TITUS

Not I, ‘twas Chiron and Demetrius.

They ravished her, and cut away her tongue,

And they, ’twas they, that did her all this wrong.

SATURNINUS

Go, fetch them hither to us presently.

TITUS ⌈revealing the heads⌉

Why, there they are, both baked in this pie,

Whereof their mother daintily hath fed,

Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred.

‘Tis true, ’tis true, witness my knife’s sharp point.

He stabs the Empress

SATURNINUS

Die, frantic wretch, for this accursed deed.

He kills Titus

LUCIUS

Can the son’s eye behold his father bleed?

There’s meed for meed, death for a deadly deed.

He kills Saturninus. Confusion follows.

⌈Enter Goths. Lucius, Marcus and others go aloft⌉

MARCUS

You sad-faced men, people and sons of Rome,

By uproars severed, as a flight of fowl

Scattered by winds and high tempestuous gusts,

O, let me teach you how to knit again

This scattered corn into one mutual sheaf,

These broken limbs again into one body.

A ROMAN LORD

Let Rome herself be bane unto herself,

And she whom mighty kingdoms curtsy to,

Like a forlorn and desperate castaway,

Do shameful execution on herself

But if my frosty signs and chaps of age,

Grave witnesses of true experience,

Cannot induce you to attend my words.

(To Lucius) Speak, Rome’s dear friend, as erst our

ancestor

When with his solemn tongue he did discourse

To lovesick Dido’s sad-attending ear

The story of that baleful-burning night

When subtle Greeks surprised King Priam’s Troy.

Tell us what Sinon hath bewitched our ears,

Or who hath brought the fatal engine in

That gives our Troy, our Rome, the civil wound.

My heart is not compact of flint nor steel,

Nor can I utter all our bitter grief,

But floods of tears will drown my oratory

And break my utt’rance even in the time

When it should move ye to attend me most,

And force you to commiseration.

Here’s Rome’s young captain. Let him tell the tale,

While I stand by and weep to hear him speak.

LUCIUS

Then, gracious auditory, be it known to you

That Chiron and the damned Demetrius

Were they that murdered our Emperor’s brother,

And they it were that ravished our sister.

For their fell faults our brothers were beheaded,

Our father’s tears despised, and basely cozened

Of that true hand that fought Rome’s quarrel out

And sent her enemies unto the grave.

Lastly myself, unkindly banished,

The gates shut on me, and turned weeping out

To beg relief among Rome’s enemies,

Who drowned their enmity in my true tears

And oped their arms to embrace me as a friend.

I am the turned-forth, be it known to you,

That have preserved her welfare in my blood,

And from her bosom took the enemy’s point,

Sheathing the steel in my advent’rous body.

Alas, you know I am no vaunter, I.

My scars can witness, dumb although they are,

That my report is just and full of truth.

But soft, methinks I do digress too much,

Citing my worthless praise. O, pardon me,

For when no friends are by, men praise themselves.

MARCUS

Now is my turn to speak. Behold the child.

Of this was Tamora delivered,

The issue of an irreligious Moor,

Chief architect and plotter of these woes.

The villain is alive in Titus’ house,

And as he is to witness, this is true.

Now judge what cause had Titus to revenge

These wrongs unspeakable, past patience,

Or more than any living man could bear.

Now have you heard the truth. What say you,

Romans?

Have we done aught amiss, show us wherein,

And from the place where you behold us pleading

The poor remainder of Andronici

Will hand in hand all headlong hurl ourselves

And on the ragged stones beat forth our souls

And make a mutual closure of our house.

Speak, Romans, speak, and if you say we shall;

Lo, hand in hand Lucius and I will fall.

AEMILIUS

Come, come, thou reverend man of Rome,

And bring our emperor gently in thy hand,

Lucius, our emperor—for well I know

The common voice do cry it shall be so.

ROMANS

Lucius, all hail, Rome’s royal emperor!

MARCUS (to attendants)

Go, go into old Titus’ sorrowful house

And hither hale that misbelieving Moor

To be adjudged some direful slaught’ring death

As punishment for his most wicked life. Exeunt some

⌈Lucius, Marcus, and the others come down⌉

⌈ROMANS⌉

Lucius, all hail, Rome’s gracious governor!

LUCIUS

Thanks, gentle Romans. May I govern so

To heal Rome’s harms and wipe away her woe.

But, gentle people, give me aim awhile,

For nature puts me to a heavy task.

Stand all aloof, but, uncle, draw you near