In the first scene of the play two brothers, saturninus and bassianus are vying for the position of emperor of Rome. Marcus enters to announce the return of titus Andronicus from a war with the goths. Titus enters followed by his sons carrying the coffin of their brother and they are followed by their prisoners the goths. Tamara and her three sons alarbus ,Chiron and Demetrius are brought forward to the Romans. Alarbus is killed as a sacrifice despite Tamara’s pleas for titus to be merciful. Titus then is voted to be emperor however he turns down the role and gives it to saturninus. Saturninus is set to marry Lavinia but decides instead to marry the queen of the goths Tamara. Lavinia then marries bassianus who she had ran away with. Titus’s sons protects her as she escapes and titus kills the one guarding the exit, mortius, and disowns him. Titus is then convinced by Lucius and Marcus to bury mortius in the family grave