Stanza 234 - Explanation

Original Stanza

“‘For some hard-favoured groom of thine,’ quoth he,
‘Unless thou yoke thy liking to my will,
I’ll murder straight, and then I’ll slaughter thee
And swear I found you where you did fulfil
The loathsome act of lust, and so did kill
The lechers in their deed. This act will be
My fame and thy perpetual infamy.’

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down Stanza 234 of Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece:

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• “‘For some hard-favoured groom of thine,’ quoth he,”

  • "For some hard-favoured groom of thine": This means "Because of some ugly/unattractive servant of yours." "Hard-favoured" is an euphemism for ugly or plain looking.
  • "quoth he": This is an archaic way of saying "he said."

• “Unless thou yoke thy liking to my will,”

  • "Unless thou yoke thy liking to my will": Unless you bind/submit your desires and preferences to my will. "Yoke" is a metaphor comparing Lucrece's will to an animal being yoked to a plough, forced to follow Collatine's direction.

• “I’ll murder straight, and then I’ll slaughter thee”

  • "I'll murder straight": I will murder immediately.
  • "and then I'll slaughter thee": And then I will brutally kill you. There is a slight distinction in the language that signifies brutality; "slaughter" carries more weight than "murder" alone.
  • This line shows a progression/escalation of violence.

• “And swear I found you where you did fulfil”

  • "And swear I found you where you did fulfil": And I will swear/testify that I found you in the act of...

• “The loathsome act of lust, and so did kill”

  • "The loathsome act of lust": The disgusting/revolting act of sexual desire. It highlights his perceived corruption of Lucrece.
  • "and so did kill": And so I killed...

• “The lechers in their deed. This act will be”

  • "The lechers in their deed": The lustful men/adulterers in the act of committing adultery.
  • "This act will be": This act (of killing them) will be...

• “My fame and thy perpetual infamy.’”

  • "My fame": My reputation, my claim to glory.
  • "and thy perpetual infamy": And your everlasting shame/disgrace. The "perpetual" emphasizes the never-ending consequence of Lucrece's alleged action.

Literary Devices:

• Metaphor: "Yoke thy liking" - comparing Lucrece's will to an animal being forced into submission.
• Euphemism: "Hard-favoured groom" - a softened way of saying ugly or unattractive servant.
• Imagery: The language evokes violent images - "murder," "slaughter," "loathsome act of lust," which contributes to the overall atmosphere of threat.
• Alliteration: The repetition of the 'l' sound in "loathsome" and "lust" emphasizes the revulsion of the act.
• Contrast/Juxtaposition: The contrast between "fame" and "infamy" highlights the different outcomes that Tarquin envisions for himself and Lucrece.

Overall Meaning:

In this stanza, Tarquin lays out his horrifying ultimatum to Lucrece. He threatens to murder one of her servants and then Lucrece herself. He then explains his plan to claim he caught her in the act of adultery with the murdered servant and that he killed them both in righteous anger. He claims this false narrative will become his source of glory, while simultaneously, ensuring Lucrece's name will be forever tarnished in shame. The stanza showcases Tarquin's manipulative and cruel nature, as well as the social constraints and consequences faced by women accused of sexual transgression. It highlights the power imbalance between Tarquin and Lucrece and the horrific choice she is being forced to make.