Stanza 144 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'The baser is he, coming from a king,
To shame his hope with deeds degenerate:
The mightier man, the mightier is the thing
That makes him honour'd, or begets him hate;
For greatest scandal waits on greatest state.
The moon being clouded presently is miss'd,
But little stars may hide them when they list.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down Stanza 144 from Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece.

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "The baser is he, coming from a king,"

  • Meaning: Someone born into royalty (a king or someone descended from a king) is all the more despicable when he acts in a base (low, morally reprehensible) manner. The expectation is higher.
  • Literary Devices: Inversion (the normal word order would be "He is the baser..."). This emphasizes the 'baser' quality.

• "To shame his hope with deeds degenerate:"

  • Meaning: To betray the promise and expectations placed upon him by committing degenerate (morally corrupt, base, fallen) acts. He is ruining the reputation and potential of his royal lineage.
  • Literary Devices: Alliteration ("deeds degenerate") emphasizes the fall.

• "The mightier man, the mightier is the thing"

  • Meaning: The more powerful a man is, the more powerful is the force (thing) that...
  • Literary Devices: Anaphora (repetition of "the mightier") emphasizes the contrast between great status and its potential outcomes.

• "That makes him honour'd, or begets him hate;"

  • Meaning:... either makes him honored (for using his power for good) or causes people to hate him (for abusing his power). This is the "thing" referred to in the previous line: power, opportunity, expectations. It's a double-edged sword.
  • Literary Devices: Antithesis (honoured/hate) highlights the contrasting possibilities that come with great power.

• "For greatest scandal waits on greatest state."

  • Meaning: The higher one's position or status ("greatest state"), the greater the potential for scandal (outrage, disgrace) when one falls from grace. The higher you are, the harder you fall.
  • Literary Devices: This is a succinct and memorable statement of the stanza's central theme.

• "The moon being clouded presently is miss'd,"

  • Meaning: If the moon, a large and bright presence in the sky, is obscured by clouds, its absence is immediately noticed.
  • Literary Devices: Analogy. This line starts the analogy that continues in the next line.

• "But little stars may hide them when they list."

  • Meaning: But if small stars disappear, nobody notices, and so they may disappear whenever they please. "List" means "please."
  • Literary Devices: Analogy. This line completes the analogy. The moon represents a high-ranking person, and the stars represent ordinary people.

Overall Meaning:

This stanza argues that those in positions of power, particularly those born into royalty, are held to a higher standard. Their actions, especially morally reprehensible ones, are far more damaging and scandalous than the same actions committed by someone of lower status. The higher the position, the greater the expectations, and therefore the greater the potential for disgrace. The final two lines drive this point home with the analogy of the moon and stars: the higher the status, the more one's mistakes are noticed. The ordinary person's mistakes are negligible and easily forgotten. Collatine's status as Lucrece's husband only magnified the shame of Lucrece's rape. Similarly, Tarquin's crime is made worse by his royal standing.

Key Literary Devices Summary:

• Inversion: Emphasizes key words by altering normal word order.
• Alliteration: Enhances the sound and emphasizes particular phrases.
• Anaphora: Repetition emphasizes a contrast.
• Antithesis: Highlights the opposing possibilities associated with power.
• Analogy: The moon and stars illustrate the theme of higher expectations for those in higher positions.

The stanza is a powerful commentary on the responsibilities of leadership and the consequences of abusing power. It establishes a moral framework by which to judge Tarquin's actions, arguing that his royal status makes his crime all the more abhorrent.