Original Text |
Translated Text |
| Source: Folger Shakespeare Library |
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Enter Lucius’ son and Lavinia running after him, and
the boy flies from her with his books under his arm.
Enter Titus and Marcus. | The next thing we know, Young Lucius is running across the house with his storybooks under his arm while Lavinia gives chase. Lucius drops his books. |
YOUNG LUCIUS
Help, grandsire, help! My aunt Lavinia
Follows me everywhere, I know not why.—
Good uncle Marcus, see how swift she comes!—
Alas, sweet aunt, I know not what you mean. MARCUS
Stand by me, Lucius. Do not fear thine aunt. 5 TITUS
She loves thee, boy, too well to do thee harm. YOUNG LUCIUS
Ay, when my father was in Rome she did. | Young Lucius is terrified of Auntie Lavinia, but his grandfather and uncle tell him not to be afraid, because Lavinia—who is like a mother to Young Lucius—would never hurt him. |
MARCUS
What means my niece Lavinia by these signs? TITUS
Fear her not, Lucius. Somewhat doth she mean.
See, Lucius, see, how much she makes of thee. 10
Somewhither would she have thee go with her.
Ah, boy, Cornelia never with more care
Read to her sons than she hath read to thee
Sweet poetry and Tully’s Orator. MARCUS
Canst thou not guess wherefore she plies thee thus? 15 YOUNG LUCIUS
My lord, I know not, I, nor can I guess,
Unless some fit or frenzy do possess her;
For I have heard my grandsire say full oft,
Extremity of griefs would make men mad,
And I have read that Hecuba of Troy 20
Ran mad for sorrow. That made me to fear,
Although, my lord, I know my noble aunt
Loves me as dear as e’er my mother did,
And would not but in fury fright my youth,
Which made me down to throw my books and fly, 25
Causeless, perhaps.—But pardon me, sweet aunt.
And, madam, if my uncle Marcus go,
I will most willingly attend your Ladyship. MARCUS Lucius, I will. TITUS
How now, Lavinia?—Marcus, what means this? 30
Some book there is that she desires to see.—
Which is it, girl, of these?—Open them, boy.—
To Lavinia. But thou art deeper read and better
skilled.
Come and take choice of all my library, 35
And so beguile thy sorrow till the heavens
Reveal the damned contriver of this deed.—
Why lifts she up her arms in sequence thus? | Young Lucius thinks Lavinia might be crazy. Marcus and Titus think she's trying to send a message with her signals and trying to get one of the books. |
MARCUS
I think she means that there were more than one
Confederate in the fact. Ay, more there was, 40
Or else to heaven she heaves them for revenge. TITUS
Lucius, what book is that she tosseth so? | Marcus thinks she's lifting both stumps up to say she had more than one attacker. |
YOUNG LUCIUS
Grandsire, ’tis Ovid’s Metamorphosis.
My mother gave it me. MARCUS For love of her that’s gone, 45
Perhaps, she culled it from among the rest. TITUS
Soft! So busily she turns the leaves.
Help her! What would she find?—Lavinia, shall I read?
This is the tragic tale of Philomel,
And treats of Tereus’ treason and his rape. 50
And rape, I fear, was root of thy annoy. | With her stumps, Lavinia flips through the pages of Ovid's Metamorphoses until she lands on the story of Philomel's rape. Brain Snack: In Book 6 of Ovid's Metamorphoses, Philomel is raped by her brother-in-law, Tereus, who also cuts out her tongue so she can't expose him verbally. Philomel cleverly stitches the name of her rapist and Procne, Philomel's sister, gets revenge by serving their son for dinner. |
MARCUS
See, brother, see! Note how she quotes the leaves. TITUS
Lavinia, wert thou thus surprised, sweet girl,
Ravished and wronged as Philomela was,
Forced in the ruthless, vast, and gloomy woods? 55
See, see! Ay, such a place there is where we did hunt—
O, had we never, never hunted there!—
Patterned by that the poet here describes,
By nature made for murders and for rapes. MARCUS
O, why should nature build so foul a den, 60
Unless the gods delight in tragedies? TITUS
Give signs, sweet girl, for here are none but friends,
What Roman lord it was durst do the deed.
Or slunk not Saturnine, as Tarquin erst,
That left the camp to sin in Lucrece’ bed? 65 MARCUS
Sit down, sweet niece.—Brother, sit down by me. They sit. Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury
Inspire me, that I may this treason find.—
My lord, look here.—Look here, Lavinia. | Titus and Marcus look at the book and correctly guess that Lavinia is communicating that she was raped, just like Philomel. |
He writes his name with his staff and guides it
with feet and mouth. This sandy plot is plain; guide, if thou canst, 70
This after me. I have writ my name
Without the help of any hand at all.
Cursed be that heart that forced us to this shift!
Write thou, good niece, and here display at last
What God will have discovered for revenge. 75
Heaven guide thy pen to print thy sorrows plain,
That we may know the traitors and the truth. She takes the staff in her mouth, and guides it
with her stumps and writes. O, do you read, my lord, what she hath writ? | Marcus grabs a staff (stick or cane) and uses his hands and mouth to spell out his name, showing Lavinia how to write the names of her attackers. |
TITUS
“Stuprum. Chiron, Demetrius.” MARCUS
What, what! The lustful sons of Tamora 80
Performers of this heinous, bloody deed? TITUS Magni Dominator poli,
Tam lentus audis scelera, tam lentus vides? | Lavinia, of course, spells out Chiron and Demetrius. |
MARCUS
O, calm thee, gentle lord, although I know
There is enough written upon this earth 85
To stir a mutiny in the mildest thoughts
And arm the minds of infants to exclaims.
My lord, kneel down with me.—Lavinia, kneel.—
And kneel, sweet boy, the Roman Hector’s hope, They all kneel. And swear with me—as, with the woeful fere 90
And father of that chaste dishonored dame,
Lord Junius Brutus swore for Lucrece’ rape—
That we will prosecute by good advice
Mortal revenge upon these traitorous Goths,
And see their blood or die with this reproach. 95 They rise. TITUS
’Tis sure enough, an you knew how.
But if you hunt these bearwhelps, then beware;
The dam will wake an if she wind you once.
She’s with the lion deeply still in league,
And lulls him whilst she playeth on her back; 100
And when he sleeps will she do what she list.
You are a young huntsman, Marcus; let alone.
And come, I will go get a leaf of brass,
And with a gad of steel will write these words,
And lay it by. The angry northern wind 105
Will blow these sands like Sibyl’s leaves abroad,
And where’s our lesson then?—Boy, what say you? | Marcus asks everyone to kneel down and promise to exact revenge on Chiron and Demetrius for what they've done. |
YOUNG LUCIUS
I say, my lord, that if I were a man,
Their mother’s bedchamber should not be safe
For these base bondmen to the yoke of Rome. 110 | Young Lucius declares that, if he were a man, he would avenge Lavinia's rape by raping Tamora. (Yikes!) |
MARCUS
Ay, that’s my boy! Thy father hath full oft
For his ungrateful country done the like. YOUNG LUCIUS
And, uncle, so will I, an if I live. TITUS
Come, go with me into mine armory.
Lucius, I’ll fit thee, and withal my boy 115
Shall carry from me to the Empress’ sons
Presents that I intend to send them both.
Come, come. Thou ’lt do my message, wilt thou not? YOUNG LUCIUS
Ay, with my dagger in their bosoms, grandsire. TITUS
No, boy, not so. I’ll teach thee another course.— 120
Lavinia, come.—Marcus, look to my house.
Lucius and I’ll go brave it at the court;
Ay, marry, will we, sir, and we’ll be waited on. All but Marcus exit. MARCUS
O heavens, can you hear a good man groan
And not relent, or not compassion him? 125
Marcus, attend him in his ecstasy,
That hath more scars of sorrow in his heart
Than foemen’s marks upon his battered shield,
But yet so just that he will not revenge.
Revenge the heavens for old Andronicus! 130 He exits. | Marcus is all "atta boy," and says Lucius will bring presents to Chiron and Demetrius. Everyone runs off to plot their revenge. |