That hath dishonour’d all our family;
Unworthy brother, and unworthy sons!
LUCIUS But let us give him burial, as becomes;
Give Mutius burial with our brethren.
TITUS ANDRONICUS Traitors, away! he rests not in this tomb:
This monument five hundred years hath stood,
Which I have sumptuously re-edified:
Here none but soldiers and Rome’s servitors
Repose in fame; none basely slain in brawls:
Bury him where you can; he comes not here.
MARCUS ANDRONICUS My lord, this is impiety in you:
My nephew Mutius’ deeds do plead for him
He must be buried with his brethren.
QUINTUS, MARTIUS And shall, or him we will accompany.
TITUS ANDRONICUS ‘And shall!’ what villain was it that spake
that word?
QUINTUS He that would vouch it in any place but here.
TITUS ANDRONICUS What, would you bury him in my despite?
MARCUS ANDRONICUS No, noble Titus, but entreat of thee
To pardon Mutius and to bury him.
TITUS ANDRONICUS Marcus, even thou hast struck upon my crest,
And, with these boys, mine honour thou hast wounded:
My foes I do repute you every one;
So, trouble me no more, but get you gone.
MARTIUS He is not with himself; let us withdraw.
QUINTUS Not I, till Mutius’ bones be buried.
MARCUS and the Sons of TITUS kneel
MARCUS ANDRONICUS Brother, for in that name doth nature plead,–
QUINTUS Father, and in that name doth nature speak,–
TITUS ANDRONICUS Speak thou no more, if all the rest will speed.
MARCUS ANDRONICUS Renowned Titus, more than half my soul,–
LUCIUS Dear father, soul and substance of us all,–
MARCUS ANDRONICUS Suffer thy brother Marcus to inter
His noble nephew here in virtue’s nest,
That died in honour and Lavinia’s cause.
Thou art a Roman; be not barbarous:
The Greeks upon advice did bury Ajax
That slew himself; and wise Laertes’ son
Did graciously plead for his funerals:
Let not young Mutius, then, that was thy joy
Be barr’d his entrance here.
TITUS ANDRONICUS Rise, Marcus, rise.
The dismall’st day is this that e’er I saw,
To be dishonour’d by my sons in Rome!
Well, bury him, and bury me the next.
MUTIUS is put into the tomb
LUCIUS There lie thy bones, sweet Mutius, with thy friends,
Till we with trophies do adorn thy tomb.
All [Kneeling]
No man shed tears for noble Mutius;
He lives in fame that died in virtue’s cause.
MARCUS ANDRONICUS My lord, to step out of these dreary dumps,
How comes it that the subtle Queen of Goths
Is of a sudden thus advanced in Rome?
TITUS ANDRONICUS I know not, Marcus; but I know it is,
Whether by device or no, the heavens can tell:
Is she not then beholding to the man
That brought her for this high good turn so far?
Yes, and will nobly him remunerate.
Flourish. Re-enter, from one side, SATURNINUS attended, TAMORA, DEMETRIUS, CHIRON and AARON; from the other, BASSIANUS, LAVINIA, and others
SATURNINUS So, Bassianus, you have play’d your prize:
God give you joy, sir, of your gallant bride!
BASSIANUS And you of yours, my lord! I say no more,
Nor wish no less; and so, I take my leave.
SATURNINUS Traitor, if Rome have law or we have power,
Thou and thy faction shall repent this rape.
BASSIANUS Rape, call you it, my lord, to seize my own,
My truth-betrothed love and now my wife?
But let the laws of Rome determine all;
Meanwhile I am possess’d of that is mine.
SATURNINUS ‘Tis good, sir: you are very short with us;
But, if we live, we’ll be as sharp with you.
BASSIANUS My lord, what I have done, as best I may,
Answer I must and shall do with my life.
Only thus much I give your grace to know:
By all the duties that I owe to Rome,
This noble gentleman, Lord Titus here,
Is in opinion and in honour wrong’d;
That in the rescue of Lavinia
With his own hand did slay his youngest son,
In zeal to you and highly moved to wrath
To be controll’d in that he frankly gave:
Receive him, then, to favor, Saturnine,
That hath express’d himself in all his deeds
A father and a friend to thee and Rome.
TITUS ANDRONICUS Prince Bassianus, leave to plead my deeds:
‘Tis thou and those that have dishonour’d me.
Rome and the righteous heavens be my judge,
How I have loved and honour’d Saturnine!
TAMORA My worthy lord, if ever Tamora
Were gracious in those princely eyes of thine,
Then hear me speak in indifferently for all;
And at my suit, sweet, pardon what is past.
SATURNINUS What, madam! be dishonour’d openly,
And basely put it up without revenge?
TAMORA Not so, my lord; the gods of Rome forfend
I should be author to dishonour you!
But on mine honour dare I undertake
For good Lord Titus’ innocence in all;
Whose fury not dissembled speaks his griefs:
Then, at my suit, look graciously on him;
Lose not so noble a friend on vain suppose,
Nor with sour looks afflict his gentle heart.
[Aside to SATURNINUS]
My lord, be ruled by me,
be won at last;
Dissemble all your griefs and discontents:
You are but newly planted in your throne;
Lest, then, the people, and patricians too,
Upon a just survey, take Titus’ part,
And so supplant you for ingratitude,
Which Rome reputes to be a heinous sin,
Yield at entreats; and then let me alone:
I’ll find a day to massacre them all
And raze their faction and their family,
The cruel father and his traitorous sons,
To whom I sued for my dear son’s life,
And make them know what ’tis to let a queen
Kneel in the streets and beg for grace in vain.
Aloud
Come, come, sweet emperor; come, Andronicus;
Take up this good old man, and cheer the heart
That dies in tempest of thy angry frown.
SATURNINUS Rise, Titus, rise; my empress hath prevail’d.
TITUS ANDRONICUS I thank your majesty, and her, my lord:
These words, these looks, infuse new life in me.
TAMORA Titus, I am incorporate in Rome,
A Roman now adopted happily,
And must advise the emperor for his good.
This day all quarrels die, Andronicus;
And let it be mine honour, good my lord,
That I have reconciled your friends and you.
For you, Prince Bassianus, I have pass’d
My word and promise to the emperor,
That you will be more mild and tractable.
And fear not lords, and you, Lavinia;
By my advice, all humbled on your knees,
You shall ask pardon of his majesty.
LUCIUS We do, and vow to heaven and to his highness,
That what we did was mildly as we might,
Tendering our sister’s honour and our own.
MARCUS ANDRONICUS That, on mine honour, here I do protest.
SATURNINUS Away, and talk not; trouble us no more.
TAMORA Nay, nay, sweet emperor, we must all be friends:
The tribune and his nephews kneel for grace;
I will not be denied: sweet heart, look back.
SATURNINUS Marcus, for thy sake and thy brother’s here,
And at my lovely Tamora’s entreats,
I do remit these young men’s heinous faults: Stand up.
Lavinia, though you left me like a churl,
I found a friend, and sure as death I swore
I would not part a bachelor from the priest.
Come, if the emperor’s court can feast two brides,
You are my guest, Lavinia, and your friends.
This day shall be a love-day, Tamora.
TITUS ANDRONICUS To-morrow, an it please your majesty
To hunt the panther and the hart with me,
With horn and hound we’ll give your grace bonjour.
SATURNINUS Be it so, Titus, and gramercy too.
Flourish. Exeunt
Act 2
Scene 1
Rome. Before the Palace.
Enter AARON
AARON Now climbeth Tamora Olympus’ top,
Safe out of fortune’s shot; and sits aloft,
Secure of thunder’s crack or lightning flash;
Advanced above pale envy’s threatening reach.
As when the golden sun salutes the morn,
And, having gilt the ocean with his beams,
Gallops the zodiac in his glistering coach,
And overlooks the highest-peering hills;
So Tamora:
Upon her wit doth earthly honour wait,
And virtue stoops and trembles at her frown.
Then, Aaron, arm thy heart, and fit thy thoughts,
To mount aloft with thy imperial mistress,
And mount her pitch, whom thou in triumph long
Hast prisoner held, fetter’d in amorous chains
And faster bound to Aaron’s charming eyes
Than is Prometheus tied to Caucasus.
Away with slavish weeds and servile thoughts!
I will be bright, and shine in pearl and gold,
To wait upon this new-made empress.
To wait, said I? to wanton with this queen,
This goddess, this Semiramis, this nymph,
This siren, that will charm Rome’s Saturnine,
And see his shipwreck and his commonweal’s.
Holloa! what storm is this?
Enter DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, braving
DEMETRIUS Chiron, thy years want wit, thy wit wants edge,
And manners, to intrude where I am graced;
And may, for aught thou know’st, affected be.
CHIRON Demetrius, thou dost over-ween in all;