Titus Andronicus's Complaint Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BBCC BBDD EEFF GGFF HHFF IIJJ KLJJ JJFF FFJJ GGII FFGG JJJJ JJFF FFMM JJNN JJFF FFFF OOJJ JJF JJPP GFQR JJJJ GGFF OOSL JJTT FFJJ GGUU FFJJ IIUL JJJJ

The Lamentable and Tragical History of Titus Adronicus cA
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You noble minds and famous martiall wightsB
That in defence of native country fightsB
Give eare to me that ten yeeres fought for RomeC
Yet reapt disgrace at my returning homeC
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In Rome I lived in fame fulle threescore yeeresB
My name beloved was of all my peeresB
Full five and twenty valiant soones I hadD
Whose forwarde vertues made their father gladD
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For when Romes foes their warlike forces bentE
Against them stille my sonnes and I were sentE
Agains the Goths full ten yeeres weary warreF
We spent receiving many a bloudy scarreF
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Just two and twenty of my sonnes were slaineG
Before we did returne to Rome againeG
Of five and twenty sonnes I brought but threeF
Alive the stately towers of Rome to seeF
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When wars were done I conquest home did bringH
And did present my prisoners to the kingH
The Queene of Goths her sons and eke a MooreF
Which did such murders like was nere beforeF
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The emperour did make this queene his wifeI
Which bred in Rome debate and deadlie strifeI
The Moore with her two sonnes did growe soe proudJ
That none like them in Rome might bee allowdJ
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The Moore soe pleas'd this new made empress' eieK
That she consented to him secretlyeL
For to abuse her husbands marriage bedJ
And soe in time a blackamore she bredJ
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Then she whose thoughts to murder were inclindeJ
Consented with the Moore of bloody mindeJ
Against myselfe my kin and all my friendesF
In cruell sort to bring them to their endesF
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Soe when in age I thought to live in peaceF
Both care and griefe began then to increaseF
Amongst my sonnes I had one daughter brightJ
Which joy'd and pleased best my sightJ
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My deare Lavinia was betrothed thanG
To Cesars sonne a young and noble manG
Who in a hunting by the emperours wifeI
And her two sonnes bereaved was of lifeI
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He being slaine was cast in cruel wiseF
Into a darksome den from light of skiesF
The cruell Moore did come that way as thenG
With my three sonnes who fell into the denG
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The Moore then fetcht the emperour with speedJ
For to accuse them of that murderous deedJ
And when my sonnes within the den were foundJ
In wrongfull prison they were cast and boundJ
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But nowe behold what wounded most my mindJ
The empresses two sonnes of savage kindJ
My daughter ravished without remorseF
And took away her honour quite perforceF
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When they had tasted of soe sweete a flowreF
Fearing this sweete should shortly turn to sowreF
They cutt her tongue whereby she could not tellM
How that dishonoure unto her befellM
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Then both her hands they basely cutt off quiteJ
Whereby their wickednesse she could not writeJ
Nor with her needle on her sampler soweN
The bloudye workers of her direfull woeN
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My brother Marcus found her in the woodJ
Staining the grassie ground with purple bloudJ
That trickled from her stumpes and bloudlesse armesF
Noe tongue at all she had to tell her harmesF
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But when I sawe her in that woefull caseF
With teares of bloud I wet mine aged faceF
For my Lavinia I lamented moreF
Then for my two and twenty sonnes beforeF
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When as I sawe she could not write nor speakeO
With grief mine aged heart began to breakeO
We spred an heape of sand upon the groundJ
Whereby those bloudy tryants out we foundJ
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For with a staffe without the helpe of handJ
She writt these wordes upon the plat of sandJ
'The lustfull sonnes of the proud emperesseF
Are doers of this hateful wickednesse '-
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I tore the milk white hairs from off mine headJ
I curst the houre wherein I first was bredJ
I wisht this hand that fought for countrie's fameP
In cradle rockt had first been stroken lameP
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The Moore delighting still in villainyG
Did say to sett my sonnes from prison freeF
I should unto the king my right hand giveQ
And then my three imprisoned sonnes should liveR
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The Moore I caus'd to strike it off with speedeJ
Whereat I grieved not to see it bleedJ
But for my sonnes would willingly impartJ
And for their ransome send my bleeding heartJ
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But as my life did linger thus in paineG
They sent to me my bootlesse hand againeG
And therewithal the heades of my three sonnesF
Which filld my dying heart with fresher moanesF
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Then past reliefe I upp and downe did goeO
And with my teares writ in the dust my woeO
I shot my arrowes towards heaven hieS
And for revenge to hell often did cryeL
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The empresse then thinking that I was madJ
Like Furies she and both her sonnes were cladJ
She nam'd Revenge and Rape and Murder theyT
To undermine and heare what I would sayT
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I fed their foolish veines a certaine spaceF
Untill my friendes did find a secret placeF
Where both her sonnes unto a post were boundJ
And just revenge in cruell sort was foundJ
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I cut their throates my daughter held the panG
Betwixt her stumpes wherein the bloud it ranG
And then I ground their bones to powder smallU
And made a paste for pyes streight therewithallU
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Then with their fleshe I made two mighty pyesF
And at a banquet served in stately wiseF
Before the empresse set this loathsome meatJ
So of her sonnes own flesh she well did eatJ
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Myselfe bereav'd my daughter then of lifeI
The empresse then I slewe with bloudy knifeI
And stabb'd the emperour immediatelieU
And then myself even soe did Titus dieL
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Then this revenge against the Moore was foundJ
Alive they sett him halfe into the groundJ
Whereas he stood untill such time he starv'dJ
And soe God send all murderers may be serv'dJ

Anonymous Olde English



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