NeXTSTEP 3.2 for Intel/NeXTSTEP 3.2 for Intel.iso/NextLibrary/Literature/Shakespeare/Plays/Titus_Andronicus/5.3

Text File | 1993-02-01 | 11.7 KB | 275 lines

{\rtf0\ansi{\fonttbl{\f0\froman Times Roman;}{\f1\fmodern Courier;}}
{\pard\f0\fs28{\fs48 Titus Andronicus
}\
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{\b\fs36 5.3}
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{\i         Enter Lucius, Marcus, and the Goths, with Aaron,\
        prisoner, [and an attendant with his child]\
}{\b \fs24 LUCIUS\
}       Uncle Marcus, since 'tis my father's mind\
       That I repair to Rome, I am content.\
{\b \fs24 A GOTH\
}       And ours with thine, befall what fortune will.\
{\b \fs24 LUCIUS\
}       Good uncle, take you in this barbarous Moor,\
       This ravenous tiger, this accurse\'c1d devil.        {\fs20   5}\
       Let him receive no sust'nance, fetter him\
       Till he be brought unto the Empress' face\
       For testimony of her foul proceedings,\
       And see the ambush of our friends be strong.\
       I fear the Emperor means no good to us.            {\fs20  10}\
{\b \fs24 AARON\
}       Some devil whisper curses in my ear\
       And prompt me, that my tongue may utter forth\
       The venomous malice of my swelling heart.\
{\b \fs24 LUCIUS\
}       Away, inhuman dog, unhallowed slave!\
       Sirs, help our uncle to convey him in.            {\fs20  15}\
{\i         [Exeunt Goths with Aaron and his child]\
        Flourish\
}       The trumpets show the Emperor is at hand.\
{\i         Enter Saturninus the Emperor, and Tamora the\
        Empress, with Aemilius, Tribunes, Senators, and\
        others\
}{\b \fs24 SATURNINUS\
}       What, hath the firmament more suns than one?\
{\b \fs24 LUCIUS\
}       What boots it thee to call thyself a sun?\
{\b \fs24 MARCUS\
}       Rome's emperor and nephew, break the parle.\
       These quarrels must be quietly debated.            {\fs20  20}\
       The feast is ready which the careful Titus\
       Hath ordained to an honourable end,\
       For peace, for love, for league, and good to Rome.\
       Please you therefore draw nigh, and take your places.\
{\b \fs24 SATURNINUS}    Marcus, we will.            {\fs20  25}\
{\i         [Hautboys. A table brought in.] They sit.\
        Enter Titus like a cook, placing the dishes, and\
        Lavinia with a veil over her face; [young Lucius,\
        and others]\
}{\b \fs24 TITUS\
}       Welcome, my gracious lord; welcome, dread Queen;\
       Welcome, ye warlike Goths; welcome, Lucius;\
       And welcome, all. Although the cheer be poor,\
       'Twill fill your stomachs. Please you, eat of it.\
{\b \fs24 SATURNINUS\
}       Why art thou thus attired, Andronicus?            {\fs20  30}\
{\b \fs24 TITUS\
}       Because I would be sure to have all well\
       To entertain your highness and your Empress.\
{\b \fs24 TAMORA\
}       We are beholden to you, good Andronicus.\
{\b \fs24 TITUS\
}       An if your highness knew my heart, you were.\
       My lord the Emperor, resolve me this:            {\fs20  35}\
       Was it well done of rash Virginius\
       To slay his daughter with his own right hand\
       Because she was enforced, stained, and deflowered?\
{\b \fs24 SATURNINUS\
}       It was, Andronicus.\
{\b \fs24 TITUS}                Your reason, mighty lord?\
{\b \fs24 SATURNINUS\
}       Because the girl should not survive her shame,        {\fs20  40}\
       And by her presence still renew his sorrows.\
{\b \fs24 TITUS\
}       A reason mighty, strong, effectual;\
       A pattern, precedent, and lively warrant\
       For me, most wretched, to perform the like.\
       Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee,        {\fs20  45}\
       And with thy shame thy father's sorrow die.\
{\i         [He kills her]\
}{\b \fs24 SATURNINUS\
}       What hast thou done, unnatural and unkind?\
{\b \fs24 TITUS\
}       Killed her for whom my tears have made me blind.\
       I am as woeful as Virginius was,\
       And have a thousand times more cause than he        {\fs20  50}\
       To do this outrage, and it now is done.\
{\b \fs24 SATURNINUS\
}       What, was she ravished? Tell who did the deed.\
{\b \fs24 TITUS\
}       Will't please you eat? Will't please your highness\
            feed?\
{\b \fs24 TAMORA\
}       Why hast thou slain thine only daughter thus?\
{\b \fs24 TITUS\
}       Not I, 'twas Chiron and Demetrius.            {\fs20  55}\
       They ravished her, and cut away her tongue,\
       And they, 'twas they, that did her all this wrong.\
{\b \fs24 SATURNINUS\
}       Go, fetch them hither to us presently.\
{\b \fs24 TITUS}{\i   [revealing the heads]\
}       Why, there they are, both bake\'c1d in this pie,\
       Whereof their mother daintily hath fed,            {\fs20  60}\
       Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred.\
       'Tis true, 'tis true, witness my knife's sharp point.\
{\i         He stabs the Empress\
}{\b \fs24 SATURNINUS\
}       Die, frantic wretch, for this accurse\'c1d deed.\
{\i         He kills Titus\
}{\b \fs24 LUCIUS\
}       Can the son's eye behold his father bleed?\
       There's meed for meed, death for a deadly deed.        {\fs20  65}\
{\i         He kills Saturninus. Confusion follows.\
        [Enter Goths. Lucius, Marcus and others go aloft]\
}{\b \fs24 MARCUS\
}       You sad-faced men, people and sons of Rome,\
       By uproars severed, as a flight of fowl\
       Scattered by winds and high tempestuous gusts,\
       O, let me teach you how to knit again\
       This scattered corn into one mutual sheaf,        {\fs20  70}\
       These broken limbs again into one body.\
{\b \fs24 A ROMAN LORD\
}       Let Rome herself be bane unto herself,\
       And she whom mighty kingdoms curtsy to,\
       Like a forlorn and desperate castaway,\
       Do shameful execution on herself            {\fs20  75}\
       But if my frosty signs and chaps of age,\
       Grave witnesses of true experience,\
       Cannot induce you to attend my words.\
{\i      (To Lucius)}    Speak, Rome's dear friend, as erst our\
            ancestor\
       When with his solemn tongue he did discourse        {\fs20  80}\
       To lovesick Dido's sad-attending ear\
       The story of that baleful-burning night\
       When subtle Greeks surprised King Priam's Troy.\
       Tell us what Sinon hath bewitched our ears,\
       Or who hath brought the fatal engine in            {\fs20  85}\
       That gives our Troy, our Rome, the civil wound.\
       My heart is not compact of flint nor steel,\
       Nor can I utter all our bitter grief,\
       But floods of tears will drown my oratory\
       And break my utt'rance even in the time            {\fs20  90}\
       When it should move ye to attend me most,\
       And force you to commiseration.\
       Here's Rome's young captain. Let him tell the tale,\
       While I stand by and weep to hear him speak.\
{\b \fs24 LUCIUS\
}       Then, gracious auditory, be it known to you        {\fs20  95}\
       That Chiron and the damned Demetrius\
       Were they that murdere\'c1d our Emperor's brother,\
       And they it were that ravishe\'c1d our sister.\
       For their fell faults our brothers were beheaded,\
       Our father's tears despised, and basely cozened        {\fs20 100}\
       Of that true hand that fought Rome's quarrel out\
       And sent her enemies unto the grave.\
       Lastly myself, unkindly banishe\'c1d,\
       The gates shut on me, and turned weeping out\
       To beg relief among Rome's enemies,            {\fs20 105}\
       Who drowned their enmity in my true tears\
       And oped their arms to embrace me as a friend.\
       I am the turned-forth, be it known to you,\
       That have preserved her welfare in my blood,\
       And from her bosom took the enemy's point,        {\fs20 110}\
       Sheathing the steel in my advent'rous body.\
       Alas, you know I am no vaunter, I.\
       My scars can witness, dumb although they are,\
       That my report is just and full of truth.\
       But soft, methinks I do digress too much,        {\fs20 115}\
       Citing my worthless praise. O, pardon me,\
       For when no friends are by, men praise themselves.\
{\b \fs24 MARCUS\
}       Now is my turn to speak. Behold the child.\
       Of this was Tamora delivere\'c1d,\
       The issue of an irreligious Moor,            {\fs20 120}\
       Chief architect and plotter of these woes.\
       The villain is alive in Titus' house,\
       And as he is to witness, this is true.\
       Now judge what cause had Titus to revenge\
       These wrongs unspeakable, past patience,        {\fs20 125}\
       Or more than any living man could bear.\
       Now have you heard the truth. What say you,\
            Romans?\
       Have we done aught amiss, show us wherein,\
       And from the place where you behold us pleading\
       The poor remainder of Andronici                {\fs20 130}\
       Will hand in hand all headlong hurl ourselves\
       And on the ragged stones beat forth our souls\
       And make a mutual closure of our house.\
       Speak, Romans, speak, and if you say we shall,\
       Lo, hand in hand Lucius and I will fall.        {\fs20 135}\
{\b \fs24 AEMILIUS\
}       Come, come, thou reverend man of Rome,\
       And bring our emperor gently in thy hand,\
       Lucius, our emperor\'b1\'b1for well I know\
       The common voice do cry it shall be so.\
{\b \fs24 ROMANS\
}       Lucius, all hail, Rome's royal emperor!            {\fs20 140}\
{\b \fs24 MARCUS}{\i   (to attendants)\
}       Go, go into old Titus' sorrowful house\
       And hither hale that misbelieving Moor\
       To be adjudged some direful slaught'ring death\
       As punishment for his most wicked life.\
{\i         Exeunt some\
        [Lucius, Marcus, and the others come down]\
}{\b \fs24 [ROMANS]\
}       Lucius, all hail, Rome's gracious governor!        {\fs20 145}\
{\b \fs24 LUCIUS\
}       Thanks, gentle Romans. May I govern so\
       To heal Rome's harms and wipe away her woe.\
       But, gentle people, give me aim awhile,\
       For nature puts me to a heavy task.\
       Stand all aloof, but, uncle, draw you near        {\fs20 150}\
       To shed obsequious tears upon this trunk.\
{\i      (Kissing Titus)}    O, take this warm kiss on thy pale cold\
            lips,\
       These sorrowful drops upon thy bloodstained face,\
       The last true duties of thy noble son.\
{\b \fs24 MARCUS}{\i   (kissing Titus)\
}       Tear for tear, and loving kiss for kiss,        {\fs20 155}\
       Thy brother Marcus tenders on thy lips.\
       O, were the sum of these that I should pay\
       Countless and infinite, yet would I pay them.\
{\b \fs24 LUCIUS}{\i   (to young Lucius)\
}       Come hither, boy, come, come, and learn of us\
       To melt in showers. Thy grandsire loved thee well.    {\fs20 160}\
       Many a time he danced thee on his knee,\
       Sung thee asleep, his loving breast thy pillow.\
       Many a story hath he told to thee,\
       And bid thee bear his pretty tales in mind,\
       And talk of them when he was dead and gone.        {\fs20 165}\
{\b \fs24 MARCUS\
}       How many thousand times hath these poor lips,\
       When they were living, warmed themselves on thine!\
       O now, sweet boy, give them their latest kiss.\
       Bid him farewell. Commit him to the grave.\
       Do them that kindness, and take leave of them.        {\fs20 170}\
{\b \fs24 YOUNG LUCIUS}{\i   (kissing Titus)\
}       O grandsire, grandsire, ev'n with all my heart\
       Would I were dead, so you did live again.\
       O Lord, I cannot speak to him for weeping.\
       My tears will choke me if I ope my mouth.\
{\i         Enter some with Aaron\
}{\b \fs24 A ROMAN\
}       You sad Andronici, have done with woes.            {\fs20 175}\
       Give sentence on this execrable wretch\
       That hath been breeder of these dire events.\
{\b \fs24 LUCIUS\
}       Set him breast-deep in earth and famish him.\
       There let him stand, and rave, and cry for food.\
       If anyone relieves or pities him,            {\fs20 180}\
       For the offence he dies. This is our doom.\
       Some stay to see him fastened in the earth.\
{\b \fs24 AARON\
}       Ah, why should wrath be mute and fury dumb?\
       I am no baby, I, that with base prayers\
       I should repent the evils I have done.            {\fs20 185}\
       Ten thousand worse than ever yet I did\
       Would I perform if I might have my will.\
       If one good deed in all my life I did\
       I do repent it from my very soul.\
{\b \fs24 LUCIUS\
}       Some loving friends convey the Emperor hence,        {\fs20 190}\
       And give him burial in his father's grave.\
       My father and Lavinia shall forthwith\
       Be close\'c1d in our household's monument.\
       As for that ravenous tiger, Tamora,\
       No funeral rite nor man in mourning weed,        {\fs20 195}\
       No mournful bell shall ring her burial;\
       But throw her forth to beasts and birds to prey.\
       Her life was beastly and devoid of pity,\
       And being dead, let birds on her take pity.\
{\i         Exeunt with the bodies\
\