The brothers Saturninus and Bassianus both stand for election to succeed their father as emperor of Rome when the people’s tribune, Marcus Andronicus announces that his brother, the general Titus is the favourite contender. Titus returns from war with Tamora, queen of the Goths, her three sons and Aaron the Moor as prisoners, and with the body of a son to lay in the Andronici family tomb. Tamora’s eldest son is made a sacrifice despite his mother’s pleas. As Lavinia greets Titus, her father, he is offered the throne but rejects the chance to be emperor saying he is too old a warrior, and he supports Saturninus to whom he presents Tamora and her two remaining sons. Saturninus claims Lavinia as his wife, which Bassianus opposes as he is already in love with her. Lavinia’s brother Mutius attempts to help her but Titus, angered by this, kills Mutius before Saturninus decides he will prefer Tamora as his empress. After bitter argument Titus agrees that Mutius may be interred in the Andronici tomb.

As Aaron speaks of his own love for Tamora her sons, Demetrius and Chiron, enter fighting over who will wed Lavinia. Aaron calms them and suggests that instead of marriage they both waylay and rape her during the royal hunt. In the woods Aaron buries a store of gold before Tamora finds him and learns of his plots against Bassianus. Tamora’s sons kill Bassianus, believing he is a threat to Tamora. They throw the body into a pit near the hidden gold, and they take Lavinia for themselves. Aaron entices Titus’ sons Marcus and Quintus to the pit where they both fall in and are found by Saturninus who concludes that they have murdered Bassianus for the gold.

Marcus Andronicus finds his niece, Lavinia, wandering after she has been raped and mutilated by Tamora’s evil sons. 

In Rome Titus begs for the lives of Marcus and Quintus but is ignored while his remaining son Lucius is banished for supporting his brothers’ innocence pleas. Titus and Lucius’s son are reunited with Lavinia and her uncle, before Aaron offers a reprieve for Marcus and Quintus if one of the family will send his severed hand to the emperor as a ransom. Titus cuts off his own hand but in exchange he receives not their freedom but his sons’ heads, and his scornfully-rejected hand. Titus hovers on the edge of madness as he considers the wrongs done to his family, and discovers who is responsible for severing Lavinia’s tongue and hands as she uses her stumps to turn the pages of a book to the story of ravished Philomel, and grasping a stick she spells out in the sand the names of Demetrius and Chiron.

Aaron realises that Titus has discovered the truth, but before he can act Tamora’s newborn baby is brought to him as the queen wishes it to be killed for its dark skin betrays that Saturninus cannot be the father. Aaron kills the nursemaid to prevent her spreading the story and takes his son away. 

Titus is now deranged and he organises his few followers to send arrows into Saturninus’s palace with messages challenging the gods. He also sends two pigeons and a knife to the emperor who kills the messenger and vows that Titus will die for his threats.

The banished Lucius has joined the army of the Goths and leads them against Rome when Aaron and his baby are brought to him as prisoners. Lucius promises to save the baby and Aaron tells the truth about Bassianus’ death. Meanwhile Tamora visits the ‘mad’ Titus and leaves her sons with him where they are confronted with the ravaged Lavinia as Titus, saying they will become meat to feed their mother kills them both with Lavinia’s assistance. 

Titus arranges a banquet at which Saturninus and Tamora are chief guests, seated beside the veiled Lavinia. Titus consults Saturninus of the wisdom of the story of Virginius who killed his daughter to preserve her from shame and as the emperor agrees Virginius was right Titus stabs and kills Lavinia and tells of Demetrius and Chiron’s crimes against her. As Saturninus demands the princes are brought to him Titus explains they are at the feast already as they are the meat in the pies that Tamora and the others are eating. Saying this Titus stabs Tamora and is killed in turn by Saturninus who is then killed by Lucius. 

In the resulting confusion Marcus Andronicus calms everyone by calling the banished Lucius, Titus’ sole remaining son, to explain the dreadful tale telling that the chief villain was Aaron, who remains in prison. Lucius is proclaimed emperor, an unrepentant Aaron is condemned to death by starvation while he is buried up to the neck, and the Romans go to give royal burial to Titus and Lavinia, as Tamora’s body is thrown out as food for birds of prey.

© Marian J. Pringle
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust