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Titus Andronicus

Act V, Scene 3

Court of TITUS' house. A banquet set out.
 
[Enter LUCIUS, MARCUS, and Goths, with AARON prisoner]
 
LUCIUS
       ,       ,               x          ,         ,
      Uncle | Marcus,| since^it is | my fath|er's mind
           ,       ,         ,       ,        ,
      That I | repair | to Rome,| I am | content.
 
FIRST GOTH
            ,           ,         ,          ,         ,
      And ours | with thine | befall,| what for|tune will.
 
LUCIUS
            ,       ,         ,          ,    2     ,
      Good^unc|le take | you in | this barb|arous Moor,
            ,    2    ,        ,        ,       x
      This rav|enous ti|ger, this | accurs|ed devil,
       ,     2     T    T  T      ,        x
      Let him re|ceive no sus|tenance,| fetter him,
        ,             ,       ,          ,          ,
      Till he | be brought | unto | the emp|ress' face,
            ,    ,  ,   2        ,        ,
      For test|imon|y of her | foul pro|ceedings.
           ,         ,       ,          ,            ,
      And see | the amb|ush of | our friends | be strong,
          ,          ,        ,      ,   ,
      I fear | the empe|ror means | no good / to us.
 
AARON
        T   Tx     T        ,      ,         ,
      Some devil whis|per curs|es in | mine ear,
             ,          ,          ,          ,       ,
      And prompt | me that | my tongue | may ut|ter forth,
           ,    2    ,       ,        ,         ,
      The ven|omous mal|ice of | my swel|ling heart.
 
LUCIUS
        ,       ,      ,       ,          ,
      Away | inhum|an dog,| unhal|lowed slave,
       __      ,         ,        2    ,         ,
      Sirs,| help our | uncle,| to convey | him in,
            ,         ,          ,       ,        ,
      The trump|ets show | the empe|ror is | at hand.
 
[Exeunt Goths, with AARON. Flourish within. Enter SATURNINUS and TAMORA, with AEMILIUS, Tribunes, Senators, and others]
 
SATURNINUS
        ,                ,             ,    ,          ,
      What, hath | the firm|ament* / more suns | than one?
 
LUCIUS
             ,          ,         ,         ,       ,
      What boots | it thee | to call | thyself | a sun?
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
        ,     ,               ,        ,           ,
      Rome's empe/ror and | nephew | break the | parle
      <-           ,          ,        ,     ,     ,
        These*|| quarrels | must be | quiet|ly de|bated,
            ,          ,      ,           ,        x
      The feast | is read|y which | the care|ful Titus,
        ,        ,            ,    ,      ,
      Hath or|dained to | an hon|ora|ble end,
            ,           ,           ,           ,         ,
      For peace,| for love,| for league,| and good | to Rome:
         ,                ,      T    T    .    T           ,      ->
      Please you | therefore | draw nigh, and take | your plac||es.
 
SATURNINUS
       ,           ,
      Mar|cus we will.  \\
 
[Hautboys sound. The Company sit down at table. Enter TITUS dressed like a Cook, LAVINIA veiled, Young LUCIUS, and others. TITUS places the dishes on the table]
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
       ,             ,         ,
      Welcome | my grac|ious lord,  \\
       ,         ___     ___
      Welcome | dread | queen,  \\
       ,            ,         ,      ,         ,
      Welcome | ye war|like^Goths,| welcome | Lucius,
           ,        ,         ,           ,          ,
      And wel|come all:| although | the cheer | be poor,
                ,           ,           ,          ,        ,
      'Twill* fill | your stom|achs, please | you eat | of it.
 
SATURNINUS
           ,           ,        ,         ,    ,
      Why^art | thou thus | attired | Andron|icus?
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
          ,         ,          ,     .   T   T    T
      Because | I would | be sure | to have all well,
          ,      ,           ,         ,          ,        ->
      To ent|ertain | your high|ness, and | your emp||ress.
 
TAMORA
       ,      2   ,      2    ,        2    ,    ,
      We | are behold|ing to you | good^Andron|icus?
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
           ,          ,         ,         ,           ,
      And if | your high|ness knew | my heart,| you were:
           ,         ,    ,        ,          ,
      My lord | the emp|eror | resolve | me this,
                 ,    ,         ,        ,    ,
      Was it / well done | of rash | Virgin|ius,
           ,          ,                    ,    ,     ,
      To slay | his daught|er with his // own right hand.
          ,      ,             ,        ,                 x
      Because | she was | enforced,| stained, and | deflowered?
 
SATURNINUS
          ,        ,   3  3
      It was | Andron|icus.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
                                   ,        ,       ,
                            Your reas|on, might|y lord?
 
SATURNINUS
          ,           ,            ,         ,          ,
      Because | the girl,| should not | survive | her shame,
           ,         ,         ,        ,         ,       2->
      And by | her pres|ence still | renew | his sor||rows.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
          ,       ,         ,      ,       ,  2
      A reas|on might|y, strong,| and ef|fectual,
         ,          ,     ,          ,        x
      A pat|tern, pre|cedent,| and live|ly warrant,
           ,     ,     ,                 ,          ,
      For me |(most wretch/ed) to | perform | the like:
       T    T    . T   2   ,          ,            ,
      Die, die, Lavin|ia, and | thy shame | with^thee,
            ,          ,           ,        ,       ,
      And with | thy shame,| thy fath|er's sor|row die.
 
[He kills her.]
 
SATURNINUS
             ,           ,       ,   2          ,  ,
      What hast | thou done,| unnat|ural and / unkind?
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
         ,               ,         ,            ,         ,
      Killed her | for whom | my tears | have made | me blind.
      ,          ,       ,       ,   2   ,
      I am | as woe|ful as | Virgin|ius was,
            ,        ,         ,             ,           ,
      And have | a thous|and times | more* cause | than he.
 
SATURNINUS
        ,             ,           ,         ,          ,
      What was | she rav|ished? Tell | who did | the deed.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
              ,          ,
      Wilt please | you eat,
                                     ,            ,         ,
                             Wilt please | your high|ness feed?
 
TAMORA
       T    T    T      ,            ,       ,
      Why hast thou | slain thine | only | daughter?
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
          ,          ,       ,       ,     ,
      Not I,| 'twas Chi|ron and | Deme|trius,
            ,         ,         ,      ,           ,
      They rav|ished her,| and cut | away | her tongue,
            ,            ,          ,         ,           ,
      And they,| 'twas they,| that did | her all | this^wrong.
 
SATURNINUS
            ,            ,      ,        ,      ,
      Go* fetch | them hith|er to | us pres|ently.
 
TITUS ANDRONICUS
            ,           ,      T     T    .   T    ___
      Why there | they are | both, baked in that | pie,
            ,           ,       ,     ,         ,
      Whereof | their moth|er daint|ily | hath fed,
       ,             ,           ,         ,           ,
      Eating | the flesh | that she | herself | hath bred.
             ,           ,     ,     2        T      T     T
      'Tis true,| 'tis true,| witness my | knife's sharp point.
 
[Kills TAMORA]
 
SATURNINUS
      ___     ,          ,                     ,     ,
      Die | frantic | wretch, for | this ac/cursed deed.
 
[Kills TITUS]
 
LUCIUS
                  ,    ,        ,          ,       ,
      Can the / son's eye,| behold | his fath|er bleed?
                ,          ,      ,             ,       ,
      There's meed | for meed,| death for | a dead|ly deed.
 
[Kills SATURNINUS. A great tumult. LUCIUS, MARCUS, and others go up into the balcony]
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
           ,     T    T    T     2      ,         ,
      You sad-|faced men, peo|ple and sons | of Rome,
          ,   ,   ,                  ,          ,
      By up|roar sev/ered like^|a flight | of fowl,
        ,              ,           ,        ,          ,
      Scattered | by winds | and high | tempes|tuous gusts:
          ,         ,          ,         ,       ,
      Oh let | me teach | you how,| to knit | again
             ,          ,            ,   ,   2    ,
      This scat|tered corn,| into / one mut|ual sheaf,
              ,       ,        ,      2   ,     ,
      These^brok|en limbs | again | into one | body.
             ,         ,         ,       ,        ,
      Lest^Rome | herself | be bane | unto | herself,
           ,           ,       ,         ,       ,
      And she | whom might|y king|doms curt|sey to,
        ,           ,          ,   2      ,     ,
      Like a | forlorn | and desp|erate cast|away,
            ,        ,   ,       ,        ,
      Do* shame|ful ex|ecu|tion on | herself.
           ,        ,       ,           ,         ,
      But^if | my fros|ty signs | and chaps | of age,
        ,    ,                ,       ,     ,
      Grave wit/nesses | of true | exper|ience,
          ,        ,     ,           ,         ,
      Cannot | induce | you to | attend | my words,
        T      T     T       ,           ,         ,
      Speak Rome's dear | friend, as | erst our | ancestor*,  ??
        ,              ,         ,         ,          ,
      When with | his sol|emn tongue | he did | discourse
       .   T   T   T       ,       ,        ,
      To lovesick Di|do's sad | attend|ing ear,
            ,     ,          ,        ,        ,
      The stor|y of | that bale|ful burn|ing night,
              x        ,         T      T   T         ,
      When subtle | Greeks sur|prised King Pri|am's Troy:
        ,             ,       ,         ,            ,
      Tell us | what Sin|on hath | bewitched | our^ears,
          ,            ,           ,      ,       ,
      Or who | hath brought | the fat|al eng|ine in,
             ,           ,          ,         ,       ,
      That gives | our Troy,| our Rome | the civ|il wound.
           ,         ,         ,         ,           ,
      My heart | is not | compact | of flint | nor steel,
       ,           ,      ,         ,        ,
      Nor can | I ut|ter all | our bit|ter grief,
             ,          ,            ,         ,    x
      But floods | of tears | will drown | my or|atory,
            ,         ,   2       ,     ,         ,
      And break | my ut|terance, ev|en in | the time
            ,            ,     ,           ,         ,
      When it | should move | you to | attend | me most,
        ,              ,      ,       ,     ,
      Lending | your kind | hand com|miser|ation.
        ,          ,         ,          ,          ,
      Here is | a cap|tain, let | him tell | the tale,
              ,            ,           ,         ,          ,
      Your hearts | will throb | and weep | to hear | him speak.
 
LUCIUS
            ,      ,     x      2     ,         ,
      This nob|le aud|itory,| be it known | to you,
             ,      ,       ,       ,     ,
      That curs|ed Chi|ron and | Demet|rius
             ,           ,        ,      ,           ,
      Were they | that murd|ered our | emperor's | brother;
              x       ,          ,      ,        ,
      And they it | were that | ravish|ed our | sister,
       .    T     T     T           ,         ,        ,     2->
      For their fell faults | our broth|ers were | behead||ed,
            ,         ,          ,           ,       ,      ->
      Our fath|er's tears | despised,| and base|ly coz||ened,
        2         ,    ,            ,        T      Tx    T
      Of that / true hand | that fought | Rome's quarrel out,
            ,         ,    ,     ,           ,
      And sent | her en|emies | unto | the grave.
        ,          ,        ,      ,      ,
      Lastly,| myself | unkind|ly ban|ished,
       .    T     T   T                ,     ,       ,
      The gates shut on | me, and / turned weep|ing out,
          ,        ,    .  T     T    T    ,
      To beg | relief | among Rome's en|emies,
             ,             ,    ,             ,    ,
      Who drowned | their en|mity | in my / true tears,
            ,            ,      2     ,        ,        ,
      And oped | their arms | to embrace | me as | a friend:
          ,         ,       ,              ,         ,
      And I | am turned | forth, be | it known | to you,
             ,          ,          ,    ,            ,
      That have | preserved | her wel|fare in | my blood,
            ,         ,       ,         ,   2     ,
      And from | her bos|om took | the en|emy's point,
         ,                 x      ,     ,   2       ,
      Sheathing | the steel in | my ad|venturous | body.
        ,          ,    ,           ,      ,
      Alas | you know,| I am | no vaun|ter I,
           ,          ,          ,         ,           ,
      My scars | can wit|ness, dumb | although | they are,
            ,       ,         ,          ,         ,
      That my | report | is just | and full | of truth:
            ,         ,        ,    .   T   T    T
      But soft,| methinks | I do | digress too much,
       ,            ,           ,          ,       ,
      Citing | my worth|less praise:| Oh* pard|on me,
                 ,    ,           ,           ,            ,
      For when^/no friends | are by,| men* praise | themselves.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
       T   .  T   T         ,         ,           ,
      Now is my turn | to speak:| Behold | this^child,
           ,         ,    ,      ,     ,
      Of this | was Tam|ora | deliv|ered,
           ,      ,       ,    ,         ,
      The is|sue of | an ir|relig|ious Moor,
        T     T . T           ,       ,           ,
      Chief architect | and plot|ter of | these^woes,
           ,        ,      ,        ,        ,
      The vil|lain is | alive | in Tit|us' house,
           ,       ,       ,         ,         ,
      And as | he is,| to wit|ness this | is true.
             ,            ,          ,      ,       ,
      Now* judge | what cause | had Tit|us to | revenge
        T      T     T   ,          ,     ,
      These wrongs, un|speaka|ble past | patience,
           ,          ,    ,       ,            ,
      Or more | than an|y liv|ing man | could bear.
       ,     2         ,           ,            ,         ,
      Now you have | heard the | truth, what | say you | Romans?
            ,          ,        ,      ,             ,
      Have^we | done^aught | amiss?| Show us | wherein,
            ,          ,             ,        ,        ,
      And from | the place | where* you | behold | us now,
            ,        ,       ,       ,    ,
      The poor | remain|der of | Andron|ici,
             ,     .   T   T    T         ,         ,
      Will hand | in hand all head|long^cast | us down,
       ,    2       ,          T     T    T             ,
      And on the | ragged | stones beat forth | our* brains,
            ,       ,   2    ,       ,          ,
      And make | a mut|ual clos|ure of | our* house:
        T     Tx     T          ,        ,         ,
      Speak Romans^speak,| and if | you say | we shall,
       T   T   .   T     ,           ,          ,
      Lo hand in hand,| Lucius | and I | will fall.
 
AEMILIUS
        T    T     T     ,         ,         ,
      Come come, thou | reve|rent man | of Rome,
            ,           ,        ,      ,         ,
      And bring | our empe|ror gent|ly in | thy hand,
       ,            ,    ,          ,        ,
      Lucius | our emp|eror:| for well | I know,
           ,        ,         ,         ,         ,
      The com|mon voice | do cry | it shall | be so.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
       ,        T    T    T       ,        ,
      Lucius,| all hail Rome's | royal | emperor,
       ,   ,               ,       ,     2     ,
      Go, go / into | old^Tit|us' sor|rowful house,
            ,       ,          ,      ,        ,
      And hith|er hale | that mis|believ|ing Moor,
          ,        ,             ,         ,      2     ,
      To be | adjudged | some* dire|ful slaught|ering death,
          ,       ,                ,    ,       ,
      As pun|ishment | for his / most wick|ed life.
       ,        T    T   .   T        ,         ,   2
      Lucius | all hail to Rome's | gracious | governor.
 
LUCIUS
         T     Tx    T        ,       ,       ,
      Thanks gentle Rom|ans, may | I gov|ern so,
       .   T     T     T           ,      ,         ,
      To heal Rome's harms,| and wipe | away | her woe.
            ,      ,         ,        ,       ,
      But gent|le peo|ple, give | me aim | awhile,
           ,        ,     ,          ,      ,
      For nat|ure puts | me to | a heav|y task:
        T    T  .  T         ,       ,          ,
      Stand all aloof,| but unc|le draw | you near,
           ,       ,    2     ,     . T    T    T
      To shed | obseq|uious tears | upon this trunk:
           ,           ,      ,    2        T    T    T
      Oh take | this warm | kiss on thy | pale cold lips,
             ,     2     ,      x           T      T      T
      These^sor|rowful drops | upon thy | blood-stained face,
            ,      ,   ,                ,      ,
      The last | true dut/ies of | thy nob|le son.
 
MARCUS ANDRONICUS
        ,          ,          ,         ,         __
      Tear for | tear, and | loving | kiss for | kiss,
            ,       ,        ,       ,         ,
      Thy broth|er Mar|cus tend|ers on | thy lips:
      ,             ,         ,          ,           ,
      O were | the sum | of these | that I | should pay
        ,              ,   2      ,      ,        ,
      Countless,| and in|finite, yet | would I | pay them.
 
LUCIUS
             ,      ,      T     T    .    T         ,
      Come^hith|er boy,| come, come, and learn | of us
           ,          x            ,           ,            ,
      To melt | in showers:| thy grand|sire* loved | thee well:
       ,         ,          ,           ,         ,
      Many | a time | he danced | thee^on | his knee:
        ,      2    ,           ,         ,            ,
      Sung thee a|sleep, his | loving | breast, thy | pillow:
       ,        ,        ,         ,         ,
      Many | a mat|ter hath | he told | to thee,
        ,           ,        ,           ,     ,
      Meet and | agree|ing with | thine in|fancy:
           ,        ,       T     T  .  T        ,
      In that | respect | then, like a lov|ing child,
        ,   ,         ,     ,              ,       ,
      Shed yet some small drops from thy tender spring,  ????
       .  T     T   T        ,        ,         ,
      Because kind na|ture doth | require | it so:
         ,                 ,   2      ,           ,          ,
      Friends, should | asso|ciate friends,| in grief | and woe.
       ,              ,        ,         ,         ,
      Bid him |*farewell,| commit | him to | the grave,
       ,              ,                ,    ,         ,
      Do him | that kind|ness, and / take leave | of him.
 
YOUNG LUCIUS
           ,            ,          x           ,         ,
      O* grand|sire*, grand|sire:^even | with all | my heart
            ,          ,        ,          ,       ,
      Would I | were dead,| so you | did live | again.
           ,         x       ,         ,          ,
      O* Lord,| I cannot | speak to | him for | weeping,
           ,            ,          ,      ,         ,
      My tears | will choke | me, if | I ope | my mouth.
 
[Enter Attendants with AARON]
 
AEMILIUS
           ,        ,    ,          ,           ,
      You sad | Andron|ici,| have^done | with woes,
        ,   ,                   ,   ,         ,
      Give sen/tence on | this ex|ecra|ble wretch,
             ,           ,       ,           ,       ,
      That hath | been breed|er of | these dire | events.
 
LUCIUS
       ,           T     T   .   T          ,       ,
      Set him | breast-deep in earth,| and fam|ish him;
        ,               ,           ,         ,          ,
      There let | him stand,| and rave,| and cry | for food;
          ,    ,         ,         ,       ,
      If an|y one | relieves | or pit|ies him,
       ,            ,          ,      ,             ,
      For the | offense,| he dies.| This is | our doom:
        T    T    .  T          ,        ,         ,
      Some stay, to see | him fast|ened in | the earth.
 
AARON
         ,             ,          ,         ,      ,
      O why | should wrath | be mute,| and fu|ry dumb?
              ,  ,    ,                 ,     x
      I am / no ba|by I,| that with / base prayers
      ,              ,         ,     ,          ,
      I should | repent | the ev|ils I | have done.
             ,         ,           ,     ,       ,
      Ten* thous|and worse,| than ev|er yet | I did
            ,        ,     . T   T     T         ,
      Would^I | perform | if I might have | my will:
       .  T    T    T        ,         ,       ,
      If one good deed | in all | my life | I did,
         ,       ,         ,        ,      ,
      I do | repent | it from | my ver|y soul.
 
LUCIUS
            ,         ,          ,          ,        ,
      Some^lov|ing friends | convey | the empe|ror hence,
            ,         ,    ,     2      ,         ,
      And give | him bur|ial | in his fath|er's grave.
           ,       ,        ,  2    ,            ,
      My fath|er, and | Lavin|ia, shall | forthwith
           ,                 ,    ,     ,     ,
      Be clos|ed in our // household's mon|ument:
       ,              ,       ,      ,    ,
      As for | that hein|ous tig|er Tam|ora,
            ,        ,         ,         ,         ,
      No* fune|ral rite,| nor man | in mourn|ing weeds:
            ,         ,            ,         ,    ,
      No* mourn|ful bell | shall ring | her bur|ial:
            ,           ,           ,           ,          ,
      But throw | her forth | to beasts | and birds | of prey:
            ,          ,      ,      2     ,        ,
      Her life | was beast-|like, and de|void of | pity,
            x      ,                 ,      ,        ,
      And being | so, shall | have like | want of | pity.
             ,        ,        ,               ,     ,
      See* just|ice done | on Aar|on that / damned Moor,
           ,          ,      ,     ,       2    ,
      By whom,| our heav|y haps | had their be|ginning:
            ,      ,         ,       ,          ,
      Then aft|erwards,| to ord|er well | the state,
             ,       ,           ,        ,    ,
      That like | events,| may nere | it ru|inate.
 
[Exeunt]

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