Demetrius

Also known as: Murder · Family: Goths · Role: son of Tamora · First appears: Titus Andronicus · Act I, Scene I

Demetrius, also known as Murder, is a Goth and a son of Tamora, surviving alongside his brother Chiron after Alarbus’s death. In Act II, he courts Lavinia and rivals both Chiron and Bassianus for her, drawing swords with Chiron before Aaron intervenes. Aaron then devises a plan for the brothers to assault Lavinia; Demetrius helps stab Bassianus, hide his body, and carry off and ravish Lavinia after Tamora gives them permission. He declares, “This is a witness that I am thy son,” as he strikes Bassianus.

By Act IV, Lavinia identifies Demetrius and Chiron as the men responsible for the rape and bloody deed. He remains allied with Aaron, though Aaron protects his newborn son from the brothers, and Titus Andronicus sends weapons whose inscriptions reveal that their guilt has been discovered. In Act V, Titus Andronicus has Demetrius and Chiron bound, calls one Murder and the other Rape, then cuts their throats and uses their bodies in the revenge banquet; afterward, he reveals to Tamora that she has eaten her sons in a pie.