SHAKESPEARE ON DISK.

     TITUS ANDRONICUS.

Copyright (c) 1990 Interconnection Publications Inc.


     DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

TITUS ANDRONICUS.
          A noble Roman, general against the Goths.

MARCUS ANDRONICUS.
          Tribune of the people, and brother to Titus.

AARON.
          A Moor, beloved by Tamora.

TAMORA.
          Queen of the Goths.

SATURNINUS.
          Son of the late Emperor of Rome, afterwards           
          emperor.

DEMETRIUS.
          Son of Tamora.

CHIRON.
          Son of Tamora.

LUCIUS.
          Son of Titus.

LAVINIA.
          Daughter of Titus.

BASSIANUS.
          Brother of Saturninus; in love with Lavinia.

QUINTUS.          
          Son of Titus.

MARTIUS.
          Son of Titus.

YOUNG LUCIUS.
          A boy, son of Lucius.

PUBLIUS.
          Son of Marcus the Tribune.

AEMILIUS.
          A noble Roman.

A NURSE.

A CLOWN.

SEMPRONIUS.
          Kinsman of Titus.

CAIUS.
          Kinsman of Titus.

VALENTINE.
          Kinsman of Titus.

A CAPTAIN, A TRIBUNE, and A MESSENGER.

MUTIUS.
          Son of Titus.

ALARBUS.
          Son of Tamora.

A BLACK CHILD.

ROMANS and GOTHS; SENATORS, TRIBUNES, OFFICERS, SOLDIERS, 
and ATTENDANTS.


SYNOPSIS.

1/1  Rome. Before the Capitol. The Tomb of the Andronici     
     appearing.
     Before TRIBUNES and SENATORS, SATURNINUS and BASSIANUS, 
each backed by FOLLOWERS, dispute the crown.
     MARCUS enters, and persuades SATURNINUS and BASSIANUS 
to let TITUS choose between them; they dismiss their 
FOLLOWERS, who exit.
     A CAPTAIN enters, heralding TITUS, who enters with his 
SONS, followed by TAMORA, AARON, and TAMORA'S SONS.
     As TITUS prepares to inter a son killed in the war, 
LUCIUS demands a Goth as a sacrifice; despite TAMORA's 
pleas, TITUS chooses ALARBUS to be killed; TITUS' SONS exit 
with ALARBUS; TAMORA, DEMETRIUS, and CHIRON rage; TITUS' 
SONS re-enter, having killed Alarbus.
     LAVINIA enters and greets TITUS, as do MARCUS and the 
TRIBUNES, and SATURNINUS and BASSIANUS; MARCUS offers the 
crown to TITUS, who declines it; after a temper tantrum of 
SATURNINUS', TITUS chooses him as emperor; MARCUS leads the 
others in hailing allegiance.
     SATURNINUS offers to marry LAVINIA; TITUS agrees. 
     TITUS hands the Goths over to SATURNINUS, who is 
attracted to TAMORA.
     BASSIANUS seizes LAVINIA, with MARCUS' aid, and they 
exit; LUCIUS, QUINTUS, and MARTIUS follow, while MUTIUS 
remains to guard the door; SATURNINUS, TAMORA, AARON, and 
TAMORA'S SONS exit.
     MUTIUS bars the door to TITUS, who kills him; LUCIUS 
enters, rails against TITUS, and exits.
     SATURNINUS, TAMORA, AARON, and TAMORA'S SONS re-enter; 
SATURNINUS rejects Lavinia and decries the Andronici, to 
TITUS' distress; SATURNINUS then takes TAMORA as his 
empress; all exit, but TITUS.
     MARCUS, LUCIUS, QUINTUS, and MARTIUS enter; after much 
entreating, TITUS allows them to inter MUTIUS in the family 
tomb.
     TITUS and MARCUS discuss Tamora.
     SATURNINUS, TAMORA, AARON, and TAMORA'S SONS, and 
BASSIANUS and LAVINIA enter separately; SATURNINUS and 
BASSIANUS make peace; BASSIANUS pleads for TITUS, but 
SATURNINUS remains adamant; TAMORA advises SATURNINUS to 
pretend amity with the Andronici; reluctantly he does so.

2/1  Rome. Before the palace.
     AARON gloats over his relationship with Tamora.
     DEMETRIUS and CHIRON enter, sparring, quarreling over 
Lavinia; they accept AARON's suggestion that they waylay and 
rape her.

2/2  A forest near Rome.
     TITUS expresses devotion to the emperor to his THREE 
SONS and MARCUS; SATURNINUS, TAMORA, BASSIANUS, LAVINIA, 
DEMETRIUS, CHIRON, and ATTENDANTS enter and the hunt is 
discussed.

2/3  A lonely part of the forest.
     AARON hides a bag of gold under a tree.
     TAMORA enters; AARON reveals the plot and gives TAMORA 
a letter to show to Saturninus, then exits.
     LAVINIA and BASSIANUS enter; having seen Aaron, they 
chide TAMORA as unfaithful; BASSIANUS threatens to tell 
Saturninus.
     DEMETRIUS and CHIRON enter; induced by TAMORA, they 
kill BASSIANUS; despite LAVINIA's entreaties, TAMORA 
condones the planned rape; the dead BASSIANUS is thrown into 
a pit and DEMETRIUS and CHIRON exit with LAVINIA.
     AARON re-enters with QUINTUS and MARTIUS; MARTIUS falls 
into the pit; AARON exits; attempting a rescue, QUINTUS too 
falls into the pit.
     AARON re-enters with SATURNINUS; MARTIUS tells 
SATURNINUS that Bassianus is dead; TAMORA, with ATTENDANTS, 
enters, along with TITUS and LUCIUS; TAMORA gives SATURNINUS 
the letter, which ascribes Bassianus' murder to TITUS' SONS; 
AARON discloses the incriminating gold; SATURNINUS arrests 
QUINTUS and MARTIUS.

2/4  Another part of the forest.
     DEMETRIUS and CHIRON mock LAVINIA, whom they have 
deprived of hands and tongue, then exit.
     MARCUS enters and grieves over LAVINIA.

3/1  Rome. A street.
     TITUS begs for mercy for his SONS as JUDGES, SENATORS, 
and TRIBUNES, with MARTIUS and QUINTUS, pass by and exit; 
TITUS, alone, continues pleading.
     LUCIUS enters, under banishment; MARCUS enters with 
LAVINIA; the men grieve over her.     
     AARON enters, saying the emperor would accept the hand 
of an Andronicus as ransom for the lives of Quintus and 
Martius; LUCIUS and MARCUS exit on a ruse by TITUS, who then 
has AARON cut off his hand; LUCIUS and MARCUS re-enter; 
AARON exits with TITUS' hand; TITUS and MARCUS continue 
grieving; a MESSENGER enters with the hand and Quintus and 
Martius' heads, presents them sorrowfully, then exits; the 
family grieves more; all exit, except LUCIUS, who takes 
leave of Rome to join the Goths.

3/2  A room in Titus' house. A banquet set out.
     TITUS, MARCUS, LAVINIA, and YOUNG LUCIUS grieve.

4/1  Rome. The garden of Titus' house.
     TITUS and MARCUS calm YOUNG LUCIUS, who has been 
frightened by LAVINIA; LAVINIA shows them a story in YOUNG 
LUCIUS' books describing her plight; directed by MARCUS to 
write in the earth, LAVINIA names Demetrius and Chiron; 
TITUS counsels wariness in seeking revenge.

4/2  Rome. A room in the palace. 
     YOUNG LUCIUS presents DEMETRIUS and CHIRON, who are 
with AARON, with weapons and verses from Titus, then exits; 
only AARON sees the verses' implications.
     A NURSE enters, carrying Tamora's newborn CHILD, which 
is black; AARON prevents DEMETRIUS and CHIRON from killing 
the CHILD, then kills the NURSE; DEMETRIUS and CHIRON exit 
with the body.
     AARON prepares to flee to the Goths with the CHILD.

4/3  Rome. A public place.
     TITUS, MARCUS, YOUNG LUCIUS, PUBLIUS, SEMPRONIUS, and 
CAIUS shoot arrows, with messages for the gods, in the 
direction of the court.
     A CLOWN enters, on his way to the court; TITUS gives 
him a message for Saturninus; the CLOWN exits.

4/4  Rome. Before the palace.
     SATURNINUS, with the arrows, rails against Titus before 
TAMORA, DEMETRIUS, CHIRON, LORDS and others; TAMORA soothes 
him, meanwhile plotting treachery.
     The CLOWN enters and gives SATURNINUS the letter; after 
reading it, SATURNINUS orders the CLOWN executed; the CLOWN 
exits, guarded.
     AEMILIUS enters with news of an army of Goths, lead by 
Lucius; SATURNINUS frets; TAMORA says she can persuade Titus 
to bring Lucius to negotiations; SATURNINUS sends AEMILIUS 
to Lucius; AEMILIUS exits, followed by TAMORA.

5/1  Plains near Rome.
     LUCIUS addresses the GOTHS; the FIRST GOTH pledges 
their allegiance.
     A SECOND GOTH enters with AARON and the CHILD; LUCIUS 
reviles AARON and orders him and the CHILD hanged; AARON 
offers to reveal all in exchange for the CHILD's life; 
LUCIUS agrees; AARON recites his evils, unrepentant; LUCIUS 
decides to save AARON for a worse death.
     A THIRD GOTH enters, announcing AEMILIUS, who enters 
after him; LUCIUS accepts AEMILIUS' invitation to a parley.

5/2  Rome. Before Titus' house.
     TAMORA, DEMETRIUS, and CHIRON, disguised, plan to take 
advantage of Titus' madness; when TITUS enters, TAMORA says 
she is Revenge, offers aid to TITUS and, when he seems to 
accept her disguise, asks him to summon Lucius; TITUS calls 
MARCUS, who enters, and sends him to Lucius; MARCUS exits; 
TAMORA exits, after TITUS persuades her to leave DEMETRIUS 
and CHIRON behind.
     TITUS summons PUBLIUS, CAIUS, and VALENTINE, who 
constrain DEMETRIUS and CHIRON; TITUS exits, re-entering 
with LAVINIA; TITUS kills DEMETRIUS and CHIRON and plots to 
bake their heads and feed them to Tamora.

5/3  Court of Titus' house: tables set out.
     LUCIUS, accompanied by MARCUS and GOTHS, orders AARON, 
prisoner, taken out; AARON exits, guarded.
     SATURNINUS, TAMORA, AEMILIUS, TRIBUNES, SENATORS, and 
others enter; MARCUS soothes tensions between SATURNINUS and 
LUCIUS; TITUS enters, dressed as a chef, bringing meat, 
accompanied by LAVINIA, veiled, YOUNG LUCIUS, and others.
     After the banquet commences, TITUS kills LAVINIA to end 
her shame, then names Demetrius and Chiron her ravishers; 
when SATURNINUS orders them brought in, TITUS reveals the 
nature of the meal and kills TAMORA; SATURNINUS kills TITUS; 
LUCIUS kills SATURNINUS.
     MARCUS calms the rest; LUCIUS recites the wrongs 
against the Andronici; MARCUS tells of Aaron's perfidy and 
discloses Tamora's CHILD. 
     AEMILIUS hails LUCIUS as emperor.
     Some ATTENDANTS exit, sent by MARCUS for Aaron; LUCIUS, 
MARCUS, and YOUNG LUCIUS mourn TITUS; the ATTENDANTS 
re-enter with AARON; LUCIUS sentences AARON, still 
unrepentant, to be embedded in the earth and starved, then 
arranges for disposal of the dead.