One of William Shakespeare’s most disturbing and brilliant works, ‘Titus Andronicus’ is a powerful examination of retribution, honor, and revenge.
Roman General Titus Andronicus, after a ten-year campaign waging war against the Goths, returns home with five prisoners: Queen Tamora, her three sons and the pitiless and wrathful Aaron the Moor. In the Roman tradition, Titus sacrifices one of Tamora’s sons to make up for the loss of his own children in battle. Tamora, who charms the Roman emperor Saturninus and becomes his wife, then plots to frame and kill two of Titus’ sons and, for good measure, sends her two remaining sons to rape and mutilate Titus’ daughter Lavinia.
In the face of all of these tragic events, it appears that Titus has begun to lose his mind, but there is one last act of vengeance yet to be enacted in this bloody and riotous play.
Filled with murderous and foul deeds, it is easily among Shakespeare’s most violent and disturbing works. ’Titus Andronicus’ is presented here in its original and unabridged format.
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William Shakespeare is generally acknowledged as the greatest dramatist in the history of English literature. Also a poet and actor, Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, where he received an education at the local grammar school, but whether he attended any educational institution subsequent to his early tutelage is unknown. By eighteen, Shakespeare was married – to an already-pregnant Anne Hathaway – and the couple would go on to have three children, Susanna and the twins Hamnet and Judith. (Hamnet died at 11 years old.) Shakespeare moved to London soon after the birth of the twins and began publishing poems (‘Venus and Adonis’ (1593) and ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ (1594)) and joined the Lord Chamberlain’s Men as an actor and playwright. Shakespeare stayed with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men throughout his career, producing some of his finest work – ‘King Lear, ‘ ‘Macbeth’ and ‘The Tempest’ among them – after the company fell under the patronage of King James I and became The King’s Men. During his career, Shakespeare penned 38 plays, two narrative poems and over 150 sonnets and enjoyed considerable financial success, eventually buying New Place, one of the largest homes in Stratford. Following his death in 1616 at the age of 52, thirty-six of his plays were collected and published as the First Folio and his entire canon – including his extant plays, sonnets and poems – were published as The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s plays are the most produced dramatic works in existence and they have been translated and adapted into countless stage, screen and television productions over the years. Entire theatres are devoted to producing his works and his writings are studied and analyzed in literature classes around the world.