Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare | Act 4, Scene 1

Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth summary and analysis of Act 4, Scene 1 from William Shakespeare's play Titus Andronicus.


When Roman general Titus Andronicus returns home from war, he becomes locked in a cycle of revenge and retaliation with Tamora, the former queen of the Goths, and her family.

Her eldest son is sacrificed. Though imprisoned, Tamora begins scheming to avenge herself.

Notably, she arranges to have Titus's daughter raped and brutalized during a hunt and implicates his sons in the murder of the new emperor's brother.

When his sons are executed for the crime, Titus's rage grows and he becomes increasingly unstable.

Tamora attempts to avail herself of his mental state by pretending to be an avenging spirit, but Titus kills her remaining sons and serves them to her in a meat pie.

The play ends in a bloodbath, with all of the main characters murdered as a result of their plotting.

Famous English playwright William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus was written c. 1589-92. Inspired by the popularity of Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, Titus Andronicus was popular throughout Shakespeare’s life. It may have paved the way to his more nuanced revenge dramas, such as Hamlet. Titus Andronicus is one of his most violent plays.

The tragic play Titus Andronicus contains many enduring themes, including revenge, as revenge runs its course, leading to a tragic and bloody end; family obligations, as parents and their children are bound together by duty; and the perpetuation of violence, as violent behavior can be both innate and learned.


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