Stanza 111 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'O hateful, vaporous, and foggy Night!
Since thou art guilty of my cureless crime,
Muster thy mists to meet the eastern light,
Make war against proportion'd course of time;
Or if thou wilt permit the sun to climb
His wonted height, yet ere he go to bed,
Knit poisonous clouds about his golden head.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down Shakespeare's Stanza 111 from The Rape of Lucrece, line by line, and then look at the overall meaning and literary devices.

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "O hateful, vaporous, and foggy Night!"

  • Analysis: This line is an apostrophe (direct address to an absent person or thing) addressed to Night. It's filled with strong negative emotions and sensory details. "Hateful" expresses her loathing. "Vaporous" and "foggy" evoke the thick, obscuring nature of the night, suggesting both physical and moral darkness. This dark, foggy atmosphere represents the moral corruption Lucrece feels the night has enabled.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Apostrophe: Addressing "Night" directly.
    • Imagery: Vivid descriptions that appeal to the senses (sight, touch – the feeling of dampness).
    • Alliteration: Possible faint alliteration with the 'f' in 'foggy' and 'hateful'.

• "Since thou art guilty of my cureless crime,"

  • Analysis: This line states the reason for Lucrece's hatred. Lucrece blames Night for facilitating the rape, suggesting that the darkness and secrecy of the night allowed Tarquin to commit the "cureless crime." The "cureless crime" emphasizes the irreparable damage done to Lucrece's honor and soul. It also hints at her impending suicide, as she feels there is no healing from this violation.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Personification: Attributing guilt to "Night" as if it were a conscious being.

• "Muster thy mists to meet the eastern light,"

  • Analysis: This is a call to arms of the darkness. Lucrece urges Night to gather its mists and fogs to fight against the rising sun (the "eastern light"). This is a direct confrontation between the darkness that enabled the crime and the light that will expose it. This also represents Lucrece's desire to delay the coming of day, which will bring the shame and exposure she dreads.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Personification: Giving Night the ability to "muster" mists like an army.
    • Metaphor: The "eastern light" can be seen as a metaphor for truth, justice, or simply the coming day that will expose the crime.
    • Imagery: A visual image of mists gathering.

• "Make war against proportion'd course of time;"

  • Analysis: This line intensifies the call to arms. Lucrece is not just asking Night to fight the sun, but to disrupt the natural order of time itself. "Proportion'd course of time" refers to the regular, predictable movement of the sun and the days. Lucrece wants time to stop, or at least be disrupted, to prevent the inevitable exposure of the crime and the consequences she faces.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Personification: Giving Night the agency to wage war.
    • Abstract Noun Personification: Personifying time as 'proportion'd course of time.'

• "Or if thou wilt permit the sun to climb"

  • Analysis: This line introduces an alternative scenario. Lucrece grudgingly acknowledges that Night might not be able to stop the sun's ascent. "Climb" gives the sun a sense of struggle, adding to the feeling of conflict.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Personification: Attributing action of 'climbing' to the sun.

• "His wonted height, yet ere he go to bed,"

  • Analysis: This continues the alternative scenario, but adds a condition. Even if the sun reaches its usual height ("wonted height"), Lucrece still demands that Night exact revenge before the sun sets ("ere he go to bed"). She still seeks to disrupt the natural order.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Personification: Personifying the sun as having a 'bed' it goes to.
    • Implied Time Pressure: "Ere he go to bed" creates a sense of urgency.

• "Knit poisonous clouds about his golden head."

  • Analysis: This is the final, violent image. Lucrece commands Night to create "poisonous clouds" to surround the sun's "golden head." This is an act of defiance and a desire for vengeance. The "poisonous clouds" suggest the destructive power of the crime and the potential for further corruption or darkness. The "golden head" is a powerful image of the sun's glory being suffocated and poisoned.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Personification: Giving Night the ability to "knit" clouds.
    • Metaphor: "Poisonous clouds" can be seen as a metaphor for the shame, guilt, and despair that Lucrece feels.
    • Imagery: The image of the sun being surrounded by dark, poisonous clouds is striking and disturbing.

Overall Meaning:

In this stanza, Lucrece passionately curses the night that allowed the rape to occur. She blames Night directly for her "cureless crime" and urges it to wage war against the sun and the natural order of time. She wants to delay the dawn and prevent the exposure of her shame. Even if the sun rises, she demands that Night ultimately destroy or corrupt its light before it sets. The stanza is a powerful expression of Lucrece's despair, anger, and desire for revenge against the forces that have destroyed her honor and peace of mind. It showcases the internal turmoil and violent impulses arising from her trauma. It sets the stage for the tragic choices she will make.