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Aaron the Moor
The daughter of Titus, Lavinia is notably passive in the play. She is given away in marriage, then raped by Demetrius and Chiron. They cut out her tongue and cut off her hands, removing her ability to speak or communicate. For the rest of the play, she is thus a mute example of extreme suffering. As a chaste Roman maiden who is violated and dismembered, she can be seen as somewhat symbolic of a crumbling Rome (the city is traditionally personified as female), violated by the intrusion of barbarians into the royal court and by the perversion of its own virtues. As a virtuous but passive sufferer, Lavinia may be contrasted with the other main female character in the play, Tamora, who is powerful and clever, but wicked and cruel. Lavinia is eventually killed by Titus, because she has lost her honor, emphasizing how much her own father values her only as a symbol of chastity and traditional female virtue.
Lavinia Quotes in Titus Andronicus
The Titus Andronicus quotes below are all either spoken by Lavinia or refer to Lavinia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1, Scene 1
Quotes
Suffer thy brother Marcus to inter
His noble nephew here in virtue’s nest,
That died in honor and Lavinia’s cause.
Thou art a Roman; be not barbarous.
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I’ll find a day to massacre them all
And raze their faction and their family,
The cruel father and his traitorous sons.
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Act 2, Scene 1
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There serve your lust, shadowed from heaven’s eye,
And revel in Lavinia’s treasury.
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Act 2, Scene 3
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Ay, come, Semiramis, nay, barbarous Tamora,
For no name fits thy nature but thy own.
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Remember, boys, I poured forth tears in vain
To save your brother from the sacrifice,
but fierce Andronicus would not relent.
Therefore away with her, and use her as you will;
The worse to her, the better loved of me.
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Act 3, Scene 1
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My grief was at the height before thou cam’st,
And now like nilus it disdaineth bounds.
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Sweet father, cease your tears, for at your grief
See how my wretched sister sobs and weeps.
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Act 4, Scene 1
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And swear with me—as, with the woeful fere
And father of that chaste dishonored dame,
Lord Junius Brutus swore for Lucrece’ rape—
That we will prosecute by good advice
Mortal revenge upon these traitorous Goths,
And see their blood or die with this reproach.
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Act 5, Scene 3
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Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee,
And with thy shame thy father’s sorrow die.
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Lavinia Quotes in Titus Andronicus
The Titus Andronicus quotes below are all either spoken by Lavinia or refer to Lavinia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1, Scene 1
Quotes
Suffer thy brother Marcus to inter
His noble nephew here in virtue’s nest,
That died in honor and Lavinia’s cause.
Thou art a Roman; be not barbarous.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I’ll find a day to massacre them all
And raze their faction and their family,
The cruel father and his traitorous sons.
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2, Scene 1
Quotes
There serve your lust, shadowed from heaven’s eye,
And revel in Lavinia’s treasury.
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Act 2, Scene 3
Quotes
Ay, come, Semiramis, nay, barbarous Tamora,
For no name fits thy nature but thy own.
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Remember, boys, I poured forth tears in vain
To save your brother from the sacrifice,
but fierce Andronicus would not relent.
Therefore away with her, and use her as you will;
The worse to her, the better loved of me.
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Act 3, Scene 1
Quotes
My grief was at the height before thou cam’st,
And now like nilus it disdaineth bounds.
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Sweet father, cease your tears, for at your grief
See how my wretched sister sobs and weeps.
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Act 4, Scene 1
Quotes
And swear with me—as, with the woeful fere
And father of that chaste dishonored dame,
Lord Junius Brutus swore for Lucrece’ rape—
That we will prosecute by good advice
Mortal revenge upon these traitorous Goths,
And see their blood or die with this reproach.
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Act 5, Scene 3
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Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee,
And with thy shame thy father’s sorrow die.
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