Stanza 240 - Explanation

Original Stanza

Which speechless woe of his poor she attendeth,
And his untimely frenzy thus awaketh:
“Dear lord, thy sorrow to my sorrow lendeth
Another power; no flood by raining slaketh.
My woe too sensible thy passion maketh
More feeling-painful. Let it then suffice
To drown one woe, one pair of weeping eyes.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Let's break down this stanza from Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece, line by line, and then look at the overall meaning and literary devices:

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "Which speechless woe of his poor she attendeth,"

  • Meaning: Lucrece is watching Tarquin's silent suffering and distress. "She" is Lucrece, and she is paying attention to ("attendeth") Tarquin's "speechless woe" (silent grief). "Poor he" indicates Tarquin is the subject.

• "And his untimely frenzy thus awaketh:"

  • Meaning: Tarquin's wild and inappropriate (because it's happening at the wrong time and in the wrong place - "untimely") agitation is being brought to life and made apparent. It's as if his silence is building into a visible madness or despair.

• “Dear lord, thy sorrow to my sorrow lendeth"

  • Meaning: Lucrece addresses Tarquin, acknowledging his sorrow, but stating that his sorrow is just adding to hers. His pain does not comfort her; it compounds her suffering. This is a crucial turning point: Lucrece is not moved to pity, but rather finds her own suffering intensified.

• "Another power; no flood by raining slaketh."

  • Meaning: His sorrow adds "another power" or layer to Lucrece's grief. The metaphor of a "flood" is used to represent her woe. "No flood by raining slaketh" refers to how rain does not diminish the severity of a flood. Instead, it intensifies it.

• "My woe too sensible thy passion maketh"

  • Meaning: Her existing pain ("My woe too sensible") is made even more deeply felt ("thy passion maketh") by his dramatic display of emotion. "Sensible" here means she is acutely aware and feeling the depth of her pain.

• "More feeling-painful. Let it then suffice"

  • Meaning: Her pain now feels heightened due to Tarquin's behaviour. Lucrece is saying his emotions increase hers, making her pain too hard to bear, thus urging him to leave her alone.

• "To drown one woe, one pair of weeping eyes."

  • Meaning: Lucrece is stating that one source of grief should be enough for one person. She only has "one woe" or source of pain (the rape). Likewise, she is only one person, which is symbolised by "one pair of weeping eyes." This is almost a plea for mercy, a suggestion that he should be satisfied with the pain he has already caused her.

Overall Meaning:

In this stanza, Lucrece directly addresses Tarquin, expressing how his sorrow is not diminishing her own, but rather amplifying it. His distress doesn't comfort her, nor does it make her feel pity. Instead, it increases her own pain and makes her realize the full extent of her suffering. She suggests that he should be content with the immense pain he has already inflicted upon her, and that he should stop, as her capacity for sorrow is at its limit. This highlights her suffering, and it establishes that she is not going to be sympathetic to Tarquin or try to comfort him.

Literary Devices:

• Apostrophe: Lucrece addresses Tarquin directly, even though he may not be truly "listening" or capable of understanding her pain.
• Metaphor: The comparison of her sorrow to a "flood" is a powerful metaphor that emphasizes the overwhelming nature of her grief.
• Paradox: "No flood by raining slaketh" is a paradoxical statement, as rain would be expected to cause a flood but not cease one. This highlights the irrationality of her pain and Tarquin's actions.
• Alliteration: The repetition of the 's' sound in "My woe too sensible thy passion maketh" creates a subtle musicality and emphasizes the word "sensible".
• Synecdoche: "One pair of weeping eyes" represents the whole person, Lucrece.
• Irony: There is a subtle layer of irony here. Tarquin is likely motivated by lust and a desire to assuage his guilt or justify his actions by making Lucrece complicit in some way. Lucrece is pointing out the futility of his emotional display and is attempting to assert her own autonomy in the face of his actions.

This stanza is crucial in revealing Lucrece's state of mind and her increasing determination to take control of her situation. It highlights her immense suffering and sets the stage for her eventual act of suicide.