Titus Andronicus

Roles

• Marcus Andronicus - Adult (36-50), Senior (>50), Male

About this piece

Marcus Andronicus finds his niece Lavinia with her tongue and hands cut off

Summary

The play starts after the death of the emperor of Rome. His two sons, Saturninus and Bassianus, fight to become the next emperor. The Tribune of Rome (Marcus Andronicus), however, elects Titus Andronicus, a Roman general, as emperor. Titus Andronicus has just spent ten years fighting in a war to protect Rome and has captured the Queen of the Goths, Tamora, her three sons and her lover Aaron. Following a Roman custom, Titus Andronicus sacrifices Tamora's oldest son to honor all Titus' sons who died in the war. Titus Andronicus refuses to become the next emperor and passes the title to Saturninus. To prove his gratitude Saturninus marries Lavinia, Titus' daughter. Lavinia, however, is already bethothed to Bassinus and decides to flee. Humiliated, Saturninus decides to marry Tamora who now will seek revenge against Titus Andronicus. Chiron and Demetrious, Tamora's sons, are advised by Aaron to rape Lavinia and satisfy their lust on her. At first they kill her husband Bassianus and Aaron frames Titus' sons for the murder, then they rape her in the forest and cut off her tongue and hands so that she can't reveal the perpetrators of the crime. In this scene, Marcus Andronicus, her uncle, finds her in the forest and laments the sight of his niece in such a state.

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