Titus Andronicus
The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus
First published AD 1594, written in Early Modern English
The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus, often shortened to Titus Andronicus, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were extremely popular with audiences throughout the 16th century.
Your reading
Where it is set
- Rome
Italy
Desperate for revenge, Titus orders Lucius to flee Rome and raise an army among their conquered enemy, the Goths. Source: Wikipedia, reviewed
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What it draws on
- Metamorphoses
Ovid, AD 8*
Lavinia's fate repeats Philomela's in Book 6 of Ovid: raped and silenced, her tongue cut out. Shakespeare puts the book itself on stage, as Lavinia turns its pages to show her family what was done to her, and Titus takes a revenge as terrible as Procne's.
