Stanza 146 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'Out, idle words, servants to shallow fools!
Unprofitable sounds, weak arbitrators!
Busy yourselves in skill-contending schools;
Debate where leisure serves with dull debaters;
To trembling clients be you mediators:
For me, I force not argument a straw,
Since that my case is past the help of law.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Let's break down stanza 146 of Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece line by line, identify the literary devices, and then summarize the overall meaning:

Line 1: 'Out, idle words, servants to shallow fools!'

• Breakdown: Lucrece is commanding "idle words" to leave. She characterizes them as being "servants" to "shallow fools," suggesting that empty rhetoric is only useful to unintelligent people. "Out" is an imperative command.
• Literary Devices:
  • Apostrophe: She is addressing an inanimate object as if it were a person (idle words).
  • Metaphor: "Servants to shallow fools" is a metaphorical description of idle words, linking them to a specific type of person.
  • Exclamation: The tone is forceful and emotional.

Line 2: 'Unprofitable sounds, weak arbitrators!'

• Breakdown: She reinforces the uselessness of words by calling them "unprofitable sounds" and "weak arbitrators." Arbitrators are mediators or judges; she's stating that words cannot resolve her situation effectively.
• Literary Devices:
  • Apostrophe: Continuing from the previous line, she addresses the words directly.
  • Metaphor: "Weak arbitrators" is a metaphorical description of words, emphasizing their inability to settle her problem.

Line 3: 'Busy yourselves in skill-contending schools;'

• Breakdown: Lucrece suggests that words should be used in "skill-contending schools" (academic debates) instead of trying to assist her. She suggests this is a more appropriate place for them.
• Literary Devices:
  • Irony: There is an element of irony here, as she dismisses the value of words in a situation where one might expect them to be crucial (a legal argument).

Line 4: 'Debate where leisure serves with dull debaters;'

• Breakdown: She continues to dismiss the value of words. Where there is time for debate or discussion, the words can be used to argue with "dull debaters".
• Literary Devices:
  • Alliteration: Repetition of the 'd' sound in "dull debaters"
  • Assonance: Repetition of the vowel sound 'e' in 'debate', 'leisure', 'debaters'

Line 5: 'To trembling clients be you mediators:'

• Breakdown: She advises words to be mediators or advocates for nervous clients; implying that words are only useful in these standard scenarios.
• Literary Devices:
  • Apostrophe: Continuation of addressing the words directly.

Line 6: 'For me, I force not argument a straw,'

• Breakdown: Lucrece declares that, as for herself, she doesn't care for argument "a straw," meaning she places no value in argument.
• Literary Devices:
  • Understatement: "A straw" emphasizes how little importance she places on argument.

Line 7: 'Since that my case is past the help of law.'

• Breakdown: She explains why she doesn't value argument: her situation is beyond legal remedy. Law cannot help her; the "rape" has already happened and the damage is irreparable.
• Literary Devices:
  • Reasoning: This line provides the reason for the preceding dismissal of words.

Overall Meaning:

In this stanza, Lucrece expresses her profound disillusionment with language and its power. She believes that words are essentially useless in her situation. She has been raped, and the law, argument, and debate are all incapable of undoing the violation she has suffered. She directs words to be used in trivial contexts like academic debates or mediating minor legal disputes, implying that they are incapable of dealing with the severity of her trauma. Her case is beyond legal recourse, thus rendering words and arguments irrelevant to her. This stanza highlights the devastating impact of the rape on Lucrece, emphasizing her sense of powerlessness and the futility of seeking justice through conventional means. The language serves to underscore the inadequacy of words to address the deep wound she has suffered.