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  • Title: Titus Andronicus (Folio, 1623)

    • Copyright Internet Shakespeare Editions. This text may be freely used for educational, non-proift purposes; for all other uses contact the Coordinating Editor.
    Author: William Shakespeare
    Not Peer Reviewed

    Titus Andronicus (Folio, 1623)

    The Tragedie of Titus Andronicus. 49
    But to torment you with my bitter tongue.
    Luci. Sirs stop his mouth, & let him speake no more.
    Enter Emillius.
    Goth. My Lord, there is a Messenger from Rome
    2270Desires to be admitted to your presence.
    Luc. Let him come neere.
    Welcome Emillius, what the newes from Rome?
    Emi. Lord Lucius, and you Princes of the Gothes,
    The Romaine Emperour greetes you all by me,
    2275And for he vnderstands you are in Armes,
    He craues a parly at your Fathers house
    Willing you to demand your Hostages,
    And they shall be immediately deliuered.
    Goth. What saies our Generall?
    2280Luc. Emillius, let the Emperour giue his pledges
    Vnto my Father, and my Vncle Marcus, Flourish.
    And we will come: march away. Exeunt.

    Enter Tamora, and her two Sonnes disguised.

    Tam. Thus in this strange and sad Habilliament,
    2285I will encounter with Andronicus,
    And say, I am Reuenge sent from below,
    To ioyne with him and right his hainous wrongs:
    Knocke at his study where they say he keepes,
    To ruminate strange plots of dire Reuenge,
    2290Tell him Reuenge is come to ioyne with him,
    And worke confusion on his Enemies.
    They knocke and Titus opens his study dore.
    Tit. Who doth mollest my Contemplation?
    Is it your tricke to make me ope the dore,
    2295That so my sad decrees may flie away,
    And all my studie be to no effect?
    You are deceiu'd, for what I meane to do,
    See heere in bloody lines I haue set downe:
    And what is written shall be executed.
    2300Tam. Titus, I am come to talke with thee,
    Tit. No not a word: how can I grace my talke,
    Wanting a hand to giue it action,
    Thou hast the ods of me, therefore no more.
    Tam. If thou did'st know me,
    2305Thou would'st talke with me.
    Tit. I am not mad, I know thee well enough,
    Witnesse this wretched stump,
    Witnesse these crimson lines,
    Witnesse these Trenches made by griefe and care,
    2310Witnesse the tyring day, and heauie night,
    Witnesse all sorrow, that I know thee well
    For our proud Empresse, Mighty Tamora:
    Is not thy comming for my other hand?
    Tamo. Know thou sad man, I am not Tamora,
    2315She is thy Enemie, and I thy Friend,
    I am Reuenge sent from th'infernall Kingdome,
    To ease the gnawing Vulture of the mind,
    By working wreakefull vengeance on my Foes:
    Come downe and welcome me to this worlds light,
    2320Conferre with me of Murder and of Death,
    Ther's not a hollow Caue or lurking place,
    No Vast obscurity, or Misty vale,
    Where bloody Murther or detested Rape,
    Can couch for feare, but I will finde them out,
    2325And in their eares tell them my dreadfull name,
    Reuenge, which makes the foule offenders quake.
    Tit. Art thou Reuenge? and art thou sent to me,
    To be a torment to mine Enemies?
    Tam. I am, therefore come downe and welcome me.
    2330Tit. Doe me some seruice ere I come to thee:
    Loe by thy side where Rape and Murder stands,
    Now giue some surance that thou art Reuenge,
    Stab them, or teare them on thy Chariot wheeles,
    And then Ile come and be thy Waggoner,
    2335And whirle along with thee about the Globes.
    Prouide thee two proper Palfries, as blacke as Iet,
    To hale thy vengefull Waggon swift away,
    And finde out Murder in their guilty cares.
    And when thy Car is loaden with their heads,
    2340I will dismount, and by the Waggon wheele,
    Trot like a Seruile footeman all day long,
    Euen from Eptons rising in the East,
    Vntill his very downefall in the Sea.
    And day by day Ile do this heauy taske,
    2345So thou destroy Rapine and Murder there.
    Tam. These are my Ministers, and come with me.
    Tit. Are them thy Mi( )n( )isters, what are they call'd?
    Tam. Rape and Murder, therefore called so,
    Cause they take vengeance of such kind of men.
    2350Tit. Good Lord how like the Empresse Sons they are,
    And you the Empresse: But we worldly men,
    Haue miserable mad mistaking eyes:
    Oh sweet Reuenge, now do I come to thee,
    And if one armes imbracement will content thee,
    2355I will imbrace thee in it by and by.
    Tam. This closing with him, fits his Lunacie,
    What ere I forge to feede his braine-sicke fits,
    Do you vphold, and maintaine in your speeches,
    For now he firmely takes me for Reuenge,
    2360And being Credulous in this mad thought,
    Ile make him send for Lucius his Sonne,
    And whil'st I at a Banquet hold him sure,
    Ile find some cunning practise out of hand
    To scatter and disperse the giddie Gothes,
    2365Or at the least make them his Enemies:
    See heere he comes, and I must play my theame.
    Tit. Long haue I bene forlorne, and all for thee,
    Welcome dread Fury to my woefull house,
    Rapine and Murther, you are welcome too,
    2370How like the Empresse and her Sonnes you are.
    Well are you fitted, had you but a Moore,
    Could not all hell afford you such a deuill?
    For well I wote the Empresse neuer wags;
    But in her company there is a Moore,
    2375And would you represent our Queene aright
    It were conuenient you had such a deuill:
    But welcome as you are, what shall we doe?
    Tam. What would'st thou haue vs doe Andronicus?
    Dem. Shew me a Murtherer, Ile deale with him.
    2380Chi. Shew me a Villaine that hath done a Rape,
    And I am sent to be reueng'd on him.
    Tam. Shew me a thousand that haue done thee wrong,
    And Ile be reuenged on them all.
    Tit. Looke round about the wicked streets of Rome,
    2385And when thou find'st a man that's like thyselfe,
    Good Murder stab him, hee's a Murtherer.
    Goe thou with him, and when it is thy hap
    To finde another that is like to thee,
    Good Rapine stab him, he is a Rauisher.
    2390Go thou with them, and in the Emperours Court,
    There is a Queene attended by a Moore,
    Well maist thou know her by thy owne proportion,
    For vp and downe she doth resemble thee.
    I pray thee doe on them some violent death,
    2395They haue bene violent to me and mine.
    ee Tomora.
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