# Titus Andronicus — Titus Andronicus character guide > Titus Andronicus in Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Titus, old Titus, noble Titus, Andronicus, old Andronicus, good Andronicus, Lord Titus, Titus So **First appearance:** 0000-titus-andronicus ## Snapshot Rome's decorated general returns from a decade of Gothic wars to bury sons and claim a crown he never wanted, discovering that honor is the first casualty of peace. ## Who they are Titus Andronicus enters Rome as its most celebrated soldier, a man whose piety and discipline have cost him twenty-one sons and earned him the people's nomination for emperor. He declines the throne, but his rigid devotion to Roman order—sacrificing a Goth prince, endorsing Saturninus, killing his own son for disobedience—hands power to his enemies and turns his family into targets. His transformation from unbending patriarch to a man who matches atrocity with atrocity drives the play's escalating logic of revenge. ## Relationships ### [Lucius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/lucius) _family_ Lucius is Titus's loyal son, who supports his father's quest for vengeance and later becomes Rome's ruler. ### [Saturninus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/saturninus) _rivalry_ Saturninus views Titus as a political threat and grows increasingly hostile toward him after marrying Tamora. ### [Tamora](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/tamora) _rivalry_ Tamora seeks revenge on Titus for sacrificing her son, becoming his bitter enemy and orchestrating his family's destruction. ### [Marcus Andronicus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/marcus_andronicus) _family_ Marcus is Titus's brother, a loyal supporter who shares his grief and participates in his revenge plot. ### [Lavinia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/lavinia) _family_ Lavinia is Titus's beloved daughter, and her horrific fate drives him to madness and bloody revenge. ### [Marcus Andronicus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/marcus_andronicus) _family_ Marcus is Titus's brother, a loyal supporter who shares his grief and participates in his revenge plot. ### [Saturninus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/saturninus) _rivalry_ Saturninus views Titus as a political threat and grows increasingly hostile toward him after marrying Tamora. ### [Saturninus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/saturninus) _rivalry_ Saturninus views Titus as a political threat and grows increasingly hostile toward him after marrying Tamora. ### [Lavinia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/lavinia) _family_ Lavinia is Titus's beloved daughter, and her horrific fate drives him to madness and bloody revenge. ### [Tamora](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/tamora) _rivalry_ Tamora seeks revenge on Titus for sacrificing her son, becoming his bitter enemy and orchestrating his family's destruction. ### [Lucius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/lucius) _family_ Lucius is Titus's loyal son, who supports his father's quest for vengeance and later becomes Rome's ruler. ### [Lucius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/lucius) _family_ Lucius is Titus's loyal son, who supports his father's quest for vengeance and later becomes Rome's ruler. ## In the story ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/chapters/act-i-scene-i) Returns to Rome victorious, refuses the crown, and later reconciles with Saturninus at Tamora's urging. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-ii) Leads the hunt, expresses troubled sleep but renewed comfort at dawn. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-iii) Pleads for his sons' bail but is denied by Saturninus. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i) Pleads for his sons' lives, grieves over Lavinia's mutilation, vows revenge, and sacrifices his hand in a failed attempt to save his sons. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-ii) Grieving and obsessed with revenge, he interprets Lavinia's signs and reacts violently to the killing of a fly. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-i) Titus discovers the identity of his daughter's rapists and swears revenge, while also planning to send gifts to the empress's sons. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii) Distracted by grief, he orchestrates a mock hunt for justice, shooting arrows to the gods and sending a clown to the emperor. ### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iv) Referenced indirectly through his arrows, letters, and as the target of Tamora's manipulation. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/chapters/act-v-scene-ii) Feigns madness and cooperates with Tamora's disguise, then captures and kills Chiron and Demetrius. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/chapters/act-v-scene-iii) Dressed as a cook, he serves the banquet, kills Lavinia and Tamora, and is slain by Saturninus. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters/titus_andronicus - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/titus_andronicus_se/characters