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Titus Andronicus
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Titus Andronicus is a tragedy generally thought to have been written between 1588 and 1593 and is usually credited to William Shakespeare. The play is set in an undefined time in imperial Rome. Roman General Titus Andronicus returns victorious from a long war. Tamora, Queen of the Goths, is his prisoner, along with her family and retinue. He authorizes the execution of one of her sons by his sons. This begins a vicious cycle of escalating violence as each party seeks revenge. As the casualties mount up, Titus is driven to extreme mental anguish, and the play culminates in an onstage bloodbath.
A ballad version and a prose version also exist, dating from a similar period. The story is fictional, unlike Shakespeare’s other Roman history plays. The play draws on a mix of known sources and may also draw on other, unknown sources.
This guide uses the 1995 Arden Shakespeare Edition edited by Jonathan Bate.
Content Warning: The source text contains graphic violence, rape, murder, mutilation, self-harm, cannibalism, mental health conditions, racism, misogyny, and ableism. These topics appear throughout the entire play.
Plot Summary
Related Titles
By William Shakespeare
