Titus Andronicus Ballads: Analysis of Early Modern Broadsides
The enduring legacy of the tragedy of Titus Andronicus extended beyond the stage into the popular culture of the early modern period through broadside ballads. These single-sheet prints served as a primary medium for disseminating stories to the general public, blending text, music, and imagery to capture the dramatic essence of the narrative.
Key Facts
- Four surviving copies of the ballad exist across the Roxburghe, Huntington, and Pepys collections.
- The text primarily utilizes iambic pentameter (a poetic meter consisting of five iambic feet per line) rather than standard ballad meter.
- All surviving copies specify the tune "Fortune my Foe" for musical accompaniment.
- The ballads were printed using blackletter (also known as gothic) type.
- Woodcut illustrations were common, though often reused from other publications regardless of the story's plot.
Language and Poetic Structure
The titles of these ballads vary significantly in length. Three of the four surviving versions feature an extensive title that summarizes the entire plot: "The Lamentable and Tragical History of Titus Andronicus; with the Fall of his 25 sons, in the Wars with the Goths, with the manner of the Ravishment of his Daughter Lavinia, by the Empresses two Sons, through the means of a bloody Moor, taken by the sword of Titus, in the War: with his Revenge upon their cruel and inhumane Act." In contrast, a version from the Pepys collection dating to approximately 1624 is titled simply "Titus Andronicus Complaint."
Structurally, the ballad deviates from traditional ballad meter, opting instead for iambic pentameter. The work is composed of thirty quatrains (four-line stanzas) following an AABB rhyme scheme.
Musical Accompaniment
Broadside ballads were intended to be sung. Each existing copy of the Titus ballad includes a notation near or beneath the title directing the performer to use the popular tune of the era, "Fortune my Foe."
Printing and Visual Art
The surviving copies found in the Roxburghe, Huntington, and Pepys collections are printed in blackletter, a dense, ornate typeface common in early printing. While three of the four copies include woodcut illustrations, these images were not always specific to the story of Titus, as printers frequently reused existing woodcuts to save costs.
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Analysis of Woodcut Illustrations
The relationship between the text and the imagery varies across the collections:
- Roxburghe Collection: The woodcut depicts a homecoming procession. While Titus does narrate a homecoming, the image lacks specific details to prove it represents his specific story.
- Huntington Collection: The illustration is entirely unrelated to the play, depicting a duel between Hector and Ajax from Homer's Iliad.
- Pepys Collection: This version contains a woodcut that explicitly illustrates three narrative moments: Titus killing the Queen's sons and draining their blood into a basin held by Lavinia (with a half-buried Moor nearby), Lavinia writing the names of her attackers in the dirt with a stick, and the Queen and Emperor preparing to eat a pie.
| Collection | Title Style | Typography | Illustration Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roxburghe | Long/Descriptive | Blackletter | Ambiguous (Homecoming) |
| Huntington | Long/Descriptive | Blackletter | Unrelated (Classical Epic) |
| Pepys (ca. 1624) | Short ("Complaint") | Blackletter | Highly Accurate |
Frequently Asked Questions
What poetic meter is used in the Titus Andronicus ballad?
Unlike traditional ballads, this work is mostly composed in iambic pentameter, consisting of thirty quatrains with an AABB rhyme scheme.
Which tune was used to sing these ballads?
All surviving broadsides designate "Fortune my Foe" as the correct tune for the text.
Why are some of the illustrations unrelated to the story?
Printers in the early modern period often reused woodcuts across different publications to reduce production costs, meaning the image was not always tailored to the specific narrative.
Which collection contains the most accurate illustration of the plot?
The Pepys collection contains a woodcut that clearly depicts specific scenes, including the revenge of Titus, Lavinia's writing in the dirt, and the infamous pie scene.
What type of font was used for these prints?
The ballads were printed in blackletter type, which is commonly referred to today as gothic type.