Stanza 84 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'My husband is thy friend; for his sake spare me:
Thyself art mighty; for thine own sake leave me:
Myself a weakling; do not then ensnare me:
Thou look'st not like deceit; do not deceive me.
My sighs, like whirlwinds, labour hence to heave thee:
If ever man were moved with woman moans,
Be moved with my tears, my sighs, my groans:

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down this powerful stanza from Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece, line by line, then discuss the overall meaning and literary devices:

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "My husband is thy friend; for his sake spare me:"
  • Meaning: Lucrece attempts to appeal to Tarquin's loyalty and sense of honor. She reminds him that her husband, Collatinus, is Tarquin's friend. She asks that he show mercy and not violate her based on this friendship.
  • Emphasis: Highlights the bond of male friendship, a value often upheld in the society of the play. The assumption is that Tarquin would not betray a friend by harming his wife.
• "Thyself art mighty; for thine own sake leave me:"
  • Meaning: Lucrece shifts her appeal to Tarquin's ego. She acknowledges his power ("mighty") and suggests that he has nothing to gain from forcing himself on her. It's beneath him, she implies. She argues that his own reputation and self-respect would be better served by leaving her alone.
  • Emphasis: Appeals to the idea that a powerful man should not need to resort to such a base act. It plays on his pride and position.
• "Myself a weakling; do not then ensnare me:"
  • Meaning: Lucrece emphasizes her vulnerability. She presents herself as a "weakling," incapable of resisting Tarquin's force. The verb "ensnare" suggests a deliberate trapping and exploitation of her weakness. She asks him not to abuse this power imbalance.
  • Emphasis: Reinforces the disparity in power between the aggressor and the victim. Calls on a sense of basic fairness.
• "Thou look'st not like deceit; do not deceive me."
  • Meaning: Lucrece attempts to appeal to Tarquin's apparent honesty. She says he doesn't look like a deceiver, suggesting that his outward appearance is trustworthy. She begs him not to belie that appearance by betraying her trust.
  • Emphasis: This is a subtle and potentially ironic appeal. It highlights the discrepancy between appearance and reality, a recurring theme in the poem. She's hoping he is who he appears to be.
• "My sighs, like whirlwinds, labour hence to heave thee:"
  • Meaning: Lucrece describes the intensity of her emotional distress. Her sighs are not mere breaths; they are powerful "whirlwinds" of sorrow and anguish. She hopes these sighs, these outward signs of her suffering, will "heave" (push, move) him away. She wishes her pain would be so palpable it would compel him to leave.
  • Emphasis: Uses powerful imagery ("whirlwinds") to convey the depth of her emotional turmoil. "Labour" suggests the physical strain of her distress.
• "If ever man were moved with woman moans,"
  • Meaning: Lucrece invokes a general principle of human compassion. She suggests that if men have ever been moved by the suffering of women, then she hopes Tarquin will be moved now.
  • Emphasis: Appeals to a sense of universal empathy and shared humanity. It is a plea based on the common experience of men being moved by female suffering.
• "Be moved with my tears, my sighs, my groans:"
  • Meaning: This is the culmination of her plea. She lists the outward manifestations of her distress: tears, sighs, and groans. She implores Tarquin to be moved by these physical expressions of her suffering.
  • Emphasis: Creates a crescendo of pain. The repetition and the increasing intensity of the words (tears -> sighs -> groans) amplifies her desperation.

Overall Meaning of the Stanza:

This stanza is a desperate, multi-faceted appeal by Lucrece to Tarquin's better nature (or what she hopes is his better nature). She tries to reason with him by appealing to:

• His friendship with her husband
• His sense of pride and honor
• His compassion for the weak
• His outward appearance of honesty

When those approaches fail, she resorts to pleading, emphasizing the depth and intensity of her suffering, hoping that he will be moved by her tears, sighs, and groans. She is using every argument she can think of, in the hope that something will work. This stanza showcases her intelligence and her intense desire to avoid the impending tragedy.

Literary Devices:

• Repetition: "My" is repeated at the beginning of several lines, emphasizing her personal connection to the arguments she presents. Repetition of certain words like 'thee' also strengthens the impact.
• Imagery: The "whirlwinds" of her sighs are a powerful image.
• Alliteration: Subtle alliteration can be found throughout (e.g., "sake spare", "moved with moans").
• Apostrophe: While subtle, the stanza as a whole is a direct address to Tarquin. She's pleading with him directly.
• Irony: The line, "Thou look'st not like deceit; do not deceive me," carries a heavy dose of dramatic irony. The audience knows Tarquin is about to deceive her, despite appearances.
• Climax: The final line builds to a climax of pain, moving from "tears" to "sighs" to "groans," each word representing a deeper level of suffering.
• Appeal to Logos, Ethos, and Pathos: The stanza is a masterful blend of appeals to logic (logos – her husband is your friend), ethics (ethos – you are a powerful man, don't abuse your position), and emotion (pathos – be moved by my suffering). This is a classical rhetorical technique often used in Shakespearean drama.