Act 5, Scene 2 — Titus Andronicus

The argument Tamora arrives at Titus's house disguised as Revenge, with Chiron and Demetrius as her ministers Rapine and Murder. She calls up to Titus: she is Revenge come to help him destroy his enemies. Titus, from above, says he knows her — she is Tamora. She denies it. He plays along: he knows them as Rape and Murder, but he has 'mad, mistaking eyes.' She tells him to send for Lucius, come to a banquet — she'll deliver all his enemies to him. He agrees, sends Marcus to fetch Lucius, then demands Chiron and Demetrius stay with him. Tamora consents and leaves. Titus reveals to the audience that he knew them all along. He calls Publius, Caius, and Valentine to seize Chiron and Demetrius. He binds and gags them, tells them they will be baked in a pie for their mother, and cuts their throats. Lavinia holds the basin.

Enter Tamora and her two sons, disguised.

TAMORA ≋ verse [tamora resolved, preparing her strategy]

Thus, in this strange and sad habiliment,

I will encounter with Andronicus,

And say I am Revenge, sent from below

To join with him and right his heinous wrongs.

Knock at his study, where they say he keeps

To ruminate strange plots of dire revenge;

Tell him Revenge is come to join with him

And work confusion on his enemies.

In this strange, sad disguise, I will encounter Titus and say I am Revenge, sent from the depths of hell to help him exact vengeance on his enemies. This disguise will hide me from suspicion until I've accomplished my true purpose.

I'll wear this disguise, go to Titus, and tell him I'm Revenge from hell. He'll believe me because he wants to. This will hide me until my real plan works.

i'll dress as revenge. tell him i'm from hell. he'll believe me. he wants revenge. so badly.

"" Costume, garb, outfit — usually theatrical or ceremonial clothing. Tamora's disguise is essentially theatrical: allegorical costumes.

Why it matters Tamora is performing a masque — a theatrical form in which characters dress as personifications. She is trying to speak Titus's language (he has been shooting letters to the gods, talking to abstractions). The irony is that Titus has been performing madness; now both parties are performing.

[_They knock._]

Titus above opens his study door.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus suspicious]

Who doth molest my contemplation?

Is it your trick to make me ope the door,

That so my sad decrees may fly away

And all my study be to no effect?

You are deceived; for what I mean to do

See here in bloody lines I have set down;

And what is written shall be executed.

Who disturbs my thoughts? Is it a trick to make me open the door so my dark plans will scatter away from me?

Who's bothering me? Is this a trick to get me to open up and lose my focus?

who's there? is this a trick?

Why it matters Titus's opening line from above establishes his position: already committed, suspicious, not to be deflected. He is in control of himself in a way he hasn't been since Act 1.

TAMORA [tamora beginning her performance]

Titus, I am come to talk with thee.

Titus, I've come to speak with you.

Titus, I'm here to talk.

titus. let's talk.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus refusing]

No, not a word; how can I grace my talk,

Wanting a hand to give it action?

Thou hast the odds of me; therefore no more.

No—not a word. How can I speak gracefully without a hand to gesture with? You have the advantage over me, so no more conversation.

No. How can I talk without a hand to make my words proper? You're better off than me. Nothing more to say.

no. i have no hand. for grace. no more talk.

Why it matters Titus's first response to the knock is to mention his missing hand. The wound is always present. But here it also becomes a theatrical reason to refuse engagement — which gives him time to observe.

TAMORA [tamora insisting]

If thou didst know me, thou wouldst talk with me.

If you knew who I was, you would speak with me.

If you knew who I am, you'd talk to me.

you'd talk if you knew me.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus recognizing her]

I am not mad; I know thee well enough.

Witness this wretched stump, witness these crimson lines;

Witness these trenches made by grief and care;

Witness the tiring day and heavy night;

Witness all sorrow that I know thee well

For our proud empress, mighty Tamora.

Is not thy coming for my other hand?

I'm not mad—I know who you are well enough. Look at this wretched stump, these crimson lines, the trenches carved by grief and sorrow. Tamora, you did this to me, and I'll never forget your face.

I'm not crazy. I know exactly who you are. Look at what you did to me—my hand, my scars, my grief. I know you, Tamora.

i know you. i'm not mad. this stump. these scars. you did this. tamora.

Why it matters Titus identifies Tamora immediately. This is the first, and most important, revelation of the scene: he is not fooled. What follows is a conscious performance of being fooled.

TAMORA ≋ verse [tamora performing, seducing]

Know thou, sad man, I am not Tamora;

She is thy enemy, and I thy friend.

I am Revenge, sent from th’ infernal kingdom

To ease the gnawing vulture of thy mind

By working wreakful vengeance on thy foes.

Come down and welcome me to this world’s light;

Confer with me of murder and of death.

There’s not a hollow cave or lurking-place,

No vast obscurity or misty vale,

Where bloody murder or detested rape

Can couch for fear but I will find them out,

And in their ears tell them my dreadful name,

Revenge, which makes the foul offender quake.

Know this, sad man—I am not Tamora. She is your enemy; I am your friend. I am Revenge, sent from the infernal kingdom to comfort you and to help you take revenge on your enemies. I bring with me my two companions—Rape and Murder—to destroy those who have wronged you.

Listen—I'm not Tamora. She's your enemy. I'm Revenge, sent from hell to help you. I've brought Rape and Murder with me to destroy everyone who hurt you.

i'm not tamora. i'm revenge. from hell. for you. with rape and murder. to destroy them all.

"" The underworld, hell — the realm Publius claimed Revenge came from in 4-3. Tamora is picking up the very language Titus used in that scene.

Why it matters Tamora's speech picks up the language Publius invented in 4-3 — 'Revenge from hell.' She is adapting herself to Titus's world and vocabulary. The irony is that Titus invented that vocabulary and now controls how it is used.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus playing along eagerly]

Art thou Revenge? And art thou sent to me

To be a torment to mine enemies?

Are you Revenge? And are you sent to me to torment my enemies?

Are you Revenge? Sent here to torture my enemies?

revenge? for me? to hurt them?

Why it matters Titus begins to play the game. He asks the questions that let Tamora develop her fiction — because he needs her to believe he is persuaded.

TAMORA [tamora confirming]

I am; therefore come down and welcome me.

I am. So come down and welcome me.

Yes. Come greet me.

yes. come.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus testing, laying out his demands]

Do me some service ere I come to thee.

Lo, by thy side where Rape and Murder stands;

Now give some surance that thou art Revenge:

Stab them, or tear them on thy chariot wheels,

And then I’ll come and be thy waggoner,

And whirl along with thee about the globe.

Provide thee two proper palfreys, black as jet,

To hale thy vengeful waggon swift away,

And find out murderers in their guilty caves.

And when thy car is loaden with their heads,

I will dismount, and by the waggon-wheel

Trot like a servile footman all day long,

Even from Hyperion’s rising in the east

Until his very downfall in the sea.

And day by day I’ll do this heavy task,

So thou destroy Rapine and Murder there.

Do something for me first. I see by your side Rape and Murder stand. Tell me their names, describe them, tell me what cruel deeds they've done. Then I'll know you're truly Revenge and will come down to welcome you properly.

Do something for me first. Who are those with you? Describe them. Tell me their names and what they've done. Then I'll know you're real.

first. tell me who they are. their names. what they've done. then i'll believe.

"" Saddle horses, typically riding horses rather than war horses. Black as jet — completely black, the colour of mourning and death.

"" Hyperion is the Titan sun-god; his 'rising' is dawn. Titus's elaborate description of serving Revenge from dawn to dusk is both theatrical and a stalling tactic.

Why it matters Titus's demand is a trap: he asks Tamora to stab her sons as proof she is really Revenge. She obviously won't. But the demand also tells the audience (and confirms for Titus) that these are indeed Chiron and Demetrius. He knows.

TAMORA [tamora identifying them]

These are my ministers, and come with me.

These are my ministers, and they come with me.

Those are my servants. They came with me.

my servants. they came with me.

Why it matters Tamora refuses to harm her sons, which is both obvious and confirmation that the disguise is a lie. Titus takes note.

TITUS [titus asking for names]

Are they thy ministers? What are they called?

Are they your ministers? What are they called?

What are their names?

what are they called?

TAMORA ≋ verse [tamora naming]

Rapine and Murder; therefore called so

’Cause they take vengeance of such kind of men.

Rapine and Murder—that's why they're called so, because they take revenge on that kind of man.

Rape and Murder—because they revenge themselves on men like that.

rapine and murder. because they take revenge on men like that.

"" Violent plunder, seizure — specifically associated with rape and pillaging. Tamora names her son 'Rapine' without irony: the name fits.

Why it matters Tamora names her sons as the abstractions she needs them to be — but she has chosen exactly the right names for them. 'Rapine' and 'Murder' are precisely what Chiron and Demetrius are. The disguise is accidentally confessional.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus darkly ironic]

Good Lord, how like the empress’ sons they are,

And you the empress! But we worldly men

Have miserable, mad, mistaking eyes.

O sweet Revenge, now do I come to thee;

And, if one arm’s embracement will content thee,

I will embrace thee in it by and by.

Good Lord, how like the empress's sons they are! And you are like her too! But we worldly men often make mistakes. Go now—do exactly what I ask, or I'll call Revenge elsewhere.

They look just like your sons! You look like her! But I suppose we all make mistakes. Do what I ask, or I'll find another Revenge.

they're just like your sons. you're just like tamora. but we make mistakes. do what i ask. or i'll find another.

Why it matters Titus's performance of being deceived is perfect. He acknowledges the resemblance, then attributes his recognition to 'mad, mistaking eyes' — the exact excuse Saturninus gave him for seeing through Tamora's mask. The irony runs through the whole play.

[_He exits above._]

TAMORA ≋ verse [tamora aside, confident in deception]

This closing with him fits his lunacy.

Whate’er I forge to feed his brain-sick humours,

Do you uphold and maintain in your speeches,

For now he firmly takes me for Revenge;

And, being credulous in this mad thought,

I’ll make him send for Lucius his son;

And whilst I at a banquet hold him sure,

I’ll find some cunning practice out of hand

To scatter and disperse the giddy Goths,

Or, at the least, make them his enemies.

See, here he comes, and I must ply my theme.

This going along with him fits his madness perfectly. Whatever I invent to feed his crazy mind, I can use as cover for my real plans. My sons are hidden waiting for my signal, and Saturnine thinks I'm negotiating peace. This fool thinks I'm here to help him.

This plays perfectly into his madness. Whatever I tell him, I can use for my real plan. The boys are waiting, Saturnine thinks I'm making peace, and this old fool believes I'm his Revenge.

he's so broken. he believes anything. my sons are waiting. saturnine thinks i'm negotiating. this will work.

Why it matters Tamora's aside reveals that her plan is improvised. She has no fixed scheme — she's making it up as she goes, confident in her ability to manipulate. This is her fatal flaw: she is still overconfident. She does not know that Titus already has a complete plan.

🎭 Dramatic irony

Enter Titus.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus welcoming revenge]

Long have I been forlorn, and all for thee.

Welcome, dread Fury, to my woeful house.

Rapine and Murder, you are welcome too.

How like the empress and her sons you are!

Well are you fitted, had you but a Moor.

Could not all hell afford you such a devil?

For well I wot the empress never wags

But in her company there is a Moor;

And, would you represent our queen aright,

It were convenient you had such a devil.

But welcome as you are. What shall we do?

I have been wretched and forlorn all this time, waiting for you. Welcome, dread Revenge, to my sorrowful house. Come, sit with me and plan how we'll destroy my enemies together.

I've been broken and waiting for this. Welcome, terrible Revenge, to my sad home. Sit with me and let's plan how to destroy them all.

i've been waiting. for you. welcome. to my sorrowful house. let's plan their destruction.

"" Know — archaic first and third person singular of 'wit' (to know).

Why it matters Titus's welcoming speech is the scene's funniest moment — he points out that the disguise needs a Moor, essentially noting its flaw while pretending not to notice. He is enjoying this.

TAMORA [tamora asking]

What wouldst thou have us do, Andronicus?

What would you have us do, Andronicus?

What do you want us to do?

what do you want?

DEMETRIUS [demetrius ready]

Show me a murderer, I’ll deal with him.

Show me a murderer and I'll deal with him.

Point out a killer and I'll handle it.

show me a killer.

CHIRON ≋ verse [chiron eager]

Show me a villain that hath done a rape,

And I am sent to be revenged on him.

Show me a villain who has committed rape, and I am sent to take revenge on him.

Show me a rapist and I'll get revenge.

show me a rapist.

Why it matters Chiron volunteers to avenge rape — Chiron, who committed the rape. The dramatic irony is at maximum density.

TAMORA ≋ verse [tamora promising]

Show me a thousand that hath done thee wrong,

And I will be revenged on them all.

Show me a thousand who have wronged you, and I will take revenge on them all.

Name a thousand who hurt you, and I'll destroy every one.

name them. i'll destroy them all.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus with dark understanding]

Look round about the wicked streets of Rome,

And when thou find’st a man that’s like thyself,

Good Murder, stab him; he’s a murderer.

Go thou with him; and when it is thy hap

To find another that is like to thee,

Good Rapine, stab him; he is a ravisher.

Go thou with them; and in the emperor’s court

There is a queen, attended by a Moor;

Well shalt thou know her by thine own proportion,

For up and down she doth resemble thee.

I pray thee, do on them some violent death;

They have been violent to me and mine.

Look around Rome's wicked streets. When you find a man like yourself—ambitious, cruel, bloodthirsty, proud—that's the man to strike down. Find Saturnine if you can, or any tyrant like him, and teach him justice through revenge.

Look around Rome. Find someone like you—ambitious, cruel, bloodthirsty, arrogant. Strike him down. Find Saturnine if you can, and teach him justice through revenge.

look at rome. find a tyrant. ambitious. cruel. bloodthirsty. pround. that's who. do it.

Why it matters Titus's instructions describe Tamora perfectly — 'a queen attended by a Moor' who 'up and down doth resemble' Revenge. He is telling her she is Revenge. She still thinks she's fooling him.

TAMORA ≋ verse [tamora in control]

Well hast thou lessoned us; this shall we do.

But would it please thee, good Andronicus,

To send for Lucius, thy thrice-valiant son,

Who leads towards Rome a band of warlike Goths,

And bid him come and banquet at thy house?

When he is here, even at thy solemn feast,

I will bring in the empress and her sons,

The emperor himself, and all thy foes,

And at thy mercy shall they stoop and kneel,

And on them shalt thou ease thy angry heart.

What says Andronicus to this device?

You've taught us well. We'll do this. But would it please you, good Andronicus, to see your enemies bound and helpless before you? Would that satisfy your hunger for revenge?

You've taught us well. But here's a thought—what if your enemies were bound and helpless before you? Wouldn't you want to see that?

good lesson. we'll do it. but wouldn't you want to see them bound? helpless?

Why it matters Tamora has just handed Titus his complete plan: call Lucius, have a banquet, bring her and her sons. She thinks this benefits her. It will destroy her. She has planned her own trap.

🎭 Dramatic irony

TITUS [titus calling marcus]

Marcus, my brother, ’tis sad Titus calls.

Marcus, my brother—sad Titus calls for you.

Marcus, brother—come here.

marcus.

Why it matters Titus acts immediately. No deliberation — the plan is already formed, the trap is already set. He just needs Marcus to fetch Lucius.

Enter Marcus.

Go, gentle Marcus, to thy nephew Lucius;

Thou shalt inquire him out among the Goths.

Bid him repair to me and bring with him

Some of the chiefest princes of the Goths;

Bid him encamp his soldiers where they are.

Tell him the emperor and the empress too

Feast at my house, and he shall feast with them.

This do thou for my love; and so let him,

As he regards his aged father’s life.

MARCUS [marcus agreeing]

This will I do, and soon return again.

I will do this, and return soon.

I'll do it. Back soon.

i'll do it.

[_Exit._]

TAMORA ≋ verse [tamora preparing to leave]

Now will I hence about thy business,

And take my ministers along with me.

Now I'll go about your business and take my ministers with me.

I'm leaving now, taking my servants with me.

i'm going. with my ministers.

Why it matters Tamora tries to leave with her sons. This is the moment Titus springs the first element of his trap.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus holding her back]

Nay, nay, let Rape and Murder stay with me,

Or else I’ll call my brother back again

And cleave to no revenge but Lucius.

No, no—let Rape and Murder stay here with me. Otherwise I'll call my brother back to bring you back. I need them.

Wait—leave Rape and Murder here with me. Otherwise I'll have Marcus drag you back. I need them.

wait. leave them. rape and murder. stay with me. or i'll call marcus.

Why it matters Titus uses the threat of cancelling the plan to force Tamora to leave her sons behind. She needs him compliant. She has no choice.

[_Aside to them_.] What say you, boys? Will you abide with him,

TAMORA ≋ verse [tamora aside, confident]

Whiles I go tell my lord the emperor

How I have governed our determined jest?

Yield to his humour, smooth and speak him fair,

And tarry with him till I come again.

I'll go tell my lord the emperor how I've carried out our planned deception. He'll be delighted. This old fool thinks I'm his Revenge, and my sons are his Rape and Murder. Meanwhile, Saturnine gathers his forces.

I'll go tell Saturnine how perfectly this is working. He'll love it. Titus thinks I'm helping him while my sons are in disguise. Everything is going to plan.

i'll tell saturnine. this is perfect. he's completely fooled. my sons are disguised. everything works.

Why it matters Tamora instructs her sons to stay and keep playing their roles. She is sending them into Titus's hands. This is the single worst decision she makes in the play.

[_Aside_.] I knew them all, though they suppose me mad,

TITUS ≋ verse [titus knowing]

And will o’erreach them in their own devices,

A pair of cursed hell-hounds and their dam.

And I will outwit them in their own tricks—a pair of cursed, hellish hounds and their dam.

And I'll turn their tricks back on them—those cursed hell-hounds and their mother.

i'll outwit them. those hell-hounds. and their mother. i know what's coming.

Why it matters Titus steps out of the fiction to address the audience directly. He has known all along. The whole elaborate dialogue was a performance within a performance — the scene's central joke finally made explicit.

DEMETRIUS [demetrius dismissing]

Madam, depart at pleasure; leave us here.

Madam, leave whenever you're ready. Leave us here.

Go whenever you want. We'll stay.

go. we'll stay.

Why it matters Demetrius dismisses Tamora casually, still thinking he has the upper hand. He doesn't know he'll be dead before she returns.

TAMORA ≋ verse [tamora exiting with false promise]

Farewell, Andronicus. Revenge now goes

To lay a complot to betray thy foes.

Farewell, Andronicus. Revenge now goes to plan the destruction of your enemies.

Goodbye, Titus. Revenge is going to destroy your enemies.

goodbye. revenge will destroy them.

Why it matters Tamora's exit line is accurate — Revenge is going to plot someone's doom. Just not the doom she intends.

TITUS [titus accepting]

I know thou dost; and, sweet Revenge, farewell.

I know you will. And sweet Revenge, farewell.

I know. Goodbye, Revenge.

goodbye.

Why it matters Titus's farewell is layered: he knows what she is going to do (plan against him) and calls her 'sweet Revenge' with complete control over the word's meaning. The audience understands both levels.

[_Exit Tamora._]

CHIRON [chiron as demetrius asking]

Tell us, old man, how shall we be employed?

Tell us, old man—how shall we be used?

What's our job?

what do we do?

Why it matters Chiron, alone with Titus, drops the formal register. 'Old man' is contemptuous. He still has no idea.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus brisk, commanding]

Tut, I have work enough for you to do.

Publius, come hither, Caius, and Valentine.

I have plenty of work for you. Publius, come here. Caius and Valentine—come.

I've got plenty for you to do. Publius, Caius, Valentine—come here.

come here. all of you.

Why it matters Titus calls his men. Chiron and Demetrius have no idea who Publius, Caius, and Valentine are or why they're being summoned.

Enter Publius and others.

PUBLIUS [publius asking]

What is your will?

Yes?

yes?

TITUS [titus pointing]

Know you these two?

Do you know these two?

Know these two?

know them?

PUBLIUS [publius answering]

The empress’ sons, I take them, Chiron, Demetrius.

The empress's sons, I think—Chiron and Demetrius.

The empress's sons. Chiron and Demetrius.

the empress's sons. chiron and demetrius.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus correcting]

Fie, Publius, fie, thou art too much deceived.

The one is Murder, and Rape is the other’s name;

And therefore bind them, gentle Publius.

Caius and Valentine, lay hands on them.

Oft have you heard me wish for such an hour,

And now I find it. Therefore bind them sure,

And stop their mouths if they begin to cry.

No, Publius—you're deceived. One is Murder, and the other is Rape. These are the men who cut your cousin's tongue and raped her. These are Chiron and Demetrius—and they're going to pay.

Wrong, Publius. They're not the empress's sons. They're Murder and Rape. These are the ones who cut Lavinia's tongue and raped her. Chiron and Demetrius. And now they'll answer for it.

no. they're murder and rape. they cut lavinia's tongue. they raped her. chiron and demetrius. they'll pay.

Why it matters Titus names them as their allegorical identities — Murder and Rape — rather than Chiron and Demetrius. He is not confused; he is completing the masque on his own terms. They came as abstractions; they will be treated as abstractions.

[_Exit Titus._]

CHIRON [chiron and demetrius protesting]

Villains, forbear! We are the empress’ sons.

Stop! We are the empress's sons!

Stop! We're the empress's sons!

stop. we're the empress's sons.

Why it matters Chiron drops the disguise immediately when threatened. The entire elaborate masquerade collapses at the first physical danger. This underlines how thin the fiction was.

PUBLIUS ≋ verse [publius and caius obeying]

And therefore do we what we are commanded.

Stop close their mouths, let them not speak a word.

Is he sure bound? Look that you bind them fast.

And that's why we do what we're commanded. Bind their mouths—don't let them speak another word.

And that's why we follow orders. Gag them. Not another word.

bind their mouths. silence them.

Why it matters Publius's reply is perfect: Titus has commanded this, and they obey. The appeal to their status as the empress's sons is exactly the wrong appeal — it confirms they are the right targets.

Enter Titus Andronicus with a knife, and Lavinia with a basin.

TITUS ≋ verse [titus triumphant, addressing all]

Come, come, Lavinia; look, thy foes are bound.

Sirs, stop their mouths, let them not speak to me,

But let them hear what fearful words I utter.

O villains, Chiron and Demetrius!

Here stands the spring whom you have stained with mud,

This goodly summer with your winter mixed.

You killed her husband, and for that vile fault

Two of her brothers were condemned to death,

My hand cut off and made a merry jest,

Both her sweet hands, her tongue, and that more dear

Than hands or tongue, her spotless chastity,

Inhuman traitors, you constrained and forced.

What would you say if I should let you speak?

Villains, for shame you could not beg for grace.

Hark, wretches, how I mean to martyr you.

This one hand yet is left to cut your throats,

Whiles that Lavinia ’tween her stumps doth hold

The basin that receives your guilty blood.

You know your mother means to feast with me,

And calls herself Revenge, and thinks me mad.

Hark, villains! I will grind your bones to dust,

And with your blood and it I’ll make a paste,

And of the paste a coffin I will rear,

And make two pasties of your shameful heads,

And bid that strumpet, your unhallowed dam,

Like to the earth swallow her own increase.

This is the feast that I have bid her to,

And this the banquet she shall surfeit on;

For worse than Philomel you used my daughter,

And worse than Procne I will be revenged.

And now prepare your throats.—Lavinia, come

Receive the blood.

Come, Lavinia. Look—your attackers are bound and helpless. You've suffered in silence, unable to speak. But now I will speak for you through their blood. You'll have your vengeance, even if you can't voice it yourself.

Come, Lavinia. Look at them—bound and helpless. You couldn't speak, but I can act. I'll be your voice through their blood. You'll get your revenge.

lavinia. look. bound. helpless. you couldn't speak. i'll be your voice. through their blood.

"" In culinary terms, a 'coffin' was the pastry casing of a pie. Titus will bake Chiron and Demetrius's heads in a pie-coffin.

"" Meat pies — pastry cases enclosing minced or chopped filling. The word is used in cooking, not as a euphemism.

Why it matters The speech is Titus's most fully controlled moment in the play. He lists every wrong done to his family with precision, announces exactly what he will do and why, invokes the Philomela/Procne myth as his frame of reference, and then kills them. He is not mad. He is methodical, horrifying, and — in the context of what was done to Lavinia — comprehensible.

[_He cuts their throats._]

And when that they are dead,

Let me go grind their bones to powder small,

And with this hateful liquor temper it,

And in that paste let their vile heads be baked.

Come, come, be everyone officious

To make this banquet, which I wish may prove

More stern and bloody than the Centaurs’ feast.

So, now bring them in, for I’ll play the cook,

And see them ready against their mother comes.

[_Exeunt, carrying the dead bodies._]

The Reckoning

The double-disguise scene. Tamora thinks she is deceiving Titus into calling off Lucius. Titus is deceiving Tamora into delivering her sons to his kitchen. Both play the madman and the manipulator simultaneously — but only one of them knows the full game. The scene's terrible comedy culminates in one of Shakespeare's most visceral stage images: Lavinia — tongueless, handless — holding the basin to catch her rapists' blood.

If this happened today…

Someone plays dead to lure the person who wronged them into a trap. The wrongdoer believes they are in control of the encounter; they are walking into an ambush they designed. The twist is that the 'victim' has had to become something monstrous to engineer the trap. Titus gets what he wants. What he becomes to get it is the harder question.

Continue to 5.3 →