Stanza 213 - Explanation

Original Stanza

“Lo, here weeps Hecuba, here Priam dies,
Here manly Hector faints, here Troilus swounds;
Here friend by friend in bloody channel lies,
And friend to friend gives unadvised wounds,
And one man’s lust these many lives confounds.
Had doting Priam checked his son’s desire,
Troy had been bright with fame and not with fire.”

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down Stanza 213 of Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece line by line, identify the literary devices, and then piece together the overall meaning:

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "Lo, here weeps Hecuba, here Priam dies,"

  • Lo: An archaic word meaning "behold" or "look." It directs our attention.
  • Hecuba: Queen of Troy, wife of Priam, known for her immense suffering during the Trojan War. Her weeping symbolizes the overwhelming grief.
  • Priam: King of Troy, father of Hector, Paris, and Troilus, killed during the sack of Troy. His death represents the fall of Troy.
  • Repetition: The "here" emphasizes the immediacy and pervasiveness of the tragedy.

  Interpretation: This line sets the scene by introducing the prominent figures of Troy. It establishes a tone of mourning and finality, alluding to the destruction of Troy.

• "Here manly Hector faints, here Troilus swounds;"

  • Hector: Troy's greatest warrior, killed by Achilles. His "fainting" is a euphemism for death or extreme weakness, highlighting his heroic fall.
  • Troilus: A prince of Troy, known for his love for Cressida (although that's not emphasized here, his youth and vulnerability are). "Swounds" means faints or swoons, again suggesting a loss of strength and life.
  • Repetition: The continued use of "here" again emphasizes the immediacy and pervasiveness of the tragedy.

  Interpretation: This continues to paint the picture of Troy's downfall through the demise of its valiant figures.

• "Here friend by friend in bloody channel lies,"

  • Bloody channel: A metaphor for the war-torn streets of Troy, now filled with blood, a grotesque parody of a life-giving waterway.
  • Friend by friend: Highlights the close-knit bonds that are now broken by violence and death. The loss is not just of individuals, but of relationships and community.

  Interpretation: This line emphasizes the widespread carnage and the breakdown of societal bonds as a consequence of the war.

• "And friend to friend gives unadvised wounds,"

  • Unadvised wounds: Suggests that even in the midst of war, the attacks are sometimes unintentional or misdirected; it also highlights the chaos. It can also mean rashly given wounds without thinking of consequences. It portrays the brutality of war where even friends become enemies, albeit perhaps unintentionally.

  Interpretation: This line emphasizes the indiscriminate nature of war and the breakdown of order. Even friends turn on each other.

• "And one man’s lust these many lives confounds."

  • One man's lust: A direct reference to Paris, whose abduction of Helen sparked the Trojan War.
  • Confounds: Means destroys, ruins, or brings to ruin.
  • Alliteration: of the "m" sound.

  Interpretation: This line identifies the root cause of the tragedy: Paris's desire for Helen. This desire has catastrophic consequences for the entire city and its people.

• "Had doting Priam checked his son’s desire,"

  • Doting Priam: Suggests that Priam's love for his son (Paris) blinded him to the potential consequences of Paris's actions.
  • Checked his son's desire: If Priam had controlled or prevented Paris from taking Helen.

  Interpretation: This presents an "if only" scenario. It suggests that the tragedy could have been averted if Priam had been a more responsible leader and restrained his son's recklessness.

• "Troy had been bright with fame and not with fire."

  • Bright with fame: Contrasts with the reality of Troy being destroyed.
  • Fire: Symbolizes the destruction of Troy by burning.
  • Contrast: The line is built on a stark contrast, emphasizing the lost potential.

  Interpretation: This line concludes the stanza with a final, regretful statement about what could have been. It highlights the devastating consequences of unchecked lust and the importance of responsible leadership.

Literary Devices:

• Allusion: The entire stanza is an extended allusion to the Trojan War, drawing on the audience's knowledge of this famous story to amplify the themes of tragedy and loss.
• Anaphora: The repetition of "Here" at the beginning of several lines emphasizes the widespread and immediate nature of the tragedy.
• Metaphor: "Bloody channel" is a metaphor for the war-torn streets.
• Euphemism: "Faints" and "Swounds" soften the reality of death.
• Contrast: The last line relies heavily on contrast: "fame" vs. "fire."
• Alliteration: of the "m" sound in the fifth line.

Overall Meaning:

This stanza serves as a powerful commentary on the destructive consequences of unchecked lust and the importance of responsible leadership. Shakespeare uses the story of the Trojan War as an allegory to illustrate how one man's selfish desire (Paris's lust for Helen) can lead to the destruction of an entire city and the tragic loss of countless lives. The stanza also critiques Priam's weakness as a leader, suggesting that his failure to control his son's actions ultimately led to Troy's downfall. The stanza is a meditation on the tragic waste of war and the potential for even great societies to be brought down by individual failings and a lack of moral restraint. It reinforces the idea that unchecked desires can have devastating repercussions, and that leaders have a responsibility to protect their people from such dangers. In the context of The Rape of Lucrece, it serves as a cautionary tale, highlighting the potential for male lust to lead to violence and destruction, which foreshadows the events that befall Lucrece herself.