Original: O Lord, sir, ‘tis a deed of policy:
Modern: Oh Lord, sir, this is a strategic move:

Original: Shall she live to betray this guilt of ours,
Modern: Should we let her live when she could expose our guilty secret,

Original: A long-tongued babbling gossip? no, lords, no:
Modern: This talkative, gossiping woman? No, lords, absolutely not:

Original: And now be it known to you my full intent.
Modern: And now let me tell you my complete plan.

Original: Not far, one Muli lives, my countryman;
Modern: Not far from here lives a man named Muli, a fellow countryman of mine;

Original: His wife but yesternight was brought to bed;
Modern: His wife just gave birth last night;

Original: His child is like to her, fair as you are:
Modern: His child looks like her, with fair skin just like yours:

Original: Go pack with him, and give the mother gold,
Modern: Go make a deal with him, and give the mother money,

Original: And tell them both the circumstance of all;
Modern: And tell them both the entire situation;

Original: And how by this their child shall be advanced,
Modern: And explain how their child will be elevated in status because of this,

Original: And be received for the emperor’s heir,
Modern: And will be accepted as the emperor’s heir,

Original: And substituted in the place of mine,
Modern: And will be put in place of my child,

Original: To calm this tempest whirling in the court;
Modern: To calm this storm of chaos brewing in the court;

Original: And let the emperor dandle him for his own.
Modern: And let the emperor bounce him on his knee thinking the child is his own.

Original: Hark ye, lords; ye see I have given her physic,
Modern: Listen, lords; you see I have given her medicine (poison),

Original: And you must needs bestow her funeral;
Modern: And you must now give her a burial;

Original: The fields are near, and you are gallant grooms:
Modern: The fields are nearby, and you are strong, capable men:

Original: This done, see that you take no longer days,
Modern: Once this is done, make sure you don’t waste any time,

Original: But send the midwife presently to me.
Modern: But send the midwife immediately to me.

Original: The midwife and the nurse well made away,
Modern: Once the midwife and the nurse are both gotten rid of,

Original: Then let the ladies tattle what they please.
Modern: Then let the ladies gossip all they want.

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.