Stanza 228 - Explanation

Original Stanza

Which when her sad-beholding husband saw,
Amazedly in her sad face he stares.
Her eyes, though sod in tears, looked red and raw,
Her lively colour killed with deadly cares.
He hath no power to ask her how she fares;
Both stood like old acquaintance in a trance,
Met far from home, wond’ring each other’s chance.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down Stanza 228 of Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece line by line:

Line 1: "Which when her sad-beholding husband saw,"

• Breakdown:
  • "Which" - Refers back to Lucrece's appearance, likely her disheveled and sorrowful state after the rape.
  • "when her sad-beholding husband saw" - When her husband, who is sadly observing her, saw.
  • "Sad-beholding" - This is a compound adjective emphasizing the husband's melancholic and observant state.
• Literary Devices:
  • Epithet: "Sad-beholding" is an epithet describing the husband.

Line 2: "Amazedly in her sad face he stares."

• Breakdown:
  • "Amazedly" - He is in a state of bewilderment and shock.
  • "in her sad face he stares" - He is fixated on her sorrowful countenance.
• Literary Devices:
  • Alliteration: Repetition of the "s" sound in "sad" and "stares."

Line 3: "Her eyes, though sod in tears, looked red and raw,"

• Breakdown:
  • "Her eyes, though sod in tears" - Her eyes, soaked and saturated with tears (implying excessive weeping).
  • "looked red and raw" - Appeared inflamed and irritated from the crying.
• Literary Devices:
  • Imagery: Vividly describes the physical appearance of her eyes, appealing to the senses.

Line 4: "Her lively colour killed with deadly cares."

• Breakdown:
  • "Her lively colour" - Refers to her usual complexion, indicating health and vitality.
  • "killed with deadly cares" - The "deadly cares" (her overwhelming sorrow and the trauma of the rape) have extinguished her natural radiance.
• Literary Devices:
  • Metaphor: "Killed" is used metaphorically; her color isn't literally dead, but it has been diminished by her emotional state.
  • Personification: "Deadly cares" are given the power to "kill," as if they are an active force.

Line 5: "He hath no power to ask her how she fares;"

• Breakdown:
  • "He hath no power" - He is rendered unable to.
  • "to ask her how she fares" - to ask her how she is doing, how she feels.
• Literary Devices:
  • Irony: He would be expected to ask her how she is, but he is so stunned that he cannot.

Line 6: "Both stood like old acquaintance in a trance,"

• Breakdown:
  • "Both stood" - Both Lucrece and her husband remained motionless.
  • "like old acquaintance in a trance" - They are behaving like people who know each other distantly, frozen and stunned, as if in a dreamlike state. This suggests a distance and disconnection, even though they are husband and wife.
• Literary Devices:
  • Simile: Comparing their behavior to that of "old acquaintance in a trance" using "like."

Line 7: "Met far from home, wond’ring each other’s chance."

• Breakdown:
  • "Met far from home" - This reinforces the sense of unfamiliarity and distance; they are emotionally and psychologically separated.
  • "wond’ring each other’s chance" - Each is bewildered by what has happened to the other, as if it's a strange and unexpected turn of fate. "Chance" in this context implies misfortune or fate.
• Literary Devices:
  • Metaphor: "Far from home" is a metaphor for the emotional and psychological distance between them.
  • Alliteration: "Wond'ring" and "what".

Overall Meaning:

This stanza captures the immediate aftermath of Lucrece revealing (or at least hinting at) her trauma to her husband, Collatinus. He is stunned and overwhelmed by her appearance. The stanza highlights the breakdown in communication and connection between them. They are husband and wife, but they are rendered almost strangers by the enormity of the situation. The rape has created an unbridgeable gap, leaving them both in a state of shock and bewilderment. The use of similes and metaphors emphasizes the profound emotional and psychological distance that has suddenly appeared between them, making them seem as if they have met unexpectedly in a foreign land, unsure of how the other came to be in such a state. Collatinus is rendered speechless and impotent, unable to offer comfort or even understanding in the face of such a devastating change in his wife. The vivid imagery paints a picture of Lucrece's ravaged state, both physically and emotionally. The stanza underscores the isolating and destructive power of the rape.