Dating Shakespeare’s Plays: Titus Andronicus The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus itus Andronicus can be dated between version, discovered in Sweden in 1904, and 1579 (the publication of North’s Plutarch) now in the Folger Library. It is usually asserted and 1594, when it was first published. that the play was set up from foul papers, i.e. T “from Shakespeare’s Working Manuscript” Publication date (Bate). Chambers suggests that Strange’s Men transferred it to Pembroke’s, who transferred it to Sussex’s, where it was revised into its present form. The play was apparently first registered on 6 However, it is not clear whether the play had been February 1594: performed by the playing companies separately, as is usually thought, or once in combination, as [SR 1594] John Danter. Entred for his Copye vnder thandes of bothe the wardens a booke argued by George and accepted by Bate. intitled A Noble Roman Historye of Tytus The second quarto followed in 1600: Andronicus. vjd. John Danter. Entred also vnto him by warraunt from Master Woodcock the [Q2, 1600] The most lamentable Romaine ballad thereof. tragedie of Titus Andronicus. As it hath sundry times beene playde by the Right Waith has reviewed the interpretations of “a Honourable the Earle of Pembrooke, the Earle of Darbie, the Earle of Sussex, and booke” cautiously accepting that the SR refers to the Lorde Chamberlaine theyr seruants. the play. It is also possible that “a booke” refers At London: printed by I. R. [James Roberts] to the prose history, whose title was transferred for Edward White, and are to bee sold at his from Pavier’s widow in 1626 to Edward Brewster shoppe, at the little north doore of Paules, at the and Robert Bird. It was transferred again in 1630. signe of the Gun, 1600. If Waith is correct that the SR refers to this play, then it would be the earliest reference in the SR There were very few changes from Q1 to Q2, only to a play by Shakespeare (1594). It was published some corrections and some new errors. A third in the same year and its status was changed from quarto appeared in 1611. “a noble Roman History” to “a most lamentable Roman Tragedy”: [Q3, 1611] The most lamentable Romaine tragedie of Titus Andronicus. As it hath sundry times [Q1 1594] The most lamentable Romaine beene plaide by the Kings Maiesties seruants. tragedie of Titus Andronicus as it was plaide by London: printed [by Edward Allde] for Eedward the Right Honourable the Earle of Darbie, Earle [sic] White, and are to be solde at his shoppe, of Pembrooke, and Earle of Sussex their seruants. nere the little north dore of Pauls, at the signe of London: printed by Iohn Danter, and are to be the Gun, 1611. sold by Edward White & Thomas Millington, at the little North doore of Paules at the signe of All these quarto editions were anonymous, the Gunne, 1594. despite Meres’s attribution of the play in 1598 to There is only one extant copy of that quarto Shakespeare. The play occurs in the 1623 First Folio (F1): © De Vere Society 1 Dating Shakespeare’s Plays: Titus Andronicus Title page to the anonymous first quarto of Titus Andronicus, 1594. By permission of the Folger Shakespeare Library. [F1, 1623] The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus and errors. F1 adds more detailed stage directions Andronicus and the fly-killing scene (3.2). There has been varied speculation about the time of composition It occupies the second position in the tragedies of this extra scene: Waith, followed by Wells & after Coriolanus and before Romeo and Juliet. Taylor (TxC ), consider that it was composed at the It is usually accepted that the initial plan of same time as the rest of the play; Bate, however, the First Folio intended Troilus and Cressida considers it a later addition, perhaps written c. for this position. The subsequent pagination is 1600 by another author. inconsistent, with a blank page before the next play, suggesting that there had been problems in acquiring the copyright of Troilus. It has also been Performance dates proposed that the manuscript of Titus required There are three possible references to a play about a hasty change of plan, perhaps contributing to Titus in the late 1580s or early 1590s. In the some of the inconsistencies. F1 gives the running induction to Jonson’s Bartholomew Fair (1614), title as The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus and the there is a mocking reference to a spectator who text follows Q3 with a few further corrections © De Vere Society 2 Dating Shakespeare’s Plays: Titus Andronicus is “fixed and settled in his censure . He that given by a particular company for the first time. will swear Jeronimo or Andronicus are the best Honigmann points out that Henslowe was able plays yet, shall pass unexcepted at here as a man to write “newe” on occasions and often had room whose judgement shows it is constant, and hath for more letters than ‘ne’; this consistent variation stood still these five and twenty or thirty years.” suggests that ‘ne’ was not intended to stand for A literal reading of this would indicate that a play the word ‘new’, and that Chambers went too about Titus was being performed between 1584 far in claiming that a play marked ‘ne’ seems and 1589 (presumably alongside Kyd’s Spanish generally to have been a new play in a full sense. Tragedy).1 Similarly, a reference in an anonymous Frazer notes that the same play was marked as ‘ne’ play called A Knack to know a Knave, performed on 11 June 1596 and again on 11 February 1597. in 1592, contains the following allusion: She argues that ‘ne’ must be an abbreviation for the theatre at Newington Butts, which Henslowe As Titus was to the Roman Senators, may have owned. Thus, Henslowe might not have When he had made a conquest on the Goths: been recording Titus Andronicus as a ‘new’ play That in requital of his seruice done, in 1594. Did offer him the imperial Diademe, The play was soon performed at the home of Sir John Harrington in Rutland, (east Midlands) on A Knack, which Henslowe marked as ‘ne’, was 1 January 1596 by a London company.3 published in 1594, perhaps from a memorial reconstruction, and it is possible that the reference The Henry Peacham Drawing & to Titus was added after the company acquired a Chronogram new play.2 A third possible allusion occurs when Strange’s Men (i.e. before they changed their title to Derby’s Men on 25 September 1593) were playing at the Rose. There is an entry in Henslowe’s diary on 11 April 1592 for tittus & vespacia which Henslowe also marks as ‘ne’. It was a popular play: performances continued until January 1593. Maxwell thinks that these three allusions refer to Shakespeare’s play. Most commentators tend to believe that these are not alluding to Titus Andronicus but to another play which may have been Shakespeare’s source. The consensus is that the earliest references to Detail of Peacham ms. Titus are Henslowe’s entries for January and February 1594, when Sussex’s Men played: Among the papers of the Marquis of Bath (held ne – Rd at titus & ondronicus the 23 of jenewary in the library at Longleat House, Somerset) is a . iijli viijs single sheet, folio size, with a detailed illustration of Tamora’s entrance and some 40 lines of text Since the 23 January 1594 was a Sunday, this date from Titus. There is a signature by ‘Henricus is usually corrected to 24 Jan. Henslowe records Peacham’ (usually identified as Henry Peacham, two further performances in June 1594 by “my born 1576 and the author of The Compleat Lord Admeralle men & my Lorde Chamberlen Gentleman, 1620).4 There is also a series of letters men” although again it is not clear whether the identified as a chronogram, usually explained as companies had played jointly or separately. indicating a date of 1594 or 1595 (taking the third Chambers tends to assume that Henslowe’s ‘ne’ symbol to be a nine). David Roper has explained attached to Titus & Ondronicus means ‘new’ in the system of symbols thus: the sense ‘the first ever performance’. Sometimes, however, as Chambers records, it may refer to a The system used by Peacham was a medieval newly revised, corrected or augmented play, or response to the need for abbreviation. It required to a play new at that theatre, or even to a play that the initial letter of a word be written in the © De Vere Society 3 Dating Shakespeare’s Plays: Titus Andronicus normal manner, followed by the final letter, According to the 1687 testimony of Edward or letters in superscript form. ... The date on Ravenscroft (later supported by Malone and the Peacham Document should therefore be others), Shakespeare’s contribution to this play a straightforward exercise in expanding these was limited to a few master touches (Chambers, written abbreviations. Unfortunately, this has WS, not proved to be the case. The third symbol has II, 254–5): proved to be an insurmountable obstacle for I have been told by some anciently conversant all those who have made the attempt. Indeed, with the Stage, that it was not Originally his, there is even uncertainty as to whether it was but brought by a private Author to be Acted, intended as a ‘q’ or a ‘g’. and he only gave some Master-touches to one or Hence, either Anno mo qo g qto or Anno mo qo two of the Principal Parts or Characters; this I q qto gives the required date.