Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee; And, with thy shame, thy father's sorrow die!
Die, die, Lavinia, and let your shame die with you; And with your shame, let your father's sorrow die!
Titus Andronicus · Act 5, Scene 3
Titus kills his own daughter at the banquet table as his final act of mercy and revenge. He kills her to erase her shame and, in the same breath, to erase his own grief. The play's violence reaches its nadir: a father murdering a daughter to save her from a life he deems unlivable. Mercy and cruelty have become indistinguishable.
A reason mighty, strong, and effectual; A pattern, precedent, and lively warrant, For me, most wretched, to perform the like. Die, die, Lavinia, and thy shame with thee;
A powerful, strong, and convincing reason; A model, an example, and a clear justification, For me, most miserable, to do the same. Die, die, Lavinia, and let your shame die with you;
Titus Andronicus · Act 5, Scene 3
Titus has just heard the emperor's reasoning for why it was right that Virginius killed his raped daughter, and he accepts it as warrant to do the same. The moment matters because Titus murders his own child in the name of justice and Roman precedent. It reveals how easily a code of honor can become an instrument of destruction.
