For me, most wretched, to perform the like. 45 [Kills Lavinia. Sat. What hast thou done, unnatural and unkind? And have a thousand times more cause than he To do this outrage: and it now is done. Sat. What! was she ravish'd? tell who did the deed. 50 Tit. Will 't please you eat? will 't please your highness feed ? Tam. Why hast thou slain thine only daughter thus ? 55 Tit. Not I; 'twas Chiron and Demetrius : They ravish'd her, and cut away her tongue; And they, 'twas they, that did her all this wrong. 60 Sat. Go fetch them hither to us presently. Tit. Why, there they are both, baked in that pie; Whereof their mother daintily hath fed, Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred. 'Tis true, 'tis true; witness my knife's sharp point. [Kills Tamora. Sat. Die, frantic wretch, for this accursed deed! [Kills Titus. 65 Luc. Can the son's eye behold his father bleed? There's meed for meed, death for a deadly deed! [Kills Saturninus. A great tumult. The people in confusion disperse. Marcus, Lucius, and their partisans, go up into the balcony. 66. meed for meed] measure for measure, probably a proverbial expression. The rhymed lines as here were used by Shakespeare even in his later work, when he wanted to emphasise or clinch a point or mark the termination of an important speech or dialogue. Marc. You sad-fac'd men, people and sons of Rome, 70 This scatter'd corn into one mutual sheaf, These broken limbs again into one body; Lest Rome herself be bane unto herself, And she whom mighty kingdoms court'sy to, 75 Do shameful execution on herself. But if my frosty signs and chaps of age, Grave witnesses of true experience, Cannot induce you to attend my words, [To Lucius.] Speak, Rome's dear friend, as erst our ancestor. When with his solemn tongue he did discourse To love-sick Dido's sad attending ear 80 The story of that baleful burning night When subtle Greeks surpris'd King Priam's Troy; 85 Or who hath brought the fatal engine in That gives our Troy, our Rome, the civil wound. 68. flight of fowl] See MidsummerNight's Dream, 111. ii. 105-107. 70. knit] unite, as often in Shake instance is right in attributing the whole to Marcus. This speech recalls some of Friar Laurence's in Romeo, III. iii. 77. chaps] wrinkles or cracks, as we say chapped hands. See Sonnet, lxii. 10. 83. baleful burning] Shakespeare satirises this excessive alliteration in Midsummer-Night's Dream. 85. Sinon] This author is steeped in mythologic lore. Lucrece, 1521, 1529. But floods of tears will drown my oratory, And break my utterance, even in the time When it should move you to attend me most, Here is a captain, let him tell the tale; 90 Your hearts will throb and weep to hear him speak. 95 Luc. Then, noble auditory, be it known to you, That cursed Chiron and Demetrius Were they that murdered our emperor's brother; And they it was that ravished our sister. For their fell faults our brothers were beheaded, 100 Of that true hand that fought Rome's quarrel And sent her enemies unto the grave: Lastly, myself unkindly banished, The gates shut on me, and turn'd weeping out, 105 To beg relief among Rome's enemies; Who drown'd their enmity in my true tears, And op'd their arms to embrace me as a friend : I am the turn'd forth, be it known to you, My scars can witness, dumb although they are, 96. auditory] probably a trisyllable here=auditry. 100. fell] cruel. A.-S. fel. Stratmann. In Scotch "fell" is used like 115 sair, or the Greek devós, as a mere IOI. cozen'd] cheated. Citing my worthless praise: O! pardon me; For when no friends are by, men praise themselves. Marc. Now is my turn to speak. Of this was Tamora delivered, The issue of an irreligious Moor, Chief architect and plotter of these woes. I 20 Damn'd as he is, to witness this is true. Now judge what cause had Titus to revenge 125 Now you have heard the truth, what say you, Romans? And, from the place where you behold us now, 130 Will hand in hand all headlong cast us down, And on the ragged stones beat forth our brains, And make a mutual closure of our house. Speak, Romans, speak! and if you say we shall, 135 Emil. Come, come, thou reverend man of Rome, 140 131. of Andronici] Perhaps "th"" has dropped out here. 134. mutual] common. See above. 134. closure] end. 140. The common voice] the unanimous people; hence plural verb. 141. Lucius, all hail !] Steevens says this line should be given to the Romans who were present. But we may under [To Attendants.] Go, go into old Titus' sorrowful house, To be adjudg'd some direful slaughtering death, 145 [Exeunt Attendants. LUCIUS, MARCUS, and the Others descend. All. Lucius, all hail! Rome's gracious governor! 150 [Kisses Titus. These sorrowful drops upon thy blood-stain'd face, 155 Marc. Tear for tear, and loving kiss for kiss, Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips: O were the sum of these that I should pay Luc. Come hither, boy; come, come, and learn of us stand that the company signified assent, and that Marcus, as in the opening of the play, was their spokesman. 143. hale] haul. Kluge derives "hale" from a supposed A.-S. gehalian, "haill" from A.-S. geholien. German, holen (English Etymology). 144. direful slaughtering] killing in a cruel manner. See Othello, v. ii. 332: "For this slave (Iago), If there be any cunning cruelty That can torment him much, and hold him long," etc. 160 149. give me aim] "give room and scope to my thoughts.' Schmidt. 152. obsequious tears] tears of devotion and affection, or such tears as are fitting a funeral. Shakespeare never uses the word in the modern derogatory sense. 155. noble son] Surely Lucius would not call himself noble! might not this line be said by Marcus? or noble may have meant merely "well-born," being Titus' son. |