This heraldry in Lucrece' face was seen,
Argued by beauty's red and virtue's white
Of either's colour was the other queen,
Proving from world's minority their right:
Yet their ambition makes them still to fight;
The sovereignty of either being so great,
That oft they interchange each other's seat.
This stanza from Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece uses the imagery of heraldry (the system of symbols used in coats of arms) to depict the conflict between beauty and virtue in Lucrece's appearance and character. Let's break it down line by line:
"This heraldry in Lucrece' face was seen," This opening line introduces the central metaphor. Lucrece's face is presented as a coat of arms, displaying the symbolic colours representing her beauty and virtue. "Heraldry" is a key metaphor.
"Argued by beauty's red and virtue's white" Here, Shakespeare assigns colours to abstract qualities: red for beauty (perhaps suggesting passion or warmth) and white for virtue (suggesting purity and innocence). This is synecdoche, using the colours to represent the larger concepts. The word "argued" implies a debate or conflict between these two aspects of Lucrece's character.
"Of either's colour was the other queen," This line reinforces the equality of beauty and virtue. Each colour (and thus each quality) holds equal power or "queenship" in Lucrece's appearance. The use of "queen" emphasizes their dominance.
"Proving from world's minority their right:" This refers to the idea that from the earliest times ("world's minority" – infancy of the world) beauty and virtue have co-existed and claimed their right to exist. It emphasizes their long-standing and undeniable presence.
"Yet their ambition makes them still to fight;" Despite their equal status, beauty and virtue are presented as being in conflict. "Ambition" suggests a desire for dominance, highlighting the inherent tension between the two. This is personification, giving human qualities (ambition and conflict) to abstract concepts.
"The sovereignty of either being so great," This line further underlines the equal power of beauty and virtue. Both claim "sovereignty," or supreme rule.
"That oft they interchange each other's seat." This concludes the image by suggesting that the dominance of beauty and virtue shifts. Neither consistently prevails; they continually alternate in their influence on Lucrece's character and presentation. This is a powerful image of inner conflict.
Overall Meaning:
The stanza depicts Lucrece as a woman possessing both exceptional beauty and unwavering virtue. However, Shakespeare presents these qualities not as harmonious but as locked in a constant, internal struggle for dominance. This internal conflict, foreshadowed visually through the metaphorical heraldry, is a crucial element of the poem's exploration of virtue under threat. The imagery suggests that even a woman of perfect virtue is not immune to the allure of beauty and the challenges it presents, making her vulnerability to Tarquin’s assault more believable. The struggle between beauty and virtue within Lucrece acts as a microcosm of the larger conflict between appearance and reality, seduction and morality that unfolds throughout the narrative.