Stanza 165 - Explanation

Original Stanza

As the poor frighted deer, that stands at gaze,
Wildly determining which way to fly,
Or one encompass'd with a winding maze,
That cannot tread the way out readily;
So with herself is she in mutiny,
To live or die which of the twain were better,
When life is shamed, and death reproach's debtor.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down Stanza 165 of Shakespeare's 'The Rape of Lucrece' line by line and then discuss its overall meaning, paying attention to literary devices.

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• Line 1: "As the poor frighted deer, that stands at gaze,"

  • Meaning: Lucrece is being compared to a frightened deer. "At gaze" means the deer is staring, frozen, caught in the open and vulnerable. It's trapped in a moment of fear.
  • Literary Devices:
    • Simile: The "As" establishes a direct comparison between Lucrece's state and the deer.
    • Imagery: Vividly creates the image of a helpless, scared animal.

  • Line 2: "Wildly determining which way to fly,"

  • Meaning: The deer is desperately trying to decide which direction to escape, but its fear is clouding its judgment. "Wildly determining" suggests a frantic, chaotic decision-making process.

  • Literary Devices:
    • Alliteration: The repetition of the 'w' sound in "Wildly" and "Which".
    • Personification: "Determining" gives the deer a human-like capacity for rational thought, albeit a chaotic one.

  • Line 3: "Or one encompass'd with a winding maze,"

  • Meaning: This shifts to a second, similar image: someone trapped in a maze. "Encompass'd" means surrounded or enclosed. The "winding maze" implies a confusing and disorienting situation with no clear path forward.

  • Literary Devices:
    • Simile (Implied): The "Or" suggests another comparison, similar to the deer. The reader fills in the implied "as."
    • Imagery: Evokes the feeling of being lost and confused.

  • Line 4: "That cannot tread the way out readily;"

  • Meaning: The person in the maze is unable to easily find the exit. "Tread the way out readily" implies difficulty, the paths are not obvious.

  • Literary Devices:
    • Alliteration: The repetition of the 't' sound in "tread" and "that".

  • Line 5: "So with herself is she in mutiny,"

  • Meaning: This line finally brings the focus back to Lucrece. "In mutiny" means she's in internal conflict, a rebellion against herself. Her mind and emotions are at war. The previous lines were analogies that now directly apply to her.

  • Literary Devices:
    • Metaphor: The internal conflict is described as a "mutiny," a forceful and chaotic rebellion.
    • Anaphora: The first four lines all begin with words indicating comparison, "As", "Or", "That" and thus line 5 ends with "So" to conclude the drawn out simile.

  • Line 6: "To live or die which of the twain were better,"

  • Meaning: Lucrece is agonizing over whether it would be better to live with the shame of the rape or to take her own life. "The twain" refers to the two options: life and death.

  • Literary Devices:
    • Dilemma: Highlights the agonizing choice she faces.

  • Line 7: "When life is shamed, and death reproach's debtor."

  • Meaning: This line explains why she's struggling with the decision. Living means enduring shame ("life is shamed"), but death is also undesirable because it implies she's running from the shame, as if she owes something to reproach ("death reproach's debtor").

  • Literary Devices:
    • Personification: Death is portrayed as a "creditor," someone to whom a debt is owed.
    • Paradox: The situation is paradoxical because both options (life and death) present significant problems. She is trapped between two undesirable outcomes.

Overall Meaning:

The stanza is a powerful depiction of Lucrece's internal turmoil following the rape. She is paralyzed by fear and indecision, much like a deer caught in the open or someone lost in a maze. The imagery emphasizes her feeling of being trapped, both physically and emotionally. The core of the stanza is the agonizing choice she faces: whether to live with the unbearable shame or to die, which might be seen as an admission of guilt. The stanza sets up the internal conflict that drives the rest of the poem, highlighting the complexity of Lucrece's situation and her struggle to find a way to reclaim her honor and agency. It's a moment of intense psychological pressure, where she's caught between two equally undesirable fates.