Stanza 114 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'Where now I have no one to blush with me,
To cross their arms and hang their heads with mine,
To mask their brows and hide their infamy;
But I alone alone must sit and pine,
Seasoning the earth with showers of silver brine,
Mingling my talk with tears, my grief with groans,
Poor wasting monuments of lasting moans.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Let's break down Stanza 114 of Shakespeare's 'The Rape of Lucrece' line by line and then consider its overall meaning.

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "Where now I have no one to blush with me,"

  • Where: Meaning "now that" or "since." It sets up a contrast between a past situation and the present one.
  • I have no one to blush with me: Lucrece laments her complete isolation. She has no one to share in her shame. The act of blushing is a physical manifestation of embarrassment and guilt. Before, she would have had members of the family to share in shaming the attacker.

• "To cross their arms and hang their heads with mine,"

  • To cross their arms and hang their heads with mine: This describes actions of grief, shame, and mourning. Crossing arms suggests defensiveness and withdrawal; hanging the head signifies dejection and submission to shame. This line evokes the image of a community united in their response to a tragedy.

• "To mask their brows and hide their infamy;"

  • To mask their brows and hide their infamy: Further emphasizes the desire to conceal shame. "Mask their brows" means to cover or hide their expressions, especially of shame or pain. "Infamy" refers to the disgrace or public shame caused by a terrible deed. The idea here is to hide the shame of the whole family that's come about as a result of the rape.

• "But I alone alone must sit and pine,"

  • But I alone alone must sit and pine: The repetition of "alone" emphasizes Lucrece's utter solitude and isolation. "Pine" means to languish, suffer, and waste away with grief. This is a pivotal line, highlighting the shift from communal shame to individual suffering.

• "Seasoning the earth with showers of silver brine,"

  • Seasoning the earth with showers of silver brine: A highly poetic and evocative line. "Silver brine" refers to her tears (brine because of the salt), described as "silver" to emphasize their purity and preciousness. "Seasoning the earth" implies that her tears are falling onto the ground, fertilizing it with her sorrow. This is metaphorical language. It's not literal seasoning, but suggests the depth of her sadness is affecting even the world around her.

• "Mingling my talk with tears, my grief with groans,"

  • Mingling my talk with tears, my grief with groans: This line emphasizes the overwhelming and all-encompassing nature of her grief. She can barely speak without crying, and her sorrow is constantly accompanied by groans of pain. This highlights her desperate physical state.

• "Poor wasting monuments of lasting moans."

  • Poor wasting monuments of lasting moans: This line concludes the stanza with a sense of tragic finality. Lucrece sees herself as a "monument" – a reminder of the tragic event. "Wasting" suggests she is deteriorating, both physically and emotionally, due to her grief. "Lasting moans" suggests this sorrow will continue indefinitely. There is a sense of hopelessness here. This is also metaphorical language. She is turning into a 'monument' of grief.

Literary Devices:

• Repetition: "Alone alone" emphasizes Lucrece's isolation.
• Metaphor: "Seasoning the earth with showers of silver brine" compares her tears to silver brine. "Poor wasting monuments of lasting moans" compares her state to a monument.
• Imagery: The stanza is rich in visual imagery, evoking images of drooping heads, masked faces, and tears falling on the ground.
• Alliteration: Note the repeated 'm' sounds in "Mingling my talk with tears, my grief with groans".

Overall Meaning:

This stanza is a powerful depiction of Lucrece's overwhelming grief and isolation after the rape. She mourns not only the loss of her honor but also the loss of community and the shared support she would have expected. She feels utterly alone in her suffering, left to waste away, consumed by her sorrow, and forever marked by this horrific event. The stanza conveys the depth of her despair and foreshadows her eventual suicide. It emphasizes the social consequences of rape and the devastating impact it has on the victim's sense of self and belonging.