Editing Titus Andronicus (section)

===The Peacham drawing===
{{Main|Peacham drawing}}
An important piece of evidence relating to both the dating and text of ''Titus'' is the so-called 'Peacham drawing' or 'Longleat manuscript'; the only surviving contemporary Shakespearean illustration, now residing in the library of the [[Marquess of Bath]] at [[Longleat]]. The drawing appears to depict a performance of ''Titus'', under which is quoted some dialogue. Eugene M. Waith argues of the illustration that "the gestures and costumes give us a more vivid impression of the visual impact of Elizabethan acting than we get from any other source."<ref>Waith (1984: 27)</ref>

Far from being an acknowledged source of evidence however, the document has provoked varying interpretations, with its date in particular often called into question. The fact that the text reproduced in the drawing seems to borrow from Q1, Q2, Q3 ''and'' F1, while also inventing some of its own readings, further complicates matters. Additionally, a possible association with Shakespearean forger [[John Payne Collier]] has served to undermine its authenticity, while some scholars believe it depicts a play other than ''Titus Andronicus'', and is therefore of limited use to Shakespeareans.<ref>See for example June Schlueter, "Rereading the Peacham Drawing", ''Shakespeare Quarterly'', 50:2 (Summer, 1999), 171–184 and Brian Vickers, ''Shakespeare, Co-Author: A Historical Study of Five Collaborative Plays'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), 149–150.</ref>