The Shakespeare Book

50

S

aturninus and Bassianus

quarrel over who should

become Emperor of Rome.

Marcus tells them that the hero,

Titus Andronicus, is also a

candidate, but Titus uses his

influence with the people to name

Saturninus emperor. Saturninus

offers to marry Titus’s daughter

Lavinia as a reward, but Bassianus

insists that he is betrothed to her.

Saturninus is angry and decides to

marry Tamora instead. She makes

peace between the new emperor

and Titus, but secretly vows to take

revenge upon the whole family.

TITUS ANDRONICUS

The weddings of Saturninus and

Tamora and Lavinia and Bassianus

are celebrated with a hunt. Aaron

finds Chiron and Demetrius

arguing over their love for Lavinia,

and tells them to use the occasion

of the hunt to rape Lavinia and

murder Bassianus. He plots to pin

the crime on Titus’s sons, Martius

and Quintus. Chiron and Demetrius

kill Bassianus and throw his body

into a pit. They rape Lavinia. Aaron

leads Martius and Quintus to the

pit, into which they fall. Saturninus

discovers his brother’s body and

has Quintus and Martius arrested.

DRAMATIS

PERSONAE

Titus Andronicus

Celebrated military hero

of Rome, conqueror of the

Goths, father of 25 sons

and one daughter.

Tamora Queen of the Goths,

later married to Saturninus;

mother of Alarbus, Chiron,

and Demetrius.

Saturninus Emperor of Rome

and husband of Tamora.

Aaron A Moor in Tamora’s

service; also Tamora’s lover

and a self-professed villain.

Demetrius and Chiron

Malevolent sons of Tamora.

Lavinia Titus’s only daughter,

betrothed to Bassianus.

Bassianus Saturninus’s

younger brother and the

husband of Lavinia.

Marcus Andronicus

Titus’s brother.

Lucius One of Titus’s sons,

later banished from Rome.

Martius and Quintus

Titus’s sons, later framed

for Bassianus’s murder.

Mutius One of Titus’s sons,

accidentally killed by Titus.

Young Lucius Lucius’s son.

Publius Son of

Marcus Andronicus.

Sempronius, Caius, and

Valentine Relatives of the

Andronicus family.

Aemilius A Roman noble,

who acts as a herald and

a messenger.

2.2

2.3

1.1

2.1

2.4

The wedding

parties go to the

forest to hunt.

Titus names

Saturninus emperor of

Rome, but they quarrel.

Saturninus marries

Tamora, who promises to

take revenge on Titus for

killing her son.

Aaron advises

Chiron and

Demetrius to satisfy

their lust for Lavinia

in the forest.

Marcus discovers

Lavinia with her

tongue and hands

cut off.

Chiron and Demetrius

stab Bassianus to death,

and then rape Lavinia.

Aaron frames two of Titus’s

sons for the crime.

Act 1 Act 2