Stanza 120 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'If, Collatine, thine honour lay in me,
From me by strong assault it is bereft.
My honour lost, and I, a drone-like bee,
Have no perfection of my summer left,
But robb'd and ransack'd by injurious theft:
In thy weak hive a wandering wasp hath crept,
And suck'd the honey which thy chaste bee kept.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Let's break down stanza 120 of The Rape of Lucrece:

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "If, Collatine, thine honour lay in me,"
  • Breakdown: Lucrece addresses her husband, Collatine. She states that if his honor was dependent on her chastity and purity.
  • Literary Device: This line sets up a conditional statement. It immediately highlights the societal belief that a husband's honor is tied to his wife's sexual purity.
• "From me by strong assault it is bereft."
  • Breakdown: She declares that this honor, which was residing within her (i.e., her chastity), has been violently taken away from her by force (the "strong assault" of Tarquin). "Bereft" means deprived or robbed.
  • Literary Device: Euphemism (implied rather than explicit discussion of the rape). Understatement and Irony - uses words like 'bereft' instead of harsher terms to describe rape.
• "My honour lost, and I, a drone-like bee,"
  • Breakdown: Because her chastity is gone, Lucrece compares herself to a "drone-like bee." A drone bee is male, sterile, and doesn't contribute to the work of the hive (making honey, protecting it).
  • Literary Devices: Simile (using "like"), Metaphor (Lucrece is the bee), Alliteration (drone-like)
• "Have no perfection of my summer left,"
  • Breakdown: "Summer" symbolizes the prime of her life, her beauty, her purpose, and her happiness. She feels that all the best parts of her are now ruined and gone due to the rape. She lacks the "perfection" that her honor gave her.
  • Literary Device: Metaphor (Summer = her prime), Synecdoche (Summer stands in for the whole season)
• "But robb'd and ransack'd by injurious theft:"
  • Breakdown: Emphasizes the violation and the extent of the damage. She has not just been robbed, but utterly "ransack'd." "Injurious theft" is a powerful way to describe the act, emphasizing that it caused her harm and was an unjust and illegal taking.
  • Literary Devices: Repetition (reinforces the action), tautology (Robbed and Ransacked), Alliteration (robb'd, ransack'd).
• "In thy weak hive a wandering wasp hath crept,"
  • Breakdown: Here, Collatine's household and his own person are metaphorically the "weak hive." A "wandering wasp" (Tarquin) has infiltrated this vulnerable space. Wasps are predators of bees and their honey.
  • Literary Devices: Metaphor (hive=household, wasp=Tarquin)
• "And suck'd the honey which thy chaste bee kept."
  • Breakdown: The "honey" is her chastity, which Lucrece, the "chaste bee," was protecting. Tarquin has stolen this "honey." The verb "suck'd" emphasizes the predatory and parasitic nature of Tarquin's act.
  • Literary Devices: Metaphor ("honey" = chastity), Imagery (vivid, disturbing image of the wasp and honey).

Overall Meaning:

In this stanza, Lucrece expresses the devastating impact of the rape on her, her husband, and their marriage. She believes her rape has robbed Collatine of his honor, which society placed upon her. She describes herself as useless and incomplete, like a drone bee, having lost her "perfection" and the prime of her life. She uses the metaphor of the "hive" and "bee" to illustrate the intrusion of Tarquin (the wasp) and the theft of her chastity ("honey"). The stanza emphasizes the violence of the act and the lasting damage it has inflicted, not only on Lucrece but also on the foundation of her marriage. It reflects the patriarchal society's view of female chastity as a valuable commodity belonging to the husband.

Key Literary Devices Summed Up:

• Metaphor: Used extensively throughout to compare Lucrece to a bee, Collatine's household to a hive, Tarquin to a wasp, and her chastity to honey.
• Simile: "drone-like bee"
• Euphemism: The use of "bereft" and other gentler terms to describe the violent act of rape.
• Imagery: Vivid images of the hive, bee, wasp, and honey create a strong impression on the reader.
• Alliteration: "drone-like," "robb'd and ransack'd"
• Irony - The situation is the very opposite of how it should be, honour is now dishonour.
• Repetition - Robbed
• Synecdoche - Summer stands in for the whole season of her life.