Stanza 237 - Explanation

Original Stanza

“O, teach me how to make mine own excuse,
Or at the least, this refuge let me find:
Though my gross blood be stained with this abuse,
Immaculate and spotless is my mind;
That was not forced; that never was inclined
To accessary yieldings, but still pure
Doth in her poisoned closet yet endure.”

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down stanza 237 from Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece, line by line, then synthesize an overall meaning, paying attention to literary devices.

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• “O, teach me how to make mine own excuse,”

  • Meaning: Lucrece cries out, pleading to be shown how to justify or defend herself in the wake of her rape. She desires a way to explain her situation, likely to her husband, Collatine, and to Roman society, without being utterly condemned. She seeks an acceptable narrative.
  • Literary Devices: Apostrophe (addressing an abstract "teacher" or personification of wisdom), Exclamation (expresses strong emotion).

• “Or at the least, this refuge let me find:

  • Meaning: She begs for some kind of solace or justification. If she can't wholly excuse her situation, she prays to find at least one comforting idea or defense that will shelter her from total despair.
  • Literary Devices: Metaphor (a "refuge" represents an emotional haven).

• “Though my gross blood be stained with this abuse,”

  • Meaning: Here, "gross blood" refers to her physical body or, more generally, her outward, material self. She acknowledges that her body has been violated ("stained") by the "abuse" (the rape). The rape has irrevocably marked her physicality.
  • Literary Devices: Metonymy ("gross blood" standing for the body), Metaphor ("stained" representing moral corruption or dishonor), Alliteration ("gross blood").

• “Immaculate and spotless is my mind;”

  • Meaning: This is the key line in justifying herself: Lucrece insists that her mind – her thoughts, her will, her inner self – remains pure and untainted by the act of violence perpetrated against her.
  • Literary Devices: Juxtaposition/Contrast (directly opposes the "stained" blood with the "immaculate" mind), Alliteration ("Immaculate...is my mind"), Imagery (visual image of purity, "immaculate", "spotless").

• “That was not forced; that never was inclined”

  • Meaning: She emphatically states that her mind was not forced, nor was it ever drawn to or tempted by the idea of yielding to Tarquin's advances. Her will remained resistant throughout the ordeal.
  • Literary Devices: Anaphora (repetition of "that"), Emphasis (the repetition reinforces her lack of consent).

• “To accessary yieldings, but still pure”

  • Meaning: She further clarifies that her mind never gave any sort of consent or assistance to the rape, even in the slightest degree. It remained entirely pure and innocent. "Accessary yieldings" refers to any sort of cooperation.
  • Literary Devices: Imagery (again, reinforces her "pure" state), Alliteration ("still pure").

• “Doth in her poisoned closet yet endure.”

  • Meaning: Even though her "closet," i.e., her innermost being or mind, is now "poisoned" by the memory of the rape and the shame associated with it, her essential purity still persists within her. Despite the trauma, she maintains a core of moral integrity.
  • Literary Devices: Metaphor ("closet" represents her mind), Imagery ("poisoned" evokes the corrupting influence of the rape), Personification ("Doth endure" gives agency to her mind).

Overall Meaning:

In this stanza, Lucrece struggles to reconcile the violation of her body with her internal sense of self. She desperately seeks a way to articulate that, while her physical body has been "stained" by the rape, her mind, her will, her inner self, remains untouched and pure. She asserts that she never consented, never desired, and never yielded to Tarquin's advances, and that her integrity endures despite the trauma she has experienced. This is her attempt to salvage her honor, her reputation, and her sense of self-worth in the face of a devastating event. The stanza highlights the crucial distinction she draws between the physical act of violence and the enduring purity of her will, as well as the psychological torment she is suffering.