In her the painter had anatomized
Time’s ruin, beauty’s wrack, and grim care’s reign.
Her cheeks with chops and wrinkles were disguised;
Of what she was no semblance did remain.
Her blue blood, changed to black in every vein,
Wanting the spring that those shrunk pipes had fed,
Showed life imprisoned in a body dead.
Okay, let's break down Stanza 208 from Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece line by line, then discuss the overall meaning and literary devices:
Line-by-Line Breakdown:
"In her the painter had anatomized": This sets the scene. The "painter" is not a literal artist, but rather Time or Grief personified as a painter. To "anatomize" means to dissect and examine meticulously. The painter has thoroughly deconstructed Lucrece's beauty. This could also be read as a metaphor for Tarquin having destroyed her purity and spirit during his assault.
"Time's ruin, beauty's wrack, and grim care's reign.": This line lists the things the painter has dissected. Note the alliteration with the 'r' sound in "ruin," "wrack," and "reign," emphasizing the harshness of these destructive forces.
"Her cheeks with chops and wrinkles were disguised;": Here, we begin to see the physical effects of the "grim care." "Chops" are deep cracks or fissures, indicating a face ravaged by distress and age (though Lucrece is not actually old). The "wrinkles" further emphasize the destruction of her former beauty. The word "disguised" suggests that her true self is hidden beneath this mask of grief.
"Of what she was no semblance did remain.": This is a powerful and devastating statement. There's no trace of her former self left. The ravages of grief are so profound that she is unrecognizable.
"Her blue blood, changed to black in every vein,": "Blue blood" typically refers to noble lineage, but here it's likely literal blood. The change to "black" symbolizes death, despair, and a fundamental corruption. It emphasizes how deeply the trauma has affected her, even on a physical level. It could also be a reference to the "black bile" of Melancholy, one of the four humours.
"Wanting the spring that those shrunk pipes had fed,": "Wanting" here means lacking. The "spring" is the vital force, the life energy, the joy, and hope that once sustained her. The "shrunk pipes" are her veins, now withered and contracted because the life-giving "spring" is gone. The metaphor of the body as a plumbing system is striking.
"Showed life imprisoned in a body dead.": This is the climax of the stanza. Though her body is technically alive, her spirit, her true self, is trapped, unable to escape the overwhelming grief and shame. The imagery is of a living tomb.
Overall Meaning:
This stanza paints a horrific picture of the devastating effects of trauma and grief on Lucrece. It shows how profound suffering can physically and spiritually destroy a person. The "painter" (personified Time and Grief) has meticulously dismantled her beauty, her vitality, and her very essence. The image is of a body still breathing but essentially dead inside, her spirit trapped by the enormity of her suffering. This is crucial because the stanza underscores the depth of the violation she has suffered, which ultimately drives her to suicide as the only way to reclaim her honor and escape this living death.
Literary Devices: