Original: Hail, Rome, victorious in thy mourning weeds!
Modern: Greetings, Rome, triumphant even while wearing funeral clothes!

Original: Lo, as the bark, that hath discharged her fraught,
Modern: Look, like a ship that has unloaded its cargo,

Original: Returns with precious jading to the bay
Modern: Returns with precious freight to the harbor

Original: From whence at first she weigh’d her anchorage,
Modern: From where it first raised its anchor and set sail,

Original: Cometh Andronicus, bound with laurel boughs,
Modern: So comes Andronicus, crowned with victory wreaths,

Original: To re-salute his country with his tears,
Modern: To greet his country again with his tears,

Original: Tears of true joy for his return to Rome.
Modern: Tears of genuine joy for coming home to Rome.

Original: Thou great defender of this Capitol,
Modern: You great protector of this Capitol,

Original: Stand gracious to the rites that we intend!
Modern: Look favorably on the ceremonies we plan to perform!

Original: Romans, of five and twenty valiant sons,
Modern: Romans, of my twenty-five brave sons,

Original: Half of the number that King Priam had,
Modern: Half the number that King Priam had,

Original: Behold the poor remains, alive and dead!
Modern: Look at what few remain, both living and dead!

Original: These that survive let Rome reward with love;
Modern: Let Rome honor those who survived with love;

Original: These that I bring unto their latest home,
Modern: These that I bring to their final resting place,

Original: With burial amongst their ancestors:
Modern: Let them be buried among their ancestors:

Original: Here Goths have given me leave to sheathe my sword.
Modern: Here the Goths have allowed me to put away my sword.

Original: Titus, unkind and careless of thine own,
Modern: Titus, you’ve been unloving and neglectful of your own family,

Original: Why suffer’st thou thy sons, unburied yet,
Modern: Why do you allow your sons, still unburied,

Original: To hover on the dreadful shore of Styx?
Modern: To linger on the terrible shore of the river to the underworld?

Original: Make way to lay them by their brethren.
Modern: Make room to place them beside their brothers.

Original: There greet in silence, as the dead are wont,
Modern: There greet each other in silence, as the dead typically do,

Original: And sleep in peace, slain in your country’s wars!
Modern: And rest in peace, killed while fighting for your country!

Original: O sacred receptacle of my joys,
Modern: O holy tomb that holds my greatest joys,

Original: Sweet cell of virtue and nobility,
Modern: Precious chamber of honor and nobility,

Original: How many sons of mine hast thou in store,
Modern: How many of my sons do you hold inside,

Original: That thou wilt never render to me more!
Modern: That you will never give back to me again!

In Act I, Scene 1 of “Titus Andronicus,” the action begins with the tribune and senators of Rome entering to settle a dispute over succession to the imperial throne. Saturninus and Bassianus, the two sons of the late emperor, each claim their right to rule. Saturninus argues for his claim as the eldest son, while Bassianus asserts his own worthiness and virtue. Marcus Andronicus, tribune of the people, interrupts their dispute to announce that the people of Rome have chosen his brother, the general Titus Andronicus, to be emperor in recognition of his military service and the sacrifices he has made for Rome. Both Saturninus and Bassianus agree to accept the people’s choice and step aside for Titus.

Titus then enters in triumph, returning from his war against the Goths with prisoners including Tamora, Queen of the Goths, her three sons (Alarbus, Demetrius, and Chiron), and Aaron the Moor. Despite Tamora’s desperate pleas for mercy, Titus orders that her eldest son Alarbus be sacrificed according to Roman ritual to appease the spirits of his own sons who died in battle. After the sacrifice is performed, Titus is offered the imperial crown by Marcus, but he declines, stating he is too old and weary for such responsibility. Instead, he nominates Saturninus to be emperor. Saturninus accepts and, to honor Titus, asks for the hand of Titus’s daughter Lavinia in marriage. However, Bassianus claims Lavinia is already betrothed to him and, with the help of Titus’s sons, carries her away, leading to conflict between Titus and his own family.

Titus Andronicus opens with the Roman general Titus returning victorious from war against the Goths, bringing with him prisoners including Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and her three sons. Despite Tamora’s pleas, Titus sacrifices her eldest son Alarbus in revenge for his own sons killed in battle. The Emperor Saturninus chooses Tamora as his bride, and she secretly plots revenge against Titus. Meanwhile, Titus’s daughter Lavinia is betrothed to Bassianus, the Emperor’s brother, though Saturninus had wanted to marry her himself.

Tamora’s sons Demetrius and Chiron, aided by the villainous Aaron the Moor, murder Bassianus and brutally assault Lavinia, cutting off her hands and tongue to prevent her from identifying them. Aaron tricks two of Titus’s sons, Quintus and Martius, into falling into the pit where Bassianus’s body lies, and they are arrested for his murder. Aaron then deceives Titus into believing that if he cuts off his own hand and sends it to the Emperor, his sons will be spared. Titus complies, but receives back his severed hand along with the heads of his executed sons.

Lavinia manages to reveal her attackers’ identities by writing in the dirt with a stick held in her mouth. Titus feigns madness while plotting revenge and sends weapons with threatening messages to Tamora’s sons. When Tamora gives birth to Aaron’s child, Aaron flees with the baby but is eventually captured. In the final act, Titus kills Tamora’s sons and serves them to her baked in a pie at a banquet. He then kills Lavinia to end her suffering, murders Tamora, and is immediately killed by Saturninus. Titus’s surviving son Lucius kills Saturninus and is proclaimed the new Emperor, ordering Aaron to be buried alive and vowing to restore order to Rome.