Stanza 127 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'Thou makest the vestal violate her oath;
Thou blow'st the fire when temperance is thaw'd;
Thou smother'st honesty, thou murder'st troth;
Thou foul abettor! thou notorious bawd!
Thou plantest scandal and displacest laud:
Thou ravisher, thou traitor, thou false thief,
Thy honey turns to gall, thy joy to grief!

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down Stanza 127 of Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece:

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "Thou makest the vestal violate her oath;"

  • Meaning: You (referring to Lust/Tarquin) cause a chaste (vestal) woman to break her sacred promise of virginity.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Metaphor/Implied Metaphor: Lust is personified as an active agent, causing the violation.
    • Allusion: "Vestal" alludes to the Vestal Virgins of ancient Rome, who were sworn to chastity. This alludes to the gravity of Lucrece's oath.

• "Thou blow'st the fire when temperance is thaw'd;"

  • Meaning: You fuel desire when self-control (temperance) weakens.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Metaphor: Fire represents sexual desire, and blowing on it intensifies it. "Temperance is thaw'd" uses the image of melting ice to signify the loss of self-restraint.

• "Thou smother'st honesty, thou murder'st troth;"

  • Meaning: You suppress (smother) honesty and kill (murder) faithfulness/loyalty (troth).
  • Literary Devices:
    • Metaphor: Honesty and Troth are personified as qualities that can be suppressed or murdered.
    • Parallelism: The similar structure of the two clauses ("Thou smother'st..." and "Thou murder'st...") emphasizes the destructive power of lust.

• "Thou foul abettor! thou notorious bawd!"

  • Meaning: You are a disgusting instigator of evil (abettor) and a well-known panderer/procurer of immoral acts (bawd).
  • Literary Devices:
    • Direct Address: The stanza is directly addressing Lust/Tarquin.
    • Epithets: "Foul abettor" and "notorious bawd" are insulting labels.

• "Thou plantest scandal and displacest laud:"

  • Meaning: You create (plant) scandalous stories and remove (displace) praise/good reputation (laud).
  • Literary Devices:
    • Metaphor: Scandal is something planted and spread, while laud is something removed or taken away.
    • Parallelism: Similar structure highlights the opposing forces.

• "Thou ravisher, thou traitor, thou false thief,"

  • Meaning: You are a rapist, a betrayer, and a dishonest robber.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Direct Address: The stanza is directly addressing Lust/Tarquin.
    • Triadic Structure: The use of three nouns ("ravisher, traitor, false thief") emphasizes the extent of the accusations.

• "Thy honey turns to gall, thy joy to grief!"

  • Meaning: What seems sweet (honey) becomes bitter (gall), and what seems joyful (joy) turns to sorrow (grief).
  • Literary Devices:
    • Antithesis: The contrast between "honey" and "gall," and "joy" and "grief," highlights the ultimate consequences of succumbing to lust.
    • Metaphor: "Honey" represents fleeting pleasure, while "gall" represents the long-lasting bitterness of guilt and shame.

Overall Meaning of the Stanza:

Stanza 127 is a powerful condemnation of Lust (personified as Tarquin) and its destructive consequences. It argues that lust corrupts innocence, destroys virtue, and replaces honor with scandal and sorrow. The stanza uses strong imagery and metaphorical language to paint a vivid picture of the devastation caused by unrestrained desire, highlighting its tendency to undermine everything valuable and pure. It transforms the temporary pleasure that it can bring into lasting grief and despair. The stanza focuses on the moral ruin that lust brings, emphasizing the betrayal of oaths, the loss of reputation, and the ultimate turning of pleasure into pain. In other words, it's an attack on the consequences of uncontrolled desire, particularly regarding the violation of chastity and the destruction of honor.