Say, Titus Andronicus losing heart, toe crushed (5)
I believe the answer is:
oates
'say titus' is the definition.
(17th-century priest Titus Oates)
'andronicus losing heart toe crushed' is the wordplay.
'losing heart' suggests removing the centre.
'crushed' is an anagram indicator.
'andronicus' with its middle taken out is 'as'.
'as'+'toe'='astoe'
'astoe' is an anagram of 'OATES'.
(Other definitions for oates that I've seen before include "Very gallant gentleman" , "Doomed explorer" , "Polar explorer - Stuart conspirator" , "One of Captain Scott's doomed 1912 South Pole team" , "Popish Plot perjurer" .)