Stanza 184 - Explanation

Original Stanza

“But, lady, if your maid may be so bold,
She would request to know your heaviness.”
“O peace!” quoth Lucrece. “If it should be told,
The repetition cannot make it less;
For more it is than I can well express,
And that deep torture may be called a hell,
When more is felt than one hath power to tell.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down stanza 184 of Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece line by line:

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "But, lady, if your maid may be so bold,"

  • Analysis: The maid is speaking to Lucrece with deference, acknowledging the difference in social status. She begins with a polite, indirect request, asking for permission to be "bold" (which essentially means asking a personal question).
  • Literary Devices: Politeness, deference. Beginning with "But" signals a contrast or transition in the scene.

• "She would request to know your heaviness."

  • Analysis: "Heaviness" is a euphemism (indirect expression) for Lucrece's sadness, grief, or burden. The maid is tactfully trying to inquire about the reason for Lucrece's distress. The use of "would request" maintains the respectful tone.
  • Literary Devices: Euphemism (for sadness or sorrow), polite phrasing.

• "O peace!" quoth Lucrece. "If it should be told,"

  • Analysis: Lucrece interrupts her maid. "O peace!" is an exclamation indicating that Lucrece wants silence or an end to the conversation topic. The beginning of the next phrase implies that Lucrece is hesitant or fearful of speaking about her experience.
  • Literary Devices: Interjection ("O peace!"), dramatic pause implied by the incomplete thought.

• "The repetition cannot make it less;"

  • Analysis: This is the core of Lucrece's despair. She's saying that even if she were to recount the story of her rape, the act of telling it would not diminish the pain or the weight of the experience. The trauma remains unchanged, regardless of retelling.
  • Literary Devices: Paradox (repetition usually helps cope with trauma, but here, Lucrece states it has no effect), understatement (the act of telling cannot make the experience less, but it is clear the pain is immensely more).

• "For more it is than I can well express,"

  • Analysis: This builds on the previous line. Lucrece emphasizes that the magnitude of her suffering is beyond her ability to put into words. The experience is so profound that language fails to capture its true extent.
  • Literary Devices: Hyperbole (to convey the overwhelming nature of the trauma), inadequacy of language.

• "And that deep torture may be called a hell,"

  • Analysis: Lucrece escalates the description of her suffering, using the powerful metaphor of "hell" to represent the internal torment she is enduring. This is not just sadness; it is a profound, excruciating agony.
  • Literary Devices: Metaphor (torture = hell), elevated language, powerful imagery.

• "When more is felt than one hath power to tell."

  • Analysis: This is a concluding statement summarizing Lucrece's predicament. It emphasizes the chasm between her internal experience and her capacity to articulate it. The pain is so immense that it exceeds the boundaries of language. This echoes the earlier point about repetition not diminishing the pain.
  • Literary Devices: Repetition of the inability to express the experience, emphasis on the overwhelming nature of trauma.

Overall Meaning:

This stanza captures the devastating impact of the rape on Lucrece's psyche. She is overwhelmed by the experience and feels utterly trapped. The maid's gentle inquiry only highlights the vast gulf between Lucrece's outward appearance and the internal turmoil she's battling. Lucrece emphasizes the unspeakable nature of her trauma, suggesting that language is inadequate to convey the depth of her suffering. She feels the weight of her experience so intensely that it is likened to a personal hell, one where the pain is so profound that it cannot be expressed. This feeling of being trapped, both by the event itself and by the inability to adequately express it, contributes to her ultimate decision to take her own life. The stanza builds a powerful sense of Lucrece's inner anguish and foreshadows her tragic fate.

Key Literary Devices Summary:

• Euphemism: "Heaviness" for sadness/grief.
• Interjection: "O peace!" for dramatic effect.
• Paradox: The repetition cannot make the experience less.
• Hyperbole: To emphasize the overwhelming nature of the trauma.
• Metaphor: "Deep torture may be called a hell."
• Understatement: Repetition cannot make it less.
• Inadequacy of Language: The repeated emphasis on the inability to express the trauma.
• Politeness/Deference: Shown through the maid's careful wording.
• Powerful Imagery: "Deep torture," "hell."
• Repetition: The inability to express the experience.
• Dramatic Irony: The audience knows what happened, while the maid does not. This heightens the tension and Lucrece's isolation.