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Titus Andronicus - Act 4, scene 1
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Titus Andronicus - Act 4, scene 1Act 4, scene 1
⌜Scene 1⌝
Synopsis:
Lavinia finds a way to reveal to Titus the story of her rape and mutilation and the names of the rapists.
Enter Lucius’ son and Lavinia running after him, andthe boy flies from her with his books under his arm.
Enter Titus and Marcus.
YOUNG LUCIUS
1434 Help, grandsire, help! My aunt Lavinia
1435 Follows me everywhere, I know not why.—
1436 Good uncle Marcus, see how swift she comes!—
1437 Alas, sweet aunt, I know not what you mean.
MARCUS
1438 5 Stand by me, Lucius. Do not fear thine aunt.
TITUS
1439 She loves thee, boy, too well to do thee harm.
YOUNG LUCIUS
1440 Ay, when my father was in Rome she did.
MARCUS
1441 What means my niece Lavinia by these signs?
TITUS
1442 Fear her not, Lucius. Somewhat doth she mean.
1443 10 See, Lucius, see, how much she makes of thee.
1444 Somewhither would she have thee go with her.
1445 ⌜Ah,⌝ boy, Cornelia never with more care
1446 Read to her sons than she hath read to thee
1447 Sweet poetry and Tully’s Orator.
p.
123
⌜MARCUS⌝ 1448 15 Canst thou not guess wherefore she plies thee thus?
YOUNG LUCIUS
1449 My lord, I know not, I, nor can I guess,
1450 Unless some fit or frenzy do possess her;
1451 For I have heard my grandsire say full oft,
1452 Extremity of griefs would make men mad,
1453 20 And I have read that Hecuba of Troy
1454 Ran mad for sorrow. That made me to fear,
1455 Although, my lord, I know my noble aunt
1456 Loves me as dear as e’er my mother did,
1457 And would not but in fury fright my youth,
1458 25 Which made me down to throw my books and fly,
1459 Causeless, perhaps.—But pardon me, sweet aunt.
1460 And, madam, if my uncle Marcus go,
1461 I will most willingly attend your Ladyship.
MARCUS 1462 Lucius, I will.
TITUS
1463 30 How now, Lavinia?—Marcus, what means this?
1464 Some book there is that she desires to see.—
1465 Which is it, girl, of these?—Open them, boy.—
1466 ⌜To Lavinia.⌝ But thou art deeper read and better
1467 skilled.
1468 35 Come and take choice of all my library,
1469 And so beguile thy sorrow till the heavens
1470 Reveal the damned contriver of this deed.—
1471 Why lifts she up her arms in sequence thus?
MARCUS
1472 I think she means that there were more than one
1473 40 Confederate in the fact. Ay, more there was,
1474 Or else to heaven she heaves them for revenge.
TITUS
1475 Lucius, what book is that she tosseth so?
YOUNG LUCIUS
1476 Grandsire, ’tis Ovid’s Metamorphosis.
1477 My mother gave it me.
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125
MARCUS
1478
45For love of her that’s gone,1479 Perhaps, she culled it from among the rest.
TITUS
1480 Soft! So busily she turns the leaves.
1481 Help her! What would she find?—Lavinia, shall I read?
1482 This is the tragic tale of Philomel,
1483 50 And treats of Tereus’ treason and his rape.
1484 And rape, I fear, was root of thy annoy.
MARCUS
1485 See, brother, see! Note how she quotes the leaves.
TITUS
1486 Lavinia, wert thou thus surprised, sweet girl,
1487 Ravished and wronged as Philomela was,
1488 55 Forced in the ruthless, vast, and gloomy woods?
1489 See, see! Ay, such a place there is where we did hunt—
1490 O, had we never, never hunted there!—
1491 Patterned by that the poet here describes,
1492 By nature made for murders and for rapes.
MARCUS
1493 60 O, why should nature build so foul a den,
1494 Unless the gods delight in tragedies?
TITUS
1495 Give signs, sweet girl, for here are none but friends,
1496 What Roman lord it was durst do the deed.
1497 Or slunk not Saturnine, as Tarquin erst,
1498 65 That left the camp to sin in Lucrece’ bed?
MARCUS
1499 Sit down, sweet niece.—Brother, sit down by me.
⌜They sit.⌝
1500 Apollo, Pallas, Jove, or Mercury
1501 Inspire me, that I may this treason find.—
1502 My lord, look here.—Look here, Lavinia.
He writes his name with his staff and guides it
with feet and mouth.
1503 70 This sandy plot is plain; guide, if thou canst,
1504 This after me. I have writ my name
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127
1505
Without the help of any hand at all.1506 Cursed be that heart that forced us to this shift!
1507 Write thou, good niece, and here display at last
1508 75 What God will have discovered for revenge.
1509 Heaven guide thy pen to print thy sorrows plain,
1510 That we may know the traitors and the truth.
She takes the staff in her mouth, and guides it
with her stumps and writes.
1511 O, do you read, my lord, what she hath writ?
⌜TITUS⌝
1512 “Stuprum. Chiron, Demetrius.”
MARCUS
1513 80 What, what! The lustful sons of Tamora
1514 Performers of this heinous, bloody deed?
TITUS 1515 Magni Dominator poli,
1516 Tam lentus audis scelera, tam lentus vides?
MARCUS
1517 O, calm thee, gentle lord, although I know
1518 85 There is enough written upon this earth
1519 To stir a mutiny in the mildest thoughts
1520 And arm the minds of infants to exclaims.
1521 My lord, kneel down with me.—Lavinia, kneel.—
1522 And kneel, sweet boy, the Roman Hector’s hope,
⌜They all kneel.⌝
1523 90 And swear with me—as, with the woeful fere
1524 And father of that chaste dishonored dame,
1525 Lord Junius Brutus swore for Lucrece’ rape—
1526 That we will prosecute by good advice
1527 Mortal revenge upon these traitorous Goths,
1528 95 And see their blood or die with this reproach.
⌜They rise.⌝
TITUS
1529 ’Tis sure enough, an you knew how.
1530 But if you hunt these bearwhelps, then beware;
1531 The dam will wake an if she wind you once.
1532 She’s with the lion deeply still in league,
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129
1533
100 And lulls him whilst she playeth on her back;1534 And when he sleeps will she do what she list.
1535 You are a young huntsman, Marcus; let alone.
1536 And come, I will go get a leaf of brass,
1537 And with a gad of steel will write these words,
1538 105 And lay it by. The angry northern wind
1539 Will blow these sands like Sibyl’s leaves abroad,
1540 And where’s our lesson then?—Boy, what say you?
YOUNG LUCIUS
1541 I say, my lord, that if I were a man,
1542 Their mother’s bedchamber should not be safe
1543 110 For these base bondmen to the yoke of Rome.
MARCUS
1544 Ay, that’s my boy! Thy father hath full oft
1545 For his ungrateful country done the like.
YOUNG LUCIUS
1546 And, uncle, so will I, an if I live.
TITUS
1547 Come, go with me into mine armory.
1548 115 Lucius, I’ll fit thee, and withal my boy
1549 Shall carry from me to the Empress’ sons
1550 Presents that I intend to send them both.
1551 Come, come. Thou ’lt do my message, wilt thou not?
YOUNG LUCIUS
1552 Ay, with my dagger in their bosoms, grandsire.
TITUS
1553 120 No, boy, not so. I’ll teach thee another course.—
1554 Lavinia, come.—Marcus, look to my house.
1555 Lucius and I’ll go brave it at the court;
1556 Ay, marry, will we, sir, and we’ll be waited on.
All ⌜but Marcus⌝ exit.
MARCUS
1557 O heavens, can you hear a good man groan
1558 125 And not relent, or not compassion him?
1559 Marcus, attend him in his ecstasy,
1560 That hath more scars of sorrow in his heart
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131
1561
Than foemen’s marks upon his battered shield,1562 But yet so just that he will not revenge.
1563 130 Revenge the heavens for old Andronicus!
He exits.