Stanza 139 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'Thou ceaseless lackey to eternity,
With some mischance cross Tarquin in his flight:
Devise extremes beyond extremity,
To make him curse this cursed crimeful night:
Let ghastly shadows his lewd eyes affright;
And the dire thought of his committed evil
Shape every bush a hideous shapeless devil.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down Shakespeare's stanza 139 from 'The Rape of Lucrece' line by line and then discuss its overall meaning and literary devices.

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "Thou ceaseless lackey to eternity,"

  • Meaning: This line is an address to time itself. The phrase "ceaseless lackey" suggests that time is a constant servant or attendant to eternity. It relentlessly marches on, ever subservient to the grand, unchanging concept of eternity.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Apostrophe: Addressing time directly, as if it can hear and act.
    • Metaphor: Time is being compared to a "lackey" implying that it serves the overarching and enduring concept of eternity.
    • Personification: Giving time the human-like quality of being a "lackey".

• "With some mischance cross Tarquin in his flight:"

  • Meaning: The speaker implores time to intervene and cause some kind of bad luck or misfortune to Tarquin as he flees after raping Lucrece. "Cross" here means to hinder or frustrate his escape.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Imperative Mood: The use of "cross" as a command to time.

• "Devise extremes beyond extremity,"

  • Meaning: This line is a plea for time to create punishments for Tarquin that are worse than the worst imaginable. The speaker wants time to go beyond the boundaries of what's considered extremely bad.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect; suggesting punishments that surpass all known limits.
    • Repetition (of the root word): Repetition of the words "extremes" and "extremity". This reinforces the idea of the absolute worst.

• "To make him curse this cursed crimeful night:"

  • Meaning: The goal of all this punishment is to make Tarquin regret the night of his crime so deeply that he curses it.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Alliteration: The repetition of the 'c' sound in "curse," "cursed," and "crimeful" emphasize the gravity and evilness of the night.
    • Assonance: The repetition of the short "i" sound in "him," "this," and "crimeful" adds a sense of unease.

• "Let ghastly shadows his lewd eyes affright;"

  • Meaning: May frightening shadows scare Tarquin's lustful eyes. It's a call for his guilt and wickedness to manifest as terrifying visions. "Lewd eyes" emphasizes the objectification inherent in his crime.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Imagery: Vivid description creating a sense of fear and horror.
    • Synecdoche: The use of "lewd eyes" to represent the entire man, suggesting that his entire being is defined by lust.

• "And the dire thought of his committed evil"

  • Meaning: May the horrific thought of the evil deed he committed.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Alliteration: The repetition of the "th" sound in "thought" and "the" creates an ominous tone.

• "Shape every bush a hideous shapeless devil."

  • Meaning: May his guilt and fear transform every ordinary bush into a terrifying, deformed devil. This shows how his conscience will torture him, making the world seem menacing.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Imagery: The vivid description of "hideous shapeless devil" creates a strong image of terror.
    • Metaphor: The bush becoming a devil symbolizes how Tarquin's guilt distorts his perception of reality.

Overall Meaning:

This stanza is a powerful curse invoked against Tarquin. The speaker implores time to punish him relentlessly, going beyond any conceivable measure of suffering. The stanza highlights the speaker's desire for Tarquin to experience psychological torment. The visions, the fear, the distortion of reality are all meant to drive him to despair and to make him forever regret his crime. The imagery is deliberately designed to create a sense of intense dread and psychological torment, suggesting the profound impact of Tarquin's actions and the depth of Lucrece's suffering, even in her call for revenge. It focuses on the internal consequences of Tarquin's actions. It's a very active and vivid expression of revenge.