a tree,
And never plan to benefit from it.
Let those who see me as worthless
Understand that this gold will create a scheme,
Which, cleverly executed, will lead to
A truly remarkable act of wickedness.
So rest easy, precious gold, for the trouble
Of those who receive their charity from the empress’ treasury.

He hides the bag.

Enter Tamora solo to the Moor.

TAMORA.
My dear Aaron, why do you look so sad
When everything around is so joyful?
The birds are singing on every bush,
The snakes are basking in the warm sun,
The green leaves flutter in the cool breeze,
Casting a patterned shadow on the ground.
Under their gentle shade, Aaron, let’s sit,
And while the echo playfully mocks the hounds,
Responding sharply to the well-tuned horns,
As if two hunts are happening at once,
Let’s sit and listen to their yapping sounds;
And after a struggle like the one
The wandering prince and Dido once shared,
When they were caught in a happy storm,
And hidden in a cave that kept their secrets,
We can, each wrapped in the other’s arms,
Once our fun is over, drift into a golden sleep,
While hounds and horns and sweet singing birds
Lull us like a nurse’s song
To help her baby drift off to sleep.

AARON.
Madam, while Venus controls your desires,
Saturn rules over mine.
What does my deadly gaze mean,
My silence and my gloomy sadness,
My mass of curly hair that’s now unwinding
Like a snake when it uncoils
To carry out some deadly act?
No, madam, these are not signs of lust.
Vengeance is in my heart, death in my hand,
Blood and revenge are pounding in my head.
Listen, Tamora, the queen of my soul,
Who never hopes for more bliss than what’s in you,
This is the day of doom for Bassianus;
His Philomel will lose her voice today,
Your sons will violate her purity,
And wash their hands in Bassianus’ blood.
Do you see this letter? Please pick it up,
And give the king this deadly plotted message.
Now don’t ask me any more questions; we are being watched;
Here comes a group of our expected loot,
Who still don’t fear for their lives' destruction.

Enter Bassianus and Lavinia.

TAMORA.
Oh, my dear Moor, you are sweeter to me than life itself!

AARON.
Not anymore, great empress. Bassianus is coming.
Be angry with him; and I’ll go get your sons
To support your disputes, whatever they are.

[Log out.]

BASSIANUS.
Who do we have here? Rome’s royal empress,
Without her suitable entourage?
Or is it Diana, dressed like her,
Who has left her sacred woods
To watch the general hunt in this forest?

TAMORA.
Bold controller of my every move!
If I had the power that people say Diana had,
Your temples would be adorned right now
With horns, just like Actaeon’s; and the hounds
Would chase after your newly transformed limbs,
Rude intruder that you are.

LAVINIA.
With your kindness, gentle empress,
It's believed you have a special talent for hunting,
And it's likely that you and your Moor
Have been chosen to conduct some tests.
May Jove protect your husband from his dogs today!
It's a shame they might mistake him for a deer.

BASSIANUS.
Believe me, queen, your dark-skinned Cimmerian
Makes your reputation suffer because of his appearance,
Ugly, disgusting, and repulsive.
Why are you away from all your followers,
Dismounted from your beautiful, pure white horse,
And come here to a hidden spot,
Only accompanied by a savage Moor,
If you weren't led here by some wicked desire?

LAVINIA.
And since you were interrupted in your fun,
It makes sense for my noble lord to be scolded
For being cheeky. Please, let’s go,
And let her enjoy her dark-haired love;
This valley is perfect for that purpose.

BASSIANUS.
My brother, the king, will be informed about this.

LAVINIA.
Yes, these mistakes have made him well-known for a long time.
Good king, how could you be treated so badly!

TAMORA.
Well, I can endure all of this with patience.

Enter Chiron and Demetrius.

DEMETRIUS.
What's wrong, dear sovereign, and our gracious mother?
Why do you look so pale and tired?

TAMORA.
Do you really think I don’t have a reason to look pale?
These two have lured me out here to this place,
It’s a desolate, hated valley; you can see that;
The trees, even in summer, look sad and thin,
Covered in moss and deadly mistletoe.
The sun never shines here, nothing lives,
Except for the night owl or the grim raven.
And when they showed me this cursed pit,
They told me that at midnight,
A thousand demons, a thousand hissing snakes,
Ten thousand bloated toads, as many creepy crawlers,
Would make such terrifying and chaotic sounds
That anyone hearing it
Would either go mad or drop dead.
No sooner had they told this dreadful story
Than they said they would tie me here
To the trunk of a dreary yew,
And leave me to die a miserable death.
Then they called me a wicked adulteress,
Lustful Goth, and hurled every vile name
That anyone could think of in that context.
And if you hadn’t shown up by some miracle,
They would have carried out this revenge on me.
Take revenge for it, as you cherish your mother's life,
Or from now on, don’t call yourselves my children.

DEMETRIUS.
This shows that I am your son.

[Stabs Bassianus.]

CHIRON.
And this really hit me, demonstrating my strength.

[Also stabs Bassianus, who dies.]

LAVINIA.
Yeah, come on, Semiramis, no, savage Tamora,
Because no name suits your nature better than your own!

TAMORA.
Give me your dagger; you’ll see, my boys,
Your mother’s hand will make things right for your mother.

DEMETRIUS.
Wait, ma'am, there's more that concerns her.
First, thresh the grain, then burn the stalks.
This favorite held onto her purity,
Her wedding vows, her loyalty,
And with that false hope, she dares to challenge you;
And will she take this to her grave?

CHIRON.
And if she does, I wish I were a eunuch.
Take her husband away to some hidden place,
And use his dead body as a pillow for our desires.

TAMORA.
But when you have the honey you want,
Don't let this wasp survive to sting us both.

CHIRON.
I assure you, ma'am, we will make sure of that.
Come on, ma'am, now we will definitely enjoy
That carefully kept honesty of yours.

LAVINIA.
Oh Tamora, you have a woman's face,—

TAMORA.
I don’t want to hear her talk; get her out of here!

LAVINIA.
Sweet lords, please ask her to hear me out for just a moment.

DEMETRIUS.
Listen, beautiful lady: take pride
In witnessing her tears; but let your heart
Be like unyielding stone to those raindrops.

LAVINIA.
When did the tiger’s cubs teach their mother?
Oh, don’t learn her anger; she taught it to you;
The milk you drank from her turned to stone;
Even at your breast, you experienced your tyranny.
Yet not every mother has sons who are the same.
[To Chiron.] You should ask her to show some of a woman’s compassion.

CHIRON.
What, do you want me to prove that I'm a bastard?

LAVINIA.
It’s true that a raven doesn’t raise a lark.
Yet I've heard—oh, if only I could remember it now!—
The lion, filled with compassion, allowed
His royal paws to be completely trimmed down.
Some say that ravens care for abandoned children,
While their own chicks starve in their nests.
Oh, be to me, even if your cruel heart says no,
Nothing so kind, but something that shows pity.

TAMORA.
I don't know what it means; get her out of here!

LAVINIA.
Oh, let me show you! For my father's sake,
Who gave you life when he could have killed you,
Don't be stubborn, open your deaf ears.

TAMORA.
If you never wronged me in person,
I'm showing no mercy for his sake.
Remember, boys, I cried my eyes out
To save your brother from being sacrificed,
But brutal Andronicus wouldn’t give in.
So take her away and do what you want;
The worse you treat her, the more I'll love you.

LAVINIA.
Oh Tamora, please be a kind queen,
And with your own hands, kill me right here!
Because it’s not life that I’ve been pleading for all this time;
I was already dead when Bassianus was killed.

TAMORA.
What do you want from me? Silly woman, let me go.

LAVINIA.
I beg for instant death, and one more thing
That being a woman prevents me from saying.
Oh, keep me away from their even more deadly desire,
And throw me into some disgusting pit,
Where no man's eyes can see my body.
Do this, and be a merciful killer.

TAMORA.
So, should I take away my sweet sons' pay?
No, let them fulfill their desires with you.

DEMETRIUS.
Leave now, because you’ve held us here too long.

LAVINIA.
No grace, no femininity? Ah, disgusting creature,
The stain and enemy to our reputation!
Let chaos descend—

CHIRON.
No, then I’ll silence you. Bring her husband here.
This is the place where Aaron told us to hide.

They placed Bassianus’s body in the pit and left, taking Lavinia with them.

TAMORA.
Goodbye, my sons. Make sure you take care of her.
Don't let my heart feel any joy at all
Until all the Andronici are taken care of.
Now I'm off to find my beautiful Moor,
And I'll let my angry sons have their way with this woman.

[Leave.]

Enter Aaron with two of Titus' sons, Quintus and Martius.

AARON.
Come on, my lords, let’s move out.
I’ll take you right to the disgusting pit
Where I saw the panther sleeping soundly.

QUINTUS.
My vision is really blurred, whatever that means.

MARTIUS.
And I promise you, I could easily leave our game to rest for a bit if it weren’t for the embarrassment.

He falls into the pit.

QUINTUS.
What, have you fallen? What hidden pit is this,
Whose entrance is blocked by rough, growing thorns,
On whose leaves are drops of fresh blood,
As fresh as morning dew on flowers?
It seems like a very deadly place to me.
Speak, brother, did you hurt yourself in the fall?

MARTIUS.
Oh brother, with the most sorrowful thing That ever eyes have seen to make a heart grieve!

AARON.
[Aside.] Now I’ll go get the king to find them here,
So he can make an educated guess
About who it was that killed his brother.

[Leave.]

MARTIUS.
Why don’t you comfort me and help me get out
Of this cursed and blood-soaked hole?

QUINTUS.
I'm filled with an awkward fear;
A cold sweat runs over my shaking limbs.
My heart senses more than my eyes can see.

MARTIUS.
To show you have a real, honest heart,
Aaron, you and I should look down into this pit,
And witness a horrifying scene of blood and death.

QUINTUS.
Aaron is gone, and my caring heart
Won't let me look once at
The thing that makes me shudder just thinking about it.
Oh, please tell me who it is; for never until now
Have I been foolish enough to fear I don’t know what.

MARTIUS.
Lord Bassianus lies covered in blood,
All in a heap, like a slaughtered lamb,
In this hated, dark, blood-drinking pit.

QUINTUS.
If it's dark, how do you know it's him?

MARTIUS.
On his bloody finger, he wears
A precious ring that lights up everything around,
Like a candle in some tomb,
It shines on the dead man’s pale cheeks,
And reveals the ragged insides of the pit.
So pale did the moon shine on Pyramus
When he lay at night drenched in the blood of a maiden.
Oh brother, help me with your weak hand,
If fear has made you weak, like it has for me,
Out of this terrible, consuming place,
As hateful as the murky mouth of Cocytus.

QUINTUS.
Give me your hand, so I can help you out,
Or, if I don't have the strength to do even that,
I might be dragged into the greedy mouth
Of this deep pit, poor Bassianus’ grave.
I don’t have the strength to pull you to the edge.

MARTIUS.
I have no strength to climb without your help.

QUINTUS.
Your hand once more; I won’t let go again,
Until you are up here or I am down below.
You can't come to me. I will come to you.

Falls in.

Enter Emperor Saturninus and Aaron the Moor.

SATURNINUS.
With me! I’ll find out what’s happening here,
And who has just jumped into this hole.
Tell me, who are you that just dropped
Into this open pit in the ground?

MARTIUS.
The unfortunate sons of old Andronicus,
Brought here at a very bad time,
To discover that your brother Bassianus is dead.

SATURNINUS.
My brother is dead! I know you’re just joking.
He and his wife are both at the lodge
On the north side of this lovely area;
It’s only been an hour since I left them there.

MARTIUS.
We don't know where you left them all alive;
But, oh no, here we've found him dead.

Enter Tamora, Titus Andronicus and Lucius.

TAMORA.
Where is my lord, the king?

SATURNINUS.
Here, Tamora; even though I'm stricken with deep sorrow.

Tamora.
Where's your brother Bassianus?

SATURNINUS.
You’re digging deep into my wound now.
Poor Bassianus is lying here, murdered.

TAMORA.
Then, too late, I bring this deadly message,
The scheme behind this endless tragedy;
And I’m amazed that a man’s face can wear
Such friendly smiles while hiding such cruel tyranny.

She gives Saturnine a letter.

SATURNINUS.
[Reads.] If we don’t meet him properly,
Sweet hunter, it’s Bassianus we’re talking about,
Just dig the grave for him;
You know what we mean. Look for your reward
Among the nettles by the elder tree
That shades the entrance to the same pit
Where we decided to bury Bassianus.
Do this, and you’ll gain our lasting friendship.
Oh Tamora, has anything like this ever been heard?
This is the pit, and this is the elder tree.
Look, gentlemen, if you can find the hunter
Who was supposed to have killed Bassianus here.

AARON.
My kind lord, here is the bag of gold.

[Displaying it.]

SATURNINUS.
[To Titus.] Two of your pups, vicious dogs of a brutal sort,
Have taken my brother's life.
Gentlemen, pull them out of the pit and take them to prison.
There they can wait until we come up with
Some unheard-of torturous punishment for them.

TAMORA.
What, are they in this pit? Oh, amazing!
How easily murder is found out!

TITUS.
Great emperor, on my trembling knee
I ask this favor, with tears that aren’t easily shed,
That this terrible wrongdoing of my cursed sons,
Cursed if the wrongdoing is proven in them—

SATURNINUS.
If it can be proven! You see, it’s clear.
Who found this letter? Tamora, was it you?

TAMORA.
Andronicus picked it up himself.

TITUS.
I did, my lord, but let me take their place;
For by my fathers’ respected grave, I swear
They will be ready at your command
To prove their innocence with their lives.

SATURNINUS.
You won't bail them out. Just follow me.
Some are bringing the murdered body, some the murderers.
Let them not say a word; the guilt is obvious;
For, honestly, if there were a fate worse than death,
That fate should be carried out on them.

TAMORA.
Andronicus, I will ask the king for help.
Don't worry about your sons; they'll be fine.

TITUS.
Come on, Lucius, let’s go; don’t waste time talking to them.

[They exit one by one. Attendants carrying the body.]

Enter the empress’ sons, Demetrius and Chiron with Lavinia, her hands severed and her tongue removed, and assaulted.

DEMETRIUS.
So, now go tell, and if you can speak,
Who it was that cut your tongue and assaulted you.

CHIRON.
Write down what you're thinking, reveal your meaning so,
And if your hands will let you take the pen.

DEMETRIUS.
Look at how she can scowl with signs and expressions.

CHIRON.
Go home, get some fresh water, and wash your hands.

DEMETRIUS.
She has no voice to call, nor hands to wash;
So let’s leave her to her quiet walks.

CHIRON.
If it were my issue, I'd just go hang myself.

DEMETRIUS.
If you had hands to help you tie the cord.

[Exit Chiron and Demetrius.]

Enter Marcus, from hunting.

MARCUS.
Who is this? My niece, who runs away so quickly?
Cousin, a word; where is your husband?
If I’m dreaming, I wish my wealth would wake me up!
If I’m awake, let some planet strike me down,
So I can sleep an eternal sleep!
Speak, dear niece, what harsh, unkind hands
Have chopped and stripped your body bare
Of its two branches, those sweet ornaments
Whose shadows kings have longed to rest in,
And couldn’t find such happiness
As half your love? Why don’t you speak to me?
Alas, a crimson river of warm blood,
Like a bubbling fountain stirred by the wind,
Rises and falls between your rosy lips,
Coming and going with your sweet breath.
But surely some Tereus has robbed you of your purity,
And, to keep you from revealing him, cut your tongue.
Ah, now you turn away your face out of shame,
And despite all this loss of blood,
Like a fountain with three spouts flowing,
Your cheeks still look as red as Titan’s face
Blushing at encountering a cloud.
Should I speak for you, should I say it’s true?
Oh, if only I knew your heart and the beast,
So I could curse him to ease my mind.
Concealed sorrow, like a stopped oven,
Burns the heart to cinders where it is.
Fair Philomela, she only lost her tongue,
And sewed her thoughts in a tedious pattern;
But lovely niece, that option is taken from you;
A craftier Tereus, cousin, you’ve encountered,
And he has cut off those pretty fingers
That could have sewn better than Philomel.
Oh, if the monster had seen those lily hands
Tremble like aspen leaves on a lute,
And make the silken strings happy to touch them,
He wouldn’t have dared to touch them for his life.
Or if he had heard the heavenly harmony
That sweet tongue has created,
He would have dropped his knife and fallen asleep,
Like Cerberus at the poet’s feet.
Come, let’s go, and blind your father,
For such a sight will blind a father’s eyes.
One hour of storm will drown the fragrant meadows;
What will whole months of tears do to your father’s eyes?
Don’t hold back, for we will mourn with you.
Oh, if only our mourning could ease your suffering!

[Leave the stage.]

Enter the Judges and Senators, with Titus’ two sons Quintus and March tied up, walking on stage to the execution site, and Titus leading the way, begging.

TITUS.
Listen to me, respected elders; noble tribunes, wait!
Have compassion for my age, whose youth was spent
In dangerous wars while you slept peacefully;
For all the blood I shed in Rome’s great conflict,
For all the cold nights I’ve watched,
And for these bitter tears that you see
Filling the deep lines on my face,
Have mercy on my condemned sons,
Whose souls are not as corrupted as believed.
I’ve never shed a tear for my twenty-two sons,
Because they died in the honor of battle.

[Andronicus lies down, and the Judges walk past him.]

[They leave with the prisoners as Titus keeps talking.]

For these tribunes, in the dust I write
About my heart's deep weariness and my soul's sad tears.
Let my tears quench the earth's thirst;
My sons' sweet blood will make it feel shame and blush.
Oh earth, I'll give you more rain
That will pour from these two ancient urns,
Than young April will with all his showers.
In summer's dryness, I'll still drop on you;
In winter, with warm tears, I'll melt the snow,
And keep eternal spring on your face,
So you refuse to drink my dear sons' blood.

Enter Lucius with his weapon ready.

O revered leaders! O kind elderly men!
Set my sons free, undo the sentence of death;
And let me say, that I who never wept before,
My tears are now powerful speakers.

LUCIUS.
Oh, dear father, you’re grieving for nothing.
The tribunes can’t hear you, there’s no one around;
And you’re sharing your pain with a stone.

TITUS.
Ah, Lucius, let me plead for your brothers.
Serious tribunes, once again I ask you—

LUCIUS.
My lord, no tribune is listening to you.

TITUS.
Well, it doesn’t matter, man. If they heard me,
They wouldn’t pay attention; if they did pay attention,
They wouldn’t feel sorry for me, yet I have to plead,
And it’s useless to them.
So I tell my sorrows to the stones,
Who, even though they can’t respond to my pain,
Are better in some way than the tribunes,
Because they won’t interrupt my story.
When I cry, they humbly at my feet
Accept my tears and seem to weep with me;
And if they were dressed in somber clothing,
Rome couldn’t have tribunes like these.
A stone is as soft as wax, while tribunes are harder than stones;
A stone is silent and doesn’t offend,
But tribunes with their words condemn men to death.
But why are you standing there with your weapon drawn?

LUCIUS.
To save my two brothers from dying;
For which the judges have sentenced me
To a lifetime of exile.

TITUS.
Oh, lucky man, they have befriended you.
Why, foolish Lucius, don't you realize
That Rome is just a jungle of tigers?
Tigers need to hunt, and Rome has no prey
Except for me and my family. How fortunate you are then,
To be away from these predators!
But who is coming with our brother Marcus?

Enter Marcus with Lavinia.

MARCUS.
Titus, get your old eyes ready to cry;
Or if not, get your noble heart ready to break.
I'm bringing you deep sorrow in your old age.

TITUS.
Will it take me over? Show it to me then.

MARCUS.
This was your daughter.

TITUS.
Why, Marcus, she really is.

LUCIUS.
Oh no, this thing is breaking my heart!

TITUS.
Faint-hearted boy, get up and look at her.
Speak, Lavinia, what cursed hand
Has left you without hands in front of your father?
What fool has added water to the sea,
Or brought wood to bright-burning Troy?
My grief was already at its peak before you arrived,
And now it flows like the Nile without limits.
Give me a sword; I’ll chop off my hands too;
Because they have fought for Rome, and all for nothing;
And they have nurtured this sorrow throughout my life;
In useless prayers, they have been held up,
And they have served me with no practical purpose.
Now all I need from them
Is for one to help cut off the other.
It’s good, Lavinia, that you have no hands,
Because hands serving Rome is just pointless.

LUCIUS.
Tell me, dear sister, who has harmed you?

MARCUS.
Oh, that amazing engine of her thoughts,
That expressed them with such charming eloquence,
Is taken from that lovely little cage,
Where, like a beautiful singing bird, it sang
Sweet, varied notes, captivating every ear.

LUCIUS.
Oh, tell me for her, who has done this?

MARCUS.
Oh, this is how I found her wandering in the park,
Trying to hide, just like a deer
That has been seriously wounded.

TITUS.
It was my dear, and the one who injured her
Has hurt me more than if he had killed me.
For now I stand like someone on a rock,
Surrounded by a sea of wilderness,
Watching the rising tide come wave by wave,
Always waiting for when some envious surge
Will swallow me in its salty depths.
This way to death my miserable sons have gone;
Here stands my other son, a banished man,
And here my brother, crying over my troubles.
But what wounds my soul the most
Is dear Lavinia, more precious than my soul.
If I had only seen your picture in this state,
It would have driven me crazy. What should I do
Now that I see your living body like this?
You have no hands to wipe away your tears,
Nor tongue to tell me who has martyred you.
Your husband is dead, and for his death
Your brothers are condemned and dead because of it.
Look, Marcus! Ah, son Lucius, look at her!
When I named her brothers, fresh tears
Rolled down her cheeks, like honeydew
On a nearly withered lily.

MARCUS.
Maybe she’s crying because they killed her husband;
Maybe it’s because she knows they’re innocent.

TITUS.
If they did kill your husband, then be happy,
Because the law has taken revenge on them.
No, no, they wouldn’t commit such a terrible act;
Look at the sorrow their sister displays.
Gentle Lavinia, let me kiss your lips,
Or give me a sign of how I can help you feel better.
Should your good uncle, your brother Lucius,
You, and I sit around a fountain,
All looking down to see our cheeks
How they are stained, like meadows that aren't quite dry,
With muddy slime left by a flood?
And in the fountain, will we stare so long
Until the fresh taste is gone from that clarity,
And it turns into a salty pit with our bitter tears?
Or should we cut off our hands like yours?
Or should we bite our tongues, and in silence
Spend the rest of our miserable days?
What should we do? Let us who can speak
Come up with a plan for more misery,
To make us a spectacle in the future.

LUCIUS.
Dear father, stop your tears; because at your sadness
Look how my miserable sister is crying and weeping.

MARCUS.
Hang in there, my dear niece. Good Titus, wipe your tears.

TITUS.
Ah, Marcus, Marcus! Brother, I know
Your napkin can't soak up any of my tears,
Because you, poor man, have soaked it with your own.

LUCIUS.
Oh, my Lavinia, I will wipe your tears.

TITUS.
Mark, Marcus, pay attention! I get her signals.
If she could talk, she would tell her brother
What I just told you.
His napkin, soaked with his genuine tears,
Can’t do anything for her sad cheeks.
Oh, what a shared sorrow this is,
As distant from help as limbo is from joy.

Enter Aaron the Moor, solo.

AARON.
Titus Andronicus, my lord the emperor
sends you this message: if you love your sons,
let Marcus, Lucius, or you, old Titus,
or any one of you, cut off your hand
and send it to the king; in return,
he will send both your sons back alive,
and that will be the price for their mistake.

TITUS.
Oh kind emperor! Oh gentle Aaron!
Has any raven ever sung so sweetly like a lark
That brings good news of the sun’s rise?
With all my heart, I’ll send the emperor my hand.
Good Aaron, will you help me chop it off?

LUCIUS.
Wait, father, because your noble hand,
That has defeated so many enemies,
Should not be put to use. My hand will do the job.
I’m young and can afford to lose my blood more than you;
So mine will save my brothers’ lives.

MARCUS.
Which of your hands hasn't defended Rome,
And raised the bloody battle-axe high,
Writing destruction on the enemy’s fortress?
Oh, neither is without great honor.
My hand has been idle; let it be used
To save my two nephews from their death;
Then I will have used it for a worthy purpose.

AARON.
No, come on, let’s decide whose hand will go along,
Because we’re afraid they might die before their pardon arrives.

MARCUS.
My hand will go.

LUCIUS.
By God, this isn't happening!

TITUS.
Gentlemen, stop trying. These dried-up weeds
Are ready to be pulled out, and that's why they belong to me.

LUCIUS.
Dad, if I'm really seen as your son,
Let me save both my brothers from dying.

MARCUS.
And for the sake of our father and the care of our mother,
Now let me show you the love of a brother.

TITUS.
Work it out among yourselves; I won't get involved.

LUCIUS.
Then I’ll go get an axe.

MARCUS.
But I'm going to use the axe.

[Exit Lucius and Marcus.]

TITUS.
Come here, Aaron; I’ll trick them both.
Help me out, and I’ll help you back.

AARON.
[Aside.] If that’s what you call deceit, I’ll be honest,
And I’ll never deceive anyone while I’m alive.
But I’ll trick you in a different way,
And you’ll see that before half an hour is up.

He cuts off Titus's hand.

Enter Lucius and Marcus again.

TITUS.
Now calm down. What’s done is done.
Good Aaron, give his majesty my hand.
Tell him it was a hand that protected him
From a thousand dangers, and ask him to bury it;
It deserves more than what it has.
As for my sons, tell him I see them
As jewels bought at a low cost;
And still precious too, because I paid for my own.

AARON.
I'm leaving now, Andronicus; and just you wait,
You'll soon have your sons by your side.
[Aside.] I mean their heads. Oh, how this wickedness
Feeds my mind with the thought of it!
Let the fools do good, and let the decent men seek mercy,
Aaron will keep his soul as dark as his face.

[Log out.]

TITUS.
Oh, here I raise one hand to heaven,
And bring this weak body down to the earth.
If any power feels for our miserable tears,
I call out to that! [To Lavinia.] What, will you kneel with me?
Go ahead, dear heart; for heaven will hear our prayers,
Or with our sighs, we’ll darken the sky,
And cover the sun with fog, just like clouds
When they embrace him in their fading warmth.

MARCUS.
O brother, speak with hope,
And don't plunge into these deep extremes.

TITUS.
Is my sadness not profound, without an end?
Then let my feelings be endless along with it.

MARCUS.
But still, let reason guide your grief.

TITUS.
If there was a reason for all this suffering,
Then I could keep my pain contained.
When heaven cries, doesn’t the earth also overflow?
If the winds are wild, doesn’t the sea get furious,
Threatening the sky with its swollen face?
And do you want a reason for this chaos?
I am the sea. Listen to how her sighs flow!
She is the weeping sky, and I the earth.
So my sea must be stirred by her sighs;
Then my earth with her constant tears
Must turn into a flood, overflowed and drowned;
Because I can’t hide her pain,
But like a drunkard, I have to spill it all out.
So let me speak, because those who suffer are allowed
To vent their frustrations with their bitter words.

Enter a Messaging App with two heads and a hand.

MESSENGER.
Worthy Andronicus, you have been poorly repaid
For the kind gesture you showed the emperor.
Here are the heads of your two noble sons,
And here’s your hand, sent back to you in disdain.
Your sorrow has been their pleasure, your strength mocked;
It pains me to think about your suffering,
More than remembering my father’s death.

[Leave.]

MARCUS.
Now let the hot Etna cool in Sicily,
And let my heart be an everlasting hell!
These miseries are more than I can handle.
Crying with those who cry helps a little,
But ignoring sorrow is like dying twice.

LUCIUS.
Oh, that this sight should cause such a deep wound,
And yet my hated life doesn’t shrink from it!
That death should allow life to bear its name,
When life has no more value than just to breathe!

[Lavinia kisses Titus.]

MARCUS.
Unfortunately, dear heart, that kiss is as comforting
As ice-cold water to a hungry snake.

TITUS.
When will this terrifying sleep come to an end?

MARCUS.
Now goodbye, flattery; die, Andronicus;
You are not asleep. Look at the heads of your two sons,
Your battle-scarred hand, your mangled daughter here;
Your other banished son, seeing this dear sight,
Struck pale and bloodless; and your brother, me,
Just like a stone figure, cold and numb.
Ah, I will no longer hold back your grief.
Tear out your silver hair, your other hand
Chewing at your own flesh; and let this grim sight
Be the end of our most miserable lives.
Now is the time to rage; why are you still?

TITUS.
LOL!

MARCUS.
Why are you laughing? It doesn't suit this moment.

TITUS.
I have no more tears left to cry.
Besides, this grief is my enemy,
And it would take over my tear-filled eyes,
And blind me with even more tears.
So how will I find the cave of Revenge?
These two heads seem to speak to me,
Threatening that I will never know joy
Until all these wrongs are paid back
To the throats of those who committed them.
Come, let me see what I need to do.
You heavy-hearted people, surround me,
So I can face each of you,
And swear to my soul that I will correct your wrongs.
The vow is made. Come, brother, take a head;
And I’ll carry the other in this hand.
And, Lavinia, you’ll help me with these arms.
Hold my hand, sweet girl, between your teeth.
As for you, boy, get out of my sight;
You’re an exile, and you shouldn’t stay.
Hurry to the Goths and gather an army there.
And if you love me, as I believe you do,
Let’s kiss and part, because we have a lot to do.

[Exit Titus, Marcus and Lavinia.]

LUCIUS.
Goodbye, Andronicus, my honorable father,
The most miserable man ever to live in Rome.
Goodbye, proud Rome, until Lucius returns;
He values his promises more than his own life.
Goodbye, Lavinia, my honorable sister;
Oh, I wish you were as you once were!
But now neither Lucius nor Lavinia exists
Except in forgetfulness and painful sorrow.
If Lucius survives, he will avenge your wrongs,
And make proud Saturnine and his empress
Beg at the gates, like Tarquin and his queen.
Now I will go to the Goths and gather an army
To take revenge on Rome and Saturnine.

[Log out.]

Enter Titus Andronicus, Marcus, Lavinia and the boy Young Lucius.

TITUS.
Alright, now sit down; and make sure you eat only as much
As will keep just enough strength in us
To take revenge for these terrible sorrows we have.
Marcus, untie that sorrowful knot.
My niece and I, poor souls, need our hands,
And can’t express our deep grief
With our arms crossed. This poor right hand of mine
Is left to torment my chest;
When my heart, all crazed with misery,
Pounds in this hollow prison of my flesh,
Then I thump it down like this.
You map of sorrow, who speaks in signs,
When your poor heart beats so violently,
You can’t strike it this way to make it calm.
Wound it with sighs, girl, destroy it with groans;
Or get a small knife between your teeth,
And just against your heart make a cut,
So that all the tears your poor eyes shed
Can flow into that sink, and, soaking in,
Drown the lamenting fool in a sea of salt tears.

MARCUS.
Come on, brother, come on! Don’t teach her to be so rough with her own life.

TITUS.
What’s up! Has sadness turned you crazy already?
Come on, Marcus, no one should be losing their mind except me.
What kind of violent actions could she take on her life?
Oh, why do you bring up the idea of hands,
To have Æneas tell the story again
Of how Troy was burned and he was made miserable?
Oh, don't talk about hands,
Or else we might just remember that we have none.
Ugh, ugh, how wildly I twist my words,
As if we could forget we had no hands,
If Marcus didn’t mention the word hands!
Come on, let’s eat; and, dear girl, take this.
There's no drink here! Listen, Marcus, to what she says;
I can understand all her silent signs.
She says she drinks nothing but tears,
Brewed from her sorrow, soaked into her cheeks.
Silent complainant, I will figure out your thoughts;
In your quiet actions, I’ll be just as good
As begging hermits in their holy prayers.
You won't sigh, or hold your stumps to heaven,
Or wink, or nod, or kneel, or make a sign,
But I will decipher an alphabet from all these,
And with constant practice, I’ll learn your meaning.

YOUNG LUCIUS.
Come on, Grandpa, stop these sad laments.
Tell my aunt a cheerful story instead.

MARCUS.
Unfortunately, the sensitive boy, filled with emotion,
Is crying to see his grandfather's sadness.

TITUS.
Calm down, gentle young one; you're made of tears,
And those tears will soon wash away your life.

[Marcus hits the plate with a knife.]

What are you trying to hit, Marcus, with your knife?

MARCUS.
At that moment, I have killed a fly, my lord.

TITUS.
Get away from me, murderer! You break my heart;
My eyes are tired of seeing your tyranny;
A death committed against the innocent
Doesn't suit Titus' brother. Leave now;
I can see you’re not someone I want to be around.

MARCUS.
Unfortunately, my lord, I've only killed a fly.

TITUS.
“But”? What if that fly had a mom and dad?
How would it spread its delicate golden wings
And buzz its sad stories in the air?
Poor little fly,
That with its lovely buzzing tune,
Came here to cheer us up, and you’ve gone and killed it.

MARCUS.
Excuse me, sir; it was a dark, ugly fly,
Similar to the empress’ Moor; that’s why I killed it.

TITUS.
Oh, oh, oh!
Then forgive me for scolding you,
Because you’ve done a kind thing.
Give me your knife, I’ll take action against him,
Fooling myself as if it were the Moor
Who came here just to poison me.
This one’s for you, and that’s for Tamora.
Ah, you!
Yet, I think, we’re not so far gone
That we can’t take out a fly
That looks like a pitch-black Moor.

MARCUS.
Unfortunately, poor guy, grief has affected him so much,
He confuses illusions with reality.

TITUS.
Come on, let’s go. Lavinia, join me.
I’ll head to your room, and we can read together
Sad stories from long ago.
Come on, kid, and come with me. You’re young and can read
When my eyes start to blur.

[Exit.]

Enter Young Lucius and Lavinia running after him, and the boy runs away from her with his books tucked under his arm. Enter Titus and Marcus.

YOUNG LUCIUS.
Help, grandpa, help! My aunt Lavinia
follows me everywhere, I have no idea why.
Good uncle Marcus, look how fast she’s coming!
Oh no, dear aunt, I have no clue what you mean.

MARCUS.
Stay close to me, Lucius. Don't be afraid of your aunt.

TITUS.
She loves you, kid, too much to hurt you.

YOUNG LUCIUS
Yeah, she did when my dad was in Rome.

MARCUS.
What does my niece Lavinia mean by these signs?

TITUS.
Don't be afraid of her, Lucius. She means something.
Look, Lucius, see how much she values you.
She wants you to go somewhere with her.
Ah, boy, Cornelia never cared more
About reading to her sons than she has read to you
Lovely poetry and Tully’s Orator.

MARCUS.
Can't you figure out why she's approaching you like this?

YOUNG LUCIUS.
My lord, I don’t know, nor can I guess,
Unless some fit or madness is taking hold of her;
For I’ve often heard my grandfather say,
That extreme grief can drive people crazy;
And I’ve read that Hecuba from Troy
Went mad from sorrow. That makes me worried,
Although, my lord, I know my noble aunt
Loves me as much as my mother ever did,
And wouldn’t scare me unless out of anger;
Which made me throw my books down and run away,
For no real reason, perhaps. But forgive me, dear aunt.
And, madam, if my uncle Marcus goes,
I will gladly follow your ladyship.

MARCUS.
Lucius, I will do it.

Lavinia picks up the books that Lucius has dropped with her stumps.

TITUS.
Hey, Lavinia! Marcus, what's going on?
There's some book she wants to see.
Which one is it, girl? Open them up, boy.
But you know more and are better at this.
Come and pick from all my books,
And distract yourself from your sadness until the heavens
expose the horrible person behind this act.
Why is she raising her arms like that?

MARCUS.
I think she means that there were more than one
Confederate involved in this. Yeah, there were more,
Or else she’s sending them to heaven for revenge.

TITUS.
Lucius, what book is she throwing like that?

YOUNG LUCIUS.
Grandpa, it’s Ovid’s Metamorphosis.
My mom gave it to me.

MARCUS.
Out of love for the one she lost,
Maybe she picked it from the others.

TITUS.
Wait! Look how she’s flipping through the pages!
Help her! What is she looking for? Lavinia, should I read?
This is the heartbreaking story of Philomel,
And it’s about Tereus’ betrayal and his assault;
And assault, I’m afraid, was the cause of your pain.

MARCUS.
Look, brother, look! Notice how she references the leaves.

TITUS.
Lavinia, were you caught off guard like this, sweet girl,
Assaulted and violated, just like Philomela,
Compelled in the cruel, vast, and dark woods?
Look, look!
Yes, there is such a place where we used to hunt,—
Oh, if only we had never, ever hunted there!—
Just like what the poet describes here,
Created by nature for killings and assaults.

MARCUS.
Oh, why would nature create such a terrible place,
Unless the gods enjoy tragedies?

TITUS.
Show some signs, sweet girl, because here are only friends,
Which Roman lord would be brave enough to commit the act?
Or did Saturnine not sneak off, like Tarquin did before,
Leaving the camp to sin in Lucrece's bed?

MARCUS.
Sit down, dear niece. Brother, come sit next to me.
Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury,
Inspire me, so I can uncover this betrayal!
My lord, look here. Look here, Lavinia.
This sandy area is clear; guide, if you can,
This after me. I have written my name

He writes his name with his stick and controls it with his feet and mouth.

Without any help at all.
Cursed be the heart that made us change like this!
Write, dear niece, and finally show here
What God has revealed for revenge.
May Heaven guide your pen to clearly express your sorrows,
So we can know the traitors and the truth!

[She holds the staff in her mouth and uses her stumps to guide it as she writes.]

O, do you read, my lord, what she has written?

TITUS.
“Assault. Chiron. Demetrius.”

MARCUS.
What on earth! The lustful sons of Tamora
Are the ones who carried out this terrible, bloody act?

TITUS.
Great Master of the sky,
Why are you so slow to hear the crimes, so slow to see?

MARCUS.
Oh, calm down, gentle lord, even though I know
There's plenty written on this earth
To incite rebellion in the mildest minds
And motivate even infants to shout.
My lord, kneel with me; Lavinia, kneel;
And kneel, sweet boy, the hope of Roman Hector;
And swear with me, just like that grief-stricken husband
And father of the pure, dishonored woman,
Lord Junius Brutus swore for Lucrece’s rape,
That we will seek, with wise counsel,
Mortal revenge against these traitorous Goths,
And see their blood, or die with this shame.

TITUS.
It's definitely true, if you know how.
But if you go after these bear cubs, watch out;
The mother will wake up, and if she catches your scent.
She’s still in cahoots with the lion,
And she calms him while she's playing on her back,
And when he’s asleep, she’ll do whatever she wants.
You’re just a young hunter, Marcus; leave it alone;
And come on, I’m going to get a sheet of brass,
And with a steel tool, I’ll write these words,
And set it aside. The fierce northern wind
Will scatter these sands like the leaves of the Sibyl,
And then what’s our lesson? Kid, what do you think?

YOUNG LUCIUS.
I say, my lord, that if I were a man,
Their mother’s bedroom should not be safe
For these lowborn slaves to the rule of Rome.

MARCUS.
Yeah, that’s my boy! Your father has often done the same for his ungrateful country.

YOUNG LUCIUS.
And, uncle, so will I, if I live.

TITUS.
Come, go with me to my armory.
Lucius, I'll get you ready; and at the same time, my boy,
Will take gifts from me to the empress’ sons
That I plan to send them both.
Come on; you’ll deliver my message, right?

YOUNG LUCIUS.
Yeah, with my dagger in their hearts, grandpa.

TITUS.
No, kid, not like that. I’ll show you a different way.
Lavinia, come here. Marcus, keep an eye on my place.
Lucius and I will face the court together;
Yeah, absolutely, we will, sir; and we’ll have company.

[Titus, Lavinia, and Young Lucius exit.]

MARCUS.
Oh heavens, can you hear a good man moan
And not show mercy, or not feel for him?
Marcus, be with him in his agony,
He has more wounds of sorrow in his heart
Than enemies’ marks on his damaged shield,
Yet he's so just that he won’t seek revenge.
Heavens, take revenge for old Andronicus!

[Log out.]

Enter Aaron, Chiron, and Demetrius through one door, and through the other door Young Lucius and another person, carrying a bundle of weapons with verses written on them.

CHIRON.
Demetrius, here’s Lucius' son;
He has a message to share with us.

AARON.
Yeah, a crazy message from his crazy grandfather.

YOUNG LUCIUS.
My lords, with all the humility I can muster,
I greet your honors from Andronicus;
[Aside.] And I hope the Roman gods bring you both trouble.

DEMETRIUS.
Thanks, beautiful Lucius. What's the latest?

YOUNG LUCIUS.
[Aside.] So you’re both figured out, that’s the news,
For offenders marked for assault. [Aloud.] If you’ll allow me,
My grandfather, thinking wisely, has sent through me
The finest weapons from his armory
To honor your noble youth,
The hope of Rome; for that’s what he told me to say;
And so I do, and with his gifts I present
Your lordships, so that whenever you need,
You can be equipped and prepared well.
And now I’ll leave you both, [Aside.] like ruthless villains.

[Young Lucius and Attendant exit.]

DEMETRIUS.
What's this? A scroll; and what's written all around it?
Let's take a look:
[Reads.] He is of complete life, free from crime,
Does not need a Mauri's spear, nor a bow.

CHIRON.
Oh, it's a line from Horace; I know it well.
I read it in grammar class a long time ago.

AARON.
Yes, exactly; a line from Horace; you're right, you've got it.
[Aside.] Now, what a ridiculous situation to be in!
This isn’t a joke! The old man has discovered their wrongdoing,
And sends them weapons wrapped in messages,
That strike deep, beyond what they can feel.
But if our clever empress were here,
She would appreciate Andronicus’ cleverness.
But let her stay in her misery for a bit.—
And now, young lords, was it not a fortunate star
That brought us to Rome, as strangers, and even more,
As captives, raised to this level?
It felt good to stand up to the tribune in his brother’s presence before the palace gate.

DEMETRIUS.
But it’s even better for me to see such a great lord
Acting lowly and offering us gifts.

AARON.
Didn’t he have a point, Lord Demetrius?
Didn’t you treat his daughter quite nicely?

DEMETRIUS.
I wish we had a thousand Roman women
At our disposal, ready to satisfy our desires.

CHIRON.
A generous wish, filled with love.

AARON.
Your mother just needs to say amen.

CHIRON.
And she would do that for twenty thousand more.

DEMETRIUS.
Come on, let’s go and pray to all the gods
For our dear mother in her pain.

AARON.
[Aside.] Pray to the devils; the gods have abandoned us.

Trumpets play.

DEMETRIUS.
Why are the emperor’s trumpets sounding like this?

CHIRON.
It seems the emperor has a son, probably out of joy.

DEMETRIUS.
Hey, who's here?

Enter Nurse with a Black child in her arms.

NURSE.
Good morning, lords.
Oh, tell me, did you see Aaron the Moor?

AARON.
Well, more or less, or not at all,
Here I am; so what's going on with me now?

NURSE.
Oh kind Aaron, we’re all in trouble!
Please help, or you’ll suffer forever!

AARON.
Why are you making such a racket?
What are you holding and messing with in your arms?

NURSE.
Oh, that which I want to keep hidden from heaven,
Our empress' shame and the disgrace of grand Rome.
She has given birth, lords, she has given birth.

AARON.
Who to?

NURSE.
I mean, she’s in bed.

AARON.
Well, may God give her a good rest! What has he sent her?

NURSE.
A demon.

AARON.
Well, then she’s the devil’s mother. A happy outcome.

NURSE.
A dull, gloomy, dark, and sad situation.
Here’s the baby, as unpleasant as a toad
Among the beautiful mothers of our land.
The empress sends it to you, with your mark, your seal,
And tells you to name it with your dagger’s point.

AARON.
Wow, you foul woman, is black such a low color?
Sweet flower, you are definitely a beautiful blossom.

DEMETRIUS.
Villain, what have you done?

AARON.
What you can't change.

CHIRON.
You’ve harmed our mother.

AARON.
You villain, I've been with your mother.

DEMETRIUS.
And in that, hellish dog, you’ve ruined her.
Woe to her fate, and cursed be her hated choice!
Cursed be the child of such a foul fiend!

CHIRON.
It won't survive.

AARON.
It won't die.

NURSE.
Aaron, it has to; the mother wants it that way.

AARON.
What, is that necessary, nurse? Then let no one but me
Take action against my family.

DEMETRIUS.
I’ll skewer the tadpole on the tip of my sword.
Nurse, hand it to me; my sword will take care of it quickly.

AARON.
Soon this sword will cut you open.

Taking the baby.

Hold on, murderous villains, are you really going to kill your brother?
Now, by the fiery stars in the sky
That shone so brightly when this boy was conceived,
He will die by the sharp point of my sword
That touches my first-born son and heir.
I’m telling you, youngsters, not even Enceladus,
With all his threatening gang of Typhon’s offspring,
Nor strong Alcides, nor the god of war,
Will take this prize from his father’s grasp.
What, what, you bloody, heartless boys!
You whitewashed walls, you pub-painted signs!
Coal-black is better than any other color
Because it refuses to wear another shade;
All the water in the ocean
Can never change the swan’s black legs to white,
No matter how often she washes them in the tide.
Tell the empress for me, I’m old enough
To protect what’s mine, no matter how she looks at it.

DEMETRIUS.
Are you really going to betray your noble mistress like this?

AARON.
My mistress is my mistress; this is myself;
The strength and the image of my youth.
This is what I value above everything;
This, despite everything, I will protect,
Or some of you will pay for it in Rome.

DEMETRIUS.
Because of this, our mother is forever shamed.

CHIRON.
Rome will look down on her for this disgraceful escape.

NURSE.
The emperor, in his anger, will decide her death.

CHIRON.
I feel embarrassed to think about this shame.

AARON.
Look at the privilege your beauty brings.
Shame on you, deceitful color, that reveals with blushing
The secrets and thoughts of your heart!
Here’s a young man shaped from a different look.
See how the black slave smiles at the father,
As if to say, “Hey old man, I’m your own.”
He is your brother, lords, truly nourished
By the same blood that first gave you life;
And from your womb where you were held captive,
He is set free and has come into the light.
No, he is your brother on a more certain level,
Even though my mark is stamped on his face.

NURSE.
Aaron, what should I tell the empress?

DEMETRIUS.
Tell us, Aaron, what we should do,
And we’ll all agree to your advice.
If you save the child, we’ll all be safe.

AARON.
Then let's sit down and discuss everything.
My son and I will be listening to you.
Stay there. Now feel free to talk about your safety.

They’re sitting.

DEMETRIUS.
How many women have seen this child of his?

AARON.
Well then, courageous lords! When we team up,
I'm like a lamb; but if you confront the Moor,
The angry boar, the mountain lion,
The ocean doesn’t swell like Aaron’s rage.
But tell me again, how many saw the child?

NURSE.
Cornelia, the midwife, and me,
And no one else but the empress who just gave birth.

AARON.
The empress, the midwife, and you.
Two can keep a secret when the third is absent.
Go to the empress; tell her I said this.

He kills her.

“Quack, quack!” So cries a pig ready for the roast.

DEMETRIUS.
What do you mean, Aaron? Why did you do this?

AARON.
Oh Lord, sir, this is a strategic move.
Should she live to expose our guilt,
A long-winded gossip? No, lords, no.
And now let me make my intentions clear.
Not far from here lives a man named Muliteus, my fellow countryman;
His wife just gave birth last night.
Their child is as beautiful as she is.
Go speak to him, give the mother some money,
And tell them the whole story,
And how their child will be elevated,
And acknowledged as the emperor’s heir,
Taking my place,
To calm this storm raging in the court;
And let the emperor treat him as his own.
Listen up, lords; you see I have given her medicine,

[Pointing at the Nurse.]

And you need to arrange her funeral;
The fields are close by, and you are brave grooms.
Once that’s done, make sure you don’t take too long,
But send the midwife to me right away.
Once the midwife and the nurse are taken care of,
Then let the ladies gossip as they wish.

CHIRON.
Aaron, I can see you won't trust the air
With secrets.

DEMETRIUS.
For Tamora's concern,
She and her family are deeply grateful to you.

[Exit Demetrius and Chiron, carrying the Nurse’s body.]

AARON.
Now to the Goths, as quick as a swallow flies,
There to stash this treasure in my arms,
And secretly to meet the empress’ friends.
Come on, you thick-lipped slave, I’ll take you with me;
For it’s you that puts us through our paces.
I’ll have you eating berries and roots,
And feasting on curds and whey, and milking the goat,
And living in a cave, and I'll raise you up
To be a warrior and lead a camp.

[Leave.]

Enter Titus, old Marcus, his son Publius, Young Lucius, and other gentlemen with bows, and Titus carries the arrows with letters on their tips.

TITUS.
Come on, Marcus, let’s go. Family, this is the way.
Hey kid, let me see your archery skills.
Make sure you draw back enough, and it’s right there.
Terras Astraea reliquit.
Remember, Marcus, she’s gone, she’s escaped.
Gentlemen, get your tools. You, cousins, should
Go search the ocean and cast your nets;
You might find her in the sea;
But there’s just as little justice on land.
No; Publius and Sempronius, you have to do it;
It’s on you to dig with the pick and the spade,
And reach the very center of the earth.
Then, when you get to Pluto’s realm,
Please deliver him this request;
Tell him it’s for justice and help,
And that it’s from old Andronicus,
Overwhelmed with grief in ungrateful Rome.
Ah, Rome! Well, I made you suffer
When I cast my votes
For him who now tyrannizes over me.
Go now; and please be careful,
And don’t leave a single warship unchecked.
This wicked emperor may have taken her away;
And, family, then we might as well seek justice.

MARCUS.
Oh Publius, isn't this a tough situation,
To see your noble uncle so troubled?

PUBLIUS.
So, my lords, it’s really important for us
To pay attention to him day and night,
And deal with his moods kindly as we can,
Until time brings some thoughtful solution.

MARCUS.
Family, his sorrows can't be fixed,
But . . . .
Join forces with the Goths and seek revenge
On Rome for this ingratitude,
And punish the traitor Saturnine.

TITUS.
Publius, what's up? What’s going on, my friends?
So, have you seen her?

PUBLIUS.
No, my good lord; but Pluto sent you a message,
If you want revenge from hell, you can have it.
But as for justice, she's too busy,
He thinks, with Jove in heaven, or somewhere else,
So you’ll have to wait for a while.

TITUS.
He’s wrong to keep me waiting like this.
I’ll jump into the burning lake below,
And drag her out of Acheron by her heels.
Marcus, we’re just little bushes, not tall cedars;
Not strong men shaped like Cyclopes;
But we’re made of metal, Marcus, steel all the way through,
Yet we're weighed down by more wrongs than we can handle;
And since there’s no justice on earth or in hell,
We’ll appeal to heaven and ask the gods
To send down Justice to right our wrongs.
Come on, let’s get to it. You’re a great archer, Marcus.

He gives them arrows.

“For you, young man,” that’s for you; here, “For Apollo”;
“For Mars,” that’s for me;
Here, kid, “to Pallas”; here, “to Mercury”;
“To Saturn,” Caius, not to Saturnine;
You might as well try to shoot against the wind.
To it, kid.—Marcus, let it go when I say.—
Honestly, I’ve written to make it happen;
No god has been left out.

MARCUS.
Relatives, fire all your arrows into the court.
We will bring the emperor down a notch.

TITUS.
Alright, everyone, let’s shoot. [They shoot.] Nice throw, Lucius!
Good job, buddy, right in Virgo’s lap! Give it to Pallas.

MARCUS.
My lord, I'm aiming way beyond the moon.
Your letter is with Jupiter right now.

TITUS.
Ha! ha! Publius, Publius, what have you done?
Look, look, you've shot off one of Taurus’ horns.

MARCUS.
This was the game, my lord; when Publius shot,
The Bull, feeling hurt, hit Aries so hard
That both of the Ram’s horns fell in the court;
And who should find them but the empress’ thug?
She laughed and told the Moor he had to give them
To his master as a gift.

TITUS.
Look at that. May God bring his lordship happiness!

Enter the Joker with a basket containing two pigeons.

News, news from heaven! Marcus, the mail has arrived.
Hey, what news? Do you have any letters?
Will I get justice? What does Jupiter say?

CLOWN.
Oh, the gallows maker? He says he took them down again because the man shouldn't be hanged until next week.

TITUS.
But what does Jupiter say, I ask you?

CLOWN.
Unfortunately, sir, I don't know Jubiter; I've never had a drink with him in my life.

TITUS.
Hey, you scoundrel, aren't you the one carrying the message?

CLOWN.
Yeah, just my pigeons, sir; nothing more.

TITUS.
Why, didn't you come from heaven?

CLOWN.
From heaven? Oh no, sir, I've never been there. God forbid I should be so bold as to try to get to heaven when I’m still young. What I’m actually doing is taking my pigeons to the people's court to sort out a fight between my uncle and one of the emperor's men.

MARCUS.
That’s perfect for your speech, and have him deliver the pigeons to the emperor for you.

TITUS.
Tell me, can you give a speech to the emperor gracefully?

CLOWN.
No, really, sir, I could never say a blessing in my whole life.

TITUS.
Hey there, come here. Don't waste any more time,
Just give your pigeons to the emperor.
I promise you will get justice from him.
Wait, here’s some money for your expenses.
Give me a pen and some ink.
Hey, can you nicely hand over a request?

CLOWN.
Yes, sir.

TITUS.
Here’s a request for you. When you meet him, first kneel; then kiss his foot; then hand over your pigeons; and after that, wait for your reward. I’ll be nearby, so make sure you do it confidently.

CLOWN.
I promise you, sir; just leave it to me.

TITUS.
Hey, do you have a knife? Let me see it.
Here, Marcus, include it in the speech;
Because you’ve made it seem like a modest request.
And when you’ve given it to the emperor,
Knock on my door and let me know what he says.

CLOWN.
God be with you, sir; I will.

[Leave.]

TITUS.
Come on, Marcus, let’s go. Publius, follow me.

[Exit.]

Enter Emperor Saturninus and Empress Tamora along with her two sons Chiron and Demetrius, accompanied by Attendants. The Emperor holds the arrows in his hand that Titus shot at him.

SATURNINUS.
Why, lords, what is happening here! Has anyone ever seen
An emperor in Rome treated like this,
Troubled and confronted like this; and, for the sake
Of legal justice, disrespected in such a way?
My lords, you know, as do the powerful gods,
No matter how these troublemakers
Whisper in the people’s ears, nothing has happened
But what the law has done against the willful sons
Of old Andronicus. And what if
His sorrows have driven him mad?
Should we suffer because of his revenge,
His rages, his insanity, and his bitterness?
And now he writes to heaven for his justice!
Look, here’s “to Jove,” and this “to Mercury,”
This “to Apollo,” this to the god of war.
Sweet messages spreading through the streets of Rome!
What is this but slandering the senate,
And showcasing our injustice everywhere?
What a fine sense of humor, isn’t it, my lords?
As if to say, in Rome, there’s no justice.
But if I live, his fake rages
Will not protect him from these wrongs;
He and his will learn that justice lives
In Saturninus’ strength; and if she sleeps,
He’ll awaken with such fury that he’ll
Cut off the proudest conspirator that exists.

TAMORA.
My dear lord, my beautiful Saturnine,
Lord of my life, commander of my thoughts,
Calm yourself, and understand the faults of Titus’ age,
The effects of his sorrow for his brave sons,
Whose loss has deeply hurt him and scarred his heart;
And instead of punishing him for these insults,
Let’s comfort his troubled situation.
[Aside.] Well, this is how high-minded Tamora plays along.
But, Titus, I’ve hit a nerve;
If Aaron is smart, then your life is safe,
And everything will be okay, the anchor in the harbor.

Enter Clown.

How are you, good friend? Do you want to talk to us?

CLOWN.
Yes, truly, if your ladyship is royal.

TAMORA.
I am the empress, but over there sits the emperor.

CLOWN.
It's him. God and Saint Stephen bless you this evening. I brought you a letter and a couple of pigeons.

[Saturninus reads the letter.]

SATURNINUS.
Go take him away and hang him right now.

CLOWN.
How much money do I need to have?

TAMORA.
Come on, you need to be hanged.

CLOWN.
Hanged! By my lady, I've really brought this neck to a sad end.

[Exit restricted.]

SATURNINUS.
Unforgivable and intolerable wrongs!
Am I really supposed to put up with this monstrous villainy?
I know where this scheme is coming from.
Can it be that his traitorous sons,
Who were executed for the murder of our brother,
Have been wrongfully killed by my hand?
Go, drag the villain here by the hair;
Neither age nor honor will grant him any privilege.
For this proud insult, I’ll be the one to take him down,
Cunning, crazy fool, who helped make me powerful,
Expecting that you'd get to rule Rome and me.

Enter Aemilius.

What's new with you, Aemilius?

AEMILIUS.
Get ready, my lord! Rome has never had more reason.
The Goths are gathering strength, and with a group
Of determined men, set on plunder,
They are marching here quickly, led by
Lucius, the son of old Andronicus;
Who threatens, in this act of revenge, to achieve
As much as Coriolanus ever did.

SATURNINUS.
Is the warrior Lucius in charge of the Goths?
This news hits me hard, and I lower my head
Like flowers that wilt from frost, or grass crushed by storms.
Yes, our troubles are starting to come closer.
He is the one the common people adore;
I've often overheard them say,
When I’ve walked around like an ordinary man,
That Lucius’ exile was unfair,
And they’ve wished that Lucius were their emperor.

TAMORA.
Why are you afraid? Isn’t your city strong?

SATURNINUS.
Yeah, but the citizens support Lucius,
And will turn against me to help him.

TAMORA.
King, let your thoughts be as powerful as your name.
Is the sun so dim that gnats fly in it?
The eagle lets small birds sing,
Not caring what they mean,
Knowing that with the shadow of his wings
He can easily stop their song;
In the same way, you can do the same with the foolish people of Rome.
So lift your spirits; for know, you emperor,
I will charm the old Andronicus
With words that are sweeter and even more dangerous,
Than bait for fish or sweet feed for sheep,
When one is hooked by the bait,
And the other is spoiled by the tasty food.

SATURNINUS.
But he won't ask his son for us.

TAMORA.
If Tamora asks him, then he will,
Because I can sweet-talk him and fill his old ears
With tempting promises, that even if his heart
Were almost impossible to reach, his old ears deaf,
Both ear and heart would still listen to what I say.
[to Aemilius] You go ahead, be our messenger.
Tell the emperor that he wants to talk
To the fierce Lucius, and set the meeting
At his father's house, old Andronicus.

SATURNINUS.
Aemilius, deliver this message with respect,
And if he needs a guarantee for his safety,
Tell him to ask for whatever pledge he wants most.

AEMILIUS.
I will carry out your request effectively.

[Leave.]

TAMORA.
Now I will go to that old Andronicus,
And use all my skills to manipulate him,
To pull proud Lucius away from the warlike Goths.
And now, dear emperor, be cheerful again,
And bury all your fears in my plans.

SATURNINUS.
Then go ahead and plead with him.

[Leave the stage.]

Enter Lucius with an army of Goth culture, accompanied by drums and soldiers.

LUCIUS.
Approved warriors and my loyal friends,
I've received letters from great Rome
That show how much they hate their emperor
And how eager they are to see us.
So, great lords, be, as your titles suggest,
Demanding and intolerant of your wrongs;
And where Rome has wronged you,
Let them make triple amends.

FIRST GOTH.
Brave soldier, descended from the great Andronicus,
Whose name was once our fear, now our solace,
Whose great achievements and honorable actions
Ungrateful Rome repays with disgusting scorn,
Be bold in us. We’ll follow where you lead,
Like stinging bees on the hottest summer day
Guided by their master to the blooming fields,
And we’ll get revenge on the cursed Tamora.

GOTHS.
And as he says, so do we all with him.

LUCIUS.
I sincerely thank him, and I thank all of you.
But who is this coming here, led by a bold Goth?

Enter a Goth, leading Aaron with his Child in his arms.

SECOND GOTH.
Famous Lucius, I wandered away from our troops
To look at a crumbling monastery;
And as I focused intently on the ruined structure,
I suddenly heard a child crying beneath a wall.
I moved toward the sound, and soon I heard
The crying baby being hushed with these words:
“Shut up, you dirty little slave, half me and half your mother!
If your color didn’t give away whose child you are,
Had nature given you only your mother’s looks,
You, rascal, could have been an emperor.
But where the bull and cow are both white,
They never have a pitch-black calf.
Shut up, you scoundrel, shut up!” he scolded the baby,
“For I have to take you to a trustworthy Goth,
Who, when he learns you are the empress’ child,
Will cherish you for your mother’s sake.”
With that, I drew my weapon, charged at him,
Surprised him out of nowhere, and brought him here
To use as you see fit.

LUCIUS.
Oh, worthy Goth, this is the living devil
That took Andronicus’s good hand;
This is the jewel that caught your empress’s eye;
And here’s the shameful result of her burning desire.
Tell me, wall-eyed slave, where are you taking
This grotesque version of your devilish face?
Why don’t you speak? What, are you deaf? Not a word?
A noose, soldiers, hang him on this tree,
And alongside him, his illegitimate child.

AARON.
Don’t touch the boy, he comes from royal lineage.

LUCIUS.
Too much like his father to ever be good.
First, hang the child so he can see it struggle,
A sight to torment the father's soul.
Get me a ladder.

[A ladder is brought, which Aaron is told to climb.]

AARON.
Lucius, save the child;
And take it from me to the empress.
If you do this, I’ll show you amazing things
That could really benefit you to hear.
If you won’t, whatever happens will happen,
I’ll say no more except “Vengeance rot you all!”

LUCIUS.
Go ahead, and if I like what you say,
Your child will live, and I'll make sure it's taken care of.

AARON.
And if it’s okay with you? Well, let me tell you, Lucius,
It’s going to disturb you to hear what I have to say;
Because I have to talk about murders, rapes, and slaughter,
Evil deeds of darkness, horrible actions,
Schemes of trouble, betrayal, and crime,
Heartbreaking to hear, yet tragically carried out.
And all of this will be buried with me when I die,
Unless you swear to me that my child will survive.

LUCIUS.
Speak your mind; I say your child will live.

AARON.
He will swear, and then I’ll get started.

LUCIUS.
Who should I swear by? You don't believe in any god.
That being the case, how can you trust an oath?

AARON.
What if I don't? Because I really don't;
But I know you’re religious,
And you have something inside you called conscience,
With all those Catholic rituals and ceremonies
That I've seen you careful to follow,
So I insist on your oath; because I know
A fool holds onto his trinket like it’s a god,
And keeps the oath he swears by that god,
So I’ll press him on that. Therefore, you should vow
By that same god, whatever god it is
That you worship and hold in high regard,
To save my boy, to care for him and raise him;
Otherwise, I won’t reveal anything to you.

LUCIUS.
I swear to you by my god, I will.

AARON.
First, you should know that I fathered him with the empress.

LUCIUS.
Oh, you truly greedy and indulgent woman!

AARON.
Come on, Lucius, this was just an act of kindness
To what you’re about to hear from me soon.
It was her two sons who killed Bassianus;
They cut out your sister’s tongue, and assaulted her,
And chopped off her hands, and mutilated her like you saw.

LUCIUS.
Oh, disgusting villain, do you call that decoration?

AARON.
Well, she was cleaned up, styled, and groomed; and it was
a fun time for those who were responsible for it.

LUCIUS.
O savage, brutal villains, like you!

AARON.
Yes, I was their tutor to teach them.
They got that sneaky nature from their mother,
As sure a player as ever won the game;
That cruel mindset I believe they learned from me,
As loyal a fighter as ever went into battle.
Well, let my actions prove my worth.
I led your brothers to that deceptive place
Where the dead body of Bassianus was.
I wrote the letter that your father found,
And hid the gold mentioned in that letter,
In league with the queen and her two sons.
And what haven't I done that you have reason to regret,
In which I had no part in the wrongdoing?
I played the trickster for your father’s favor,
And when I got it, stepped aside,
And almost broke my heart laughing so hard.
I peeked through a crack in the wall
When, for his favor, he had his two sons’ heads;
Saw his tears, and laughed so much
That both my eyes were as wet as his.
And when I told the empress about this joke,
She almost fainted at my amusing story,
And for my tidings, gave me twenty kisses.

GOTH.
What, can you say all this and not feel embarrassed?

AARON.
Yeah, like a black dog, as the saying goes.

LUCIUS.
Aren't you sorry for these awful actions?

AARON.
I wish I hadn't done a thousand more.
Even now, I curse the day, and yet, I think,
Few people have fallen into the reach of my curse,
In which I didn't commit some notorious evil,
Like killing a man or plotting his death;
Assaulting a woman or scheming how to do it;
Framing an innocent person and lying under oath;
Creating deadly hatred between two friends;
Causing poor people’s animals to break their necks;
Setting fire to barns and haystacks at night,
And telling the owners to put it out with their tears.
I've often dug up dead bodies from their graves,
And stood them up at their loved ones’ doors,
Even when their grief was almost forgotten,
And on their skin, like on the bark of trees,
I've carved in Roman letters with my knife,
“Don’t let your sorrow die, even though I’m dead.”
But I've done a thousand horrific things
As eagerly as someone would swat a fly,
And nothing truly pains me, except
That I can't do ten thousand more.

LUCIUS.
Bring down the devil, because he shouldn't die
A sweet death like hanging right now.

AARON.
If there are devils, I wish I were one,
So I could live and burn in eternal fire,
Just to keep you company in hell
And torment you with my bitter words!

LUCIUS.
Gentlemen, silence him, and let him say no more.

Enter Aemilius.

GOTH.
My lord, there's a messenger from Rome
who wishes to speak with you.

LUCIUS.
Let him come closer.
Welcome, Aemilius. What’s the latest from Rome?

AEMILIUS.
Lord Lucius, and you princes of the Goths,
The Roman emperor sends his greetings to all of you through me;
And since he knows you are prepared for battle,
He requests a meeting at your father's house,
Allowing you to ask for your hostages,
And they will be handed over right away.

FIRST GOTH.
What does our general say?

LUCIUS.
Aemilius, let the emperor make his promises
To my father and my uncle Marcus,
And we will come. Let's move out.

[Exit.]

Enter Tamora and her two sons, in disguise.

TAMORA.
So, in this weird and sad outfit,
I will meet with Andronicus,
And tell him I am Revenge, sent from below
To team up with him and make things right for the terrible wrongs done to him.
I’ll knock at his study, where they say he’s holed up,
Thinking up strange plans for fierce revenge;
Tell him Revenge has come to team up with him
And cause chaos for his enemies.

They knock.

Titus opens his study door.

TITUS.
Who interrupts my thoughts?
Is it your plan to make me open the door,
So my sorrowful decisions can disappear
And all my efforts be in vain?
You are mistaken; because what I intend to do
Is written here in bloody lines;
And what is written will be carried out.

TAMORA.
Titus, I’ve come to talk to you.

TITUS.
No, not a word; how can I make my speech meaningful,
Without a hand to give it motion?
You have the advantage over me; so that's it.

TAMORA.
If you knew me, you would talk to me.

TITUS.
I’m not crazy; I know you well enough.
Look at this miserable stump, look at these red scars;
Look at these trenches carved by grief and worry;
Look at the exhausting day and long night;
Look at all the sorrow because I know you well
For our proud empress, powerful Tamora.
Aren't you here for my other hand?