Titus Andronicus · Chapter
Scene IV explained
Demetrius and Chiron mock the mutilated Lavinia, leaving her alone in the forest.
What happens
Demetrius and Chiron mock the mutilated Lavinia, leaving her alone in the forest. Marcus discovers her, horrified, and laments her brutalized state, comparing her suffering to that of Philomela.
Themes in this chapter
Violence and Brutality
The graphic mutilation of Lavinia—her hands cut off and tongue cut out—exemplifies extreme physical brutality.
Madness and Grief
Marcus's lament and his wish for eternal sleep reflect the overwhelming grief and madness induced by Lavinia's suffering.
Characters to notice
- Demetrius
Mocks Lavinia after raping and mutilating her.
- Chiron
Accompanies Demetrius in taunting Lavinia.
- Lavinia
Found by Marcus, her hands cut off and tongue cut out, unable to speak or write.
- Marcus Andronicus
Discovers Lavinia and delivers a sorrowful lament over her condition.
Key passages
“So, now go tell, an if thy tongue can speak, Who ’twas that cut thy tongue and ravish’d thee.”
Now try to tell, if your tongue can speak, who cut it out and raped you.
Demetrius cruelly taunts Lavinia, knowing she cannot speak.
“Fair Philomela, she but lost her tongue, And in a tedious sampler sew’d her mind: But, lovely niece, that mean is cut from thee;”
Beautiful Philomela only lost her tongue, and she sewed her story into a tapestry; but you, dear niece, have lost even that means.
Marcus compares Lavinia's plight to Philomela's, noting that Lavinia cannot even write to reveal her attackers.