24 January 1594
(Henslowe notes it as 23 January, but Greg has corrected to 24)
Possibly a revision of an earlier (lost) play Titus and Vespasian, a play of Strange's Men possibly written as early as 1589 and noted on 11 April 1592.
a synoptic, alphabetical character list
AARON
Aaron, a Moor, is the lover of Tamora and helps her take revenge on Titus and his family. Aaron orchestrates the murder of Bassianus, and the rape and mutilation of Lavinia by Demetrius and Chiron. Aaron also deceives Titus into chopping off his hand in exchange for the lives of his sons Mutius and Quintus. The hand and the heads of Titus's sons are later brought to him on a platter. Aaron is also the father of a baby with Tamora. When Tamora delivers the baby to him with the order that it be killed, he refuses and instead kills the nurse who brought it to him. Aaron is captured when he tries to take the baby to his Goth friends, and he offers to reveal everything he knows to Lucius in exchange for the baby's life. At the end of the play Lucius orders that Aaron be buried up to the neck until he starves to death.
ALARBUS
Alarbus, the eldest son of Tamora, is killed as a ritual sacrifice to the gods demanded by Lucius and allowed by Titus at the beginning of the play. His death initiates the play's cycle of revenge.
ANDRONICUS, MARCUS
Marcus Andronicus is a Roman tribune, and the brother of Titus. Marcus urges the Romans to support Titus as a candidate for Emperor before Titus arrives and pledges his own support for Saturninus. Marcus opposes Titus's decision to give Lavinia to Saturninus, but ultimately reconciles with Titus. It is Marcus who discovers Lavinia after she has been raped and mutilated by Chiron and Demetrius. Marcus is also present when Lavinia reveals the names of her attackers. When Marcus kills a fly, Titus expresses grief and delivers a speech against murder, though when Marcus remarks that the fly looks like Aaron, Titus becomes vengeful. When Titus urges his family members to shoot arrows containing messages to the gods at the sky, Marcus suggests shooting the arrows into Saturninus's courtyard. Marcus consoles Titus and shares his grief throughout his ordeal, encourages Titus's desire for vengeance, and mourns his death at the end of the play.
ANDRONICUS, TITUS
Titus Andronicus is a Roman nobleman who has served as a General in the war against the Goths. After returning to Rome with the Goth prisoners, Titus permits the execution of Alarbus, the son of Tamora, as a human sacrifice, which causes Tamora to seek revenge against Titus and his family. The false conviction of Martius and Quintus for Bassianus's murder and the rape and mutilation of Lavinia cause Titus to bewail the suffering of his family. Aaron tricks Titus into chopping his hand off as a ransom for Martius and Quintus, and later sends Titus a platter containing the heads of the two sons along with his own hand. Titus's desire for vengeance intensifies when Lavinia reveals to him and Marcus the identity of her attackers by writing the names of Chiron and Demetrius in the sand. Titus's anger is accompanied by an apparent madness, most notably when he urges his family members to shoot arrows containing messages to the gods at the sky. Titus arouses Saturninus's anger when he sends him two pigeons and a message wrapped around a dagger. Tamora attempts to drive Titus further into insanity by pretending to be the spirit of Revenge, and Titus continues the cycle of revenge by killing Chiron and Demetrius and then baking them into a meat pie that he serves to Tamora at a banquet. At the banquet, Titus kills Lavinia for bringing dishonor on the family. After revealing the contents of the pie, Titus kills Tamora. Saturninus then kills Titus.
BASSIANUS
Bassianus is the younger brother of Saturninus who gives up his claim to the throne when Titus supports Saturninus. He refuses, however, to give up Lavinia, to whom he is betrothed, when Titus decides she should marry Saturninus. Chiron and Demetrius kill Bassianus before they rape and mutilate Lavinia.
CAIUS
Caius, a kinsman of Titus, shoots arrows with messages to the gods at Titus's request. He also helps Titus capture Demetrius and Chiron.
CAPTAIN
The captain announces Titus's arrival in Rome in the opening scene.
CHIRON
Chiron, a son of Tamora, helps his brother Demetrius murder Bassianus and rape and mutilate Lavinia. Titus eventually kills Demetrius and Chiron, bakes them in a meat pie, and serves them to Tamora at a banquet.
CLOWN
The clown is paid by Titus to deliver a gift of pigeons and a message wrapped around a dagger to Saturninus. Saturninus orders that the Clown be killed when he receives the gift.
DEMETRIUS
Demetrius, a son of Tamora, helps his brother Chiron murder Bassianus, and then rape and mutilate Lavinia. Titus eventually kills Demetrius and Chiron, bakes them in a meat pie, and serves them to Tamora at a banquet.
EMILLIUS
Sometimes also spelled Aemilius. Emillius, a Roman, relays messages between Saturninus and Lucius in the final scene and endorses Lucius as emperor after Lucius kills Saturninus.
GOTHS, TWO
After Lucius enters the company of the Goths, one unnamed Goth acknowledges Lucius as their leader and vows the allegiance of the other Goths in taking revenge upon Tamora. A second unnamed Goth enters shortly thereafter with the captured Aaron.
LAVINIA
Lavinia, the only daughter of Titus, is betrothed to Bassianus at the beginning of the play, but Titus decides she should marry Saturninus instead, though Saturninus eventually marries Tamora. As revenge for the execution of Alarbus, Chiron and Demetrius rape Lavinia, and, in order to prevent her from revealing their identities, cut out her tongue and cut off her hands. Lavinia eventually spells their names in the sand with a wooden staff by guiding it with her mouth and feet. Lavinia helps Titus cook Chiron and Demetrius into a meat pie, though Titus kills her during the banquet, claiming she has dishonored the family.
LUCIUS
Lucius, a son of Titus, helps to initiate the play's cycle of revenge when he demands the execution of Alarbus as a ritual sacrifice to the gods. Lucius later leaves Rome to join the Goths, and after capturing Aaron, returns to Rome in charge of the Goth army. During the banquet scene Lucius kills Saturninus, is declared the new Emperor, and sentences Aaron and Tamora to be punished for their crimes.
MARTIUS
Martius, a son of Titus Andronicus, and his brother Quintus are falsely charged with the murder of Bassianus. They are later executed and their heads are delivered to Titus on a platter.
MESSENGER
The messenger delivers Titus's hand and the heads of Martius and Quintus to Titus on a platter and expresses his sympathy for Titus's suffering.
MUTIUS
Mutius, a son of Titus, is killed by Titus when he supports Bassianus's proposed marriage to Lavinia after Titus has decided to give her to Saturninus.
NURSE
The nurse delivers Aaron's baby to him and is killed by Aaron, who wants the birth to be kept a secret.
PUBLIUS
Publius, a son of Marcus Andronicus, shoots arrows with messages to the gods at Titus's request. Publius also helps Titus capture Demetrius and Chiron.
QUINTUS
Quintus, a son of Titus Andronicus, and his brother Martius are falsely charged with the murder of Bassianus. They are later executed and their heads are delivered to Titus on a platter.
SATURNINUS
Saturninus is the eldest son of the recently deceased Emperor of Rome and becomes Emperor himself after he receives the support of Titus. Saturninus fears Titus's popularity, however, and aids Tamora in her revenge against him. He unjustly sentences Martius and Quintus to death for the murder of Bassianus, and has the Clown hanged after he delivers to Saturninus a letter from Titus and some pigeons. At the end of the play he kills Titus, and is killed by Lucius.
SEMPRONIUS
Sempronius, a kinsman of Titus, shoots arrows with messages to the gods at Titus's request.
TAMORA
Tamora is the Queen of the Goths and later Empress of Rome by marriage to Saturninus. When Tamora's plea to Titus to have mercy on Alarbus is ignored, she, with the help of Saturninus, orchestrates several acts of vengeance upon Titus and his family: She frames Martius and Quintus for the murder of Bassianus, facilitates the rape and mutilation of Lavinia, and disguises herself as the spirit of Revenge in order to drive Titus insane. But Titus responds by killing Demetrius and Chiron and serving them to her in a meat pie at a banquet before killing Tamora herself.
VALENTINE
Valentine, a kinsman of Titus, helps Titus capture Demetrius and Chiron.
YOUNG LUCIUS
Young Lucius is the son of Lucius, grandson of Titus. He comforts Titus and is present in many of the scenes in which Titus plots his revenge. Young Lucius delivers to Demetrius and Chiron a gift containing weapons and a poem that Titus uses to confuse and mock them. Young Lucius is also present as Marcus and Lucius praise Titus after his death.