The story in one page
Titus Andronicus returns to Rome from a war against the Goths, bringing the captured Queen Tamora and her sons as trophies. After Titus executes Tamora’s eldest son, she and her lover Aaron orchestrate a brutal campaign of retribution against his family. Lavinia, the general’s daughter, suffers a horrific assault, leading her father to spiral into madness and retaliatory carnage. By the time the dust settles, a series of mutilations, executions, and a final, revolting banquet leave the Roman political leadership dismantled. The cycle of vengeance ultimately consumes nearly everyone involved in the power struggle.
Who's who
- Titus Andronicus
A veteran general whose rigid honor leads to personal ruin.
- Tamora
The Queen of the Goths who ruthlessly engineers the family's destruction.
- Aaron
A clever, gleeful manipulator who pulls the strings behind the scenes.
- Lavinia
Titus's daughter, who is silenced and maimed by her enemies.
- Lucius
Titus's surviving son who eventually restores a semblance of order.
What it's really about
- Vengeance
- An escalating cycle that leaves no one standing.
- Public Duty
- The rigid demands of Rome destroy private life.
Why it's memorable
- A man asks for justice from the gods by firing arrows into the sky.
- A woman uses a staff held in her mouth to write her attackers' names.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
Aaron is buried neck-deep to starve while the remaining Andronici inter their dead; the Empress Tamora is left to be eaten by scavengers.
For your book club
- A family holiday that ends with a body count in the double digits.
- The play treats extreme physical trauma with the pacing of an action movie.