In any examination of Titus Andronicus the student is immediately confronted with the questions: “Are we really to regard Shakspere as the author ?” “How did he happen to choose such repulsive material ?” Or, again, if we assume that he but touched up an old play, there is still the question: “Just how great was this revision ?” In other words, Titus Andronicus interests most readers not for its real worth as a drama, but only for what it may or may not represent in the history of Shakspere's dramatic career. For this reason it seems essential to give, first of all, a brief account of previous opinions as to the authorship of this tragedy, so that we may better understand the importance of determining its sources.