Stanza 130 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'The patient dies while the physician sleeps;
The orphan pines while the oppressor feeds;
Justice is feasting while the widow weeps;
Advice is sporting while infection breeds:
Thou grant'st no time for charitable deeds:
Wrath, envy, treason, rape, and murder's rages,
Thy heinous hours wait on them as their pages.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down stanza 130 from Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece.

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• Line 1: 'The patient dies while the physician sleeps;'

  • Literal Meaning: Someone who is sick and needs help (the patient) dies because the doctor (physician) is asleep and neglectful.
  • Figurative Meaning: Represents a situation where those who are meant to help or heal are failing to do so, leading to tragic consequences. The patient can also be representative of a kingdom, community, or society.
  • Literary Devices: Juxtaposition (contrasting the patient's need with the physician's inaction). Metaphor (the patient representing something larger).

• Line 2: 'The orphan pines while the oppressor feeds;'

  • Literal Meaning: An orphaned child suffers from hunger and neglect (pines), while the person who is causing the suffering (the oppressor) enjoys plenty.
  • Figurative Meaning: Again, highlights injustice. The vulnerable (the orphan) suffer, while the powerful who are responsible continue to thrive.
  • Literary Devices: Juxtaposition. Metaphor (orphan and oppressor as symbols of wider power imbalances).

• Line 3: 'Justice is feasting while the widow weeps;'

  • Literal Meaning: Instead of upholding fairness, justice is enjoying itself (feasting) while a grieving widow (a symbol of helplessness and loss) is suffering.
  • Figurative Meaning: Corruption and the absence of true justice. Those who should be dispensing fairness are instead complicit or actively benefiting from the suffering of others.
  • Literary Devices: Personification (Justice is given human qualities). Juxtaposition. Metaphor.

• Line 4: 'Advice is sporting while infection breeds:'

  • Literal Meaning: Helpful counsel or guidance (advice) is being wasted on frivolous activities (sporting) instead of being used to stop the spread of something harmful (infection).
  • Figurative Meaning: Represents a failure to address a growing problem, perhaps ignoring warnings or prioritizing unimportant matters while a serious issue festers. The "infection" here is representative of evil, immoral behavior.
  • Literary Devices: Personification (Advice is given human qualities). Metaphor.

• Line 5: 'Thou grant'st no time for charitable deeds:'

  • Literal Meaning: "You" (addressed to Night/Time/Opportunity, the subject of many stanzas in the poem) allow no chance or space for acts of kindness or compassion.
  • Figurative Meaning: Implies that the circumstances, facilitated by the passage of time or a period of darkness, are such that goodness cannot flourish. There is a hostile environment for compassion and charity.
  • Literary Devices: Direct Address (Apostrophe). Personification (Night/Time is being addressed).

• Line 6: 'Wrath, envy, treason, rape, and murder's rages,'

  • Literal Meaning: Lists a series of violent and destructive sins and crimes. The "rages" emphasizes the intensity and destructive power of these forces.
  • Figurative Meaning: Represents the forces of evil that are unleashed during the "heinous hours" that the speaker is lamenting. This line is an example of Asyndeton, as it is a list without conjunctions, and gives a sense of an abundance of evil.
  • Literary Devices: Enumeration (listing). Asyndeton.

• Line 7: 'Thy heinous hours wait on them as their pages.'

  • Literal Meaning: The "heinous hours" (the dark, evil times) serve these sins (Wrath, envy, treason, rape, murder) as attendants or servants ("pages").
  • Figurative Meaning: Reinforces the idea that the circumstances (the "heinous hours") are actively enabling and supporting these destructive forces. Time, or the opportunity afforded by the dark of night, acts as a facilitator for evil.
  • Literary Devices: Personification (hours acting as pages). Metaphor.

Overall Meaning of the Stanza:

This stanza is a powerful indictment of injustice and the triumph of evil. It paints a picture of a world where those who should be helping and protecting are failing in their duties, creating an environment where suffering flourishes. The stanza emphasizes the absence of compassion, the prevalence of corruption, and the unleashing of destructive forces. The speaker accuses "Time/Night" of creating the very conditions that allow these evils to thrive, suggesting that some circumstances enable and encourage the worst aspects of human behavior. The stanza ultimately serves as a lament for the state of the world and a condemnation of the forces that allow such atrocities to occur.