2 0 1 5 - T I T U S A N D R O N I C U S
Wednesday 24th - Saturday 27th June 2015
7.30 p.m. (and a 3 p.m. Saturday matinee)
"Vengeance is in my heart,
death in my hand,
Blood and revenge
are hammering in my head"
Titus Andronicus was written by William Shakespeare circa 1590 (somewhere between 1588-93). It is thought to be Shakespeare’s first tragedy. A smash-hit of Shakespeare’s early career, it is a classic example of the revenge plays that were popular in the sixteenth century.
A revenge play, set near the end of the Roman Empire, it centres around Titus, a (fictitious) Roman Army General and his feud with Tamora, Queen of the Goths. Set against the backdrop of a power struggle following the death of the Roman emperor, there follows a trail of intrigue, deception, betrayal and murder as Titus clings to his ancient codes of honour and the world around him changes.
It is one of Shakespeare’s more violent works and draws from sources such as Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Seneca’s Thyestes.