Titus Andronicus Monologues & Audition Scenes

Characters: Marcus Andronicus

Marcus Andronicus addresses the citizens of Rome following a series of horrific familial and political tragedies. He pleads for unity and healing for the fractured city, using the fall of Troy as a metaphor for Rome's current state.

Characters: Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus pleads with the Roman tribunes for the lives of his sons, who have been condemned to death. He humbles himself, weeping and writing in the dust, offering his own sorrow in exchange for their mercy.

Characters: Tamora

Tamora, Queen of the Goths, fabricates a harrowing story of being lured to a dark pit and threatened with a gruesome death to incite her sons, Chiron and Demetrius, to murder Bassianus.

Characters: Saturninus

Emperor Saturninus expresses his outrage to the Roman lords regarding Titus Andronicus's erratic behavior and public displays of grievance, which he views as a threat to his imperial authority.

Characters: Tamora, Titus Andronicus

Tamora, disguised as the spirit of Revenge, attempts to manipulate the seemingly mad Titus. Titus, feigning delusion, challenges her to prove her identity by destroying her companions, Rape and Murder.

Characters: Aaron

Aaron the Moor boastfully confesses his heinous crimes and manipulations to Lucius, expressing sadistic joy in the suffering he has caused the Andronicus family.

Characters: Aaron, Lucius

Aaron the Moor, captured and facing death, bargains with Lucius to save the life of his infant son. In exchange for the child's safety, Aaron gleefully confesses to a series of horrific crimes and conspiracies he orchestrated against the Andronicus family.

Characters: Titus Andronicus

A grief-stricken and increasingly unstable Titus instructs his kinsmen to search the ends of the earth and the heavens for Justice (Astraea), who he believes has abandoned Rome.

Characters: Saturninus, Tamora

Emperor Saturninus expresses his fear of the approaching Lucius and the Roman citizens' loyalty to him, while Tamora reassures him with a plan to manipulate Titus Andronicus.

Characters: Aaron

Aaron the Moor outlines his ruthless plan to protect his illegitimate child with Empress Tamora by swapping the infant with a fair-skinned baby and murdering those who know the truth.

Characters: Marcus

Marcus Andronicus discovers his niece, Lavinia, in a horrific state after she has been brutally attacked, mutilated, and silenced. He expresses his shock and grief through mythological allusions while processing the extent of her injuries.

Characters: Titus Andronicus

Titus admonishes Marcus for mentioning 'hands' in front of his mutilated daughter, Lavinia. He then vows to learn to communicate with her by interpreting her silent gestures and tears as a new alphabet.

Characters: TITUS ANDRONICUS, MARCUS ANDRONICUS, LAVINIA

Titus and Marcus help the brutalized Lavinia reveal the identity of her attackers. Using a staff held in her mouth and guided by her stumps, she writes the names of Tamora's sons in the sand, sparking a vow of bloody revenge.