Stanza 132 - Explanation

Original Stanza

Guilty thou art of murder and of theft,
Guilty of perjury and subornation,
Guilty of treason, forgery, and shift,
Guilty of incest, that abomination;
An accessary by thine inclination
To all sins past, and all that are to come,
From the creation to the general doom.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Let's break down this powerful and condemning stanza from Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece, spoken by Lucrece to the absent Tarquin:

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "Guilty thou art of murder and of theft,"

  • Meaning: You are guilty of murder and theft. This establishes the core accusations against Tarquin. While there's no literal murder yet (Lucrece will commit suicide), this foreshadows her death and places the blame squarely on Tarquin. Theft, here, refers to stealing her honor and virtue.
  • Literary Devices: Anaphora (repetition of "Guilty") emphasizes the sheer volume of accusations. Assonance ("guilty" and "art") creates a sense of sonic unity, underscoring the certainty of her judgment.

• "Guilty of perjury and subornation,"

  • Meaning: You are guilty of perjury (lying under oath or breaking a promise) and subornation (bribing or persuading someone to commit perjury or a crime). This suggests a wider conspiracy and that Tarquin has likely used lies and manipulation to achieve his aims.
  • Literary Devices: Anaphora (repetition of "Guilty" continues)

• "Guilty of treason, forgery, and shift,"

  • Meaning: You are guilty of treason (betraying a trust, especially against a ruler or country), forgery (making false documents with intent to deceive), and shift (deception, trickery, or evasion). These lines intensify the gravity of his crimes, suggesting that his actions have broader implications beyond Lucrece herself. "Shift" also implies his cunning and deceitful nature.
  • Literary Devices: Anaphora (repetition of "Guilty" continues)

• "Guilty of incest, that abomination;"

  • Meaning: You are guilty of incest, that is, the act of sexual relations between people too closely related to marry. This line has perplexed scholars, as Tarquin and Lucrece are not related. However, Shakespeare might be using "incest" metaphorically to represent the violation of a sacred bond of hospitality and the corruption of his lineage. His crime is so heinous, it's akin to the worst sexual taboo.
  • Literary Devices: Anaphora (repetition of "Guilty" continues). The appositive "that abomination" emphasizes the utter detestability of the crime.

• "An accessary by thine inclination"

  • Meaning: You are an accomplice (or inherently disposed) to all sins because of your corrupt nature/desire. This line shifts focus. It asserts that Tarquin is not just guilty of the specific crimes listed, but his very nature makes him prone to all kinds of evil. "Inclination" speaks to a fundamental flaw in his character.
  • Literary Devices: The shift from specific actions to "inclination" adds a layer of psychological condemnation.

• "To all sins past, and all that are to come,"

  • Meaning: To all sins that have happened and all sins that will happen. This expands the scope of Tarquin's guilt to encompass a universal timeframe. He is not just guilty of his specific crime against Lucrece, but he embodies the potential for all sin.
  • Literary Devices: Hyperbole (exaggeration) is used here to emphasize the enormity of Tarquin's guilt. Antithesis ("past" and "come") emphasizes the totality of time.

• "From the creation to the general doom."

  • Meaning: From the beginning of the world to the end of time (Judgment Day). This is the ultimate statement of Tarquin's universal guilt, linking him to the totality of human sin. It's an apocalyptic vision of his depravity.
  • Literary Devices: Hyperbole and Allusion to Christian eschatology (the "general doom" refers to the Last Judgement) elevate Tarquin's crime to a cosmic level.

Overall Meaning:

This stanza is a powerful and relentless condemnation of Tarquin. Lucrece uses a combination of specific accusations and broad, sweeping statements to portray him as a figure of absolute depravity. He is not simply guilty of raping her, but of breaking oaths, betraying trusts, corrupting his bloodline, and embodying the potential for all sin throughout history. The repetition, hyperbole, and allusions create a sense of overwhelming guilt and portray Tarquin as a figure of almost biblical villainy. The stanza functions to justify Lucrece's impending suicide by showing the world that Tarquin's crime is so heinous that it requires the ultimate sacrifice to restore justice and honor. She equates his transgression to something that defiles all time, past, present and future.