Stanza 91 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'Think but how vile a spectacle it were,
To view thy present trespass in another.
Men's faults do seldom to themselves appear;
Their own transgressions partially they smother:
This guilt would seem death-worthy in thy brother.
O, how are they wrapp'd in with infamies
That from their own misdeeds askance their eyes!

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down this powerful stanza from Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece, focusing on meaning and literary devices:

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• 'Think but how vile a spectacle it were,'

  • Meaning: Imagine how disgusting it would be to witness your current wrongdoing in someone else.
  • Literary Devices: Direct address (speaking to Tarquin), sets the scene for moral reasoning.

• 'To view thy present trespass in another.'

  • Meaning: To see someone else committing the sin you are about to commit.
  • Literary Devices: Trespass is a formal, weighty word emphasizing the severity of the act.

• 'Men's faults do seldom to themselves appear;'

  • Meaning: People rarely recognize their own flaws.
  • Literary Devices: Generalization, setting up the human tendency to be blind to one's own shortcomings.

• 'Their own transgressions partially they smother:'

  • Meaning: They tend to suppress or downplay their own wrongdoings.
  • Literary Devices: Smother is a powerful verb suggesting the act of concealing and suffocating the truth. Alliteration (partially they).

• 'This guilt would seem death-worthy in thy brother.'

  • Meaning: The guilt of this act would seem worthy of death if your brother were to commit it.
  • Literary Devices: Hypothetical scenario, emphasizing the hypocrisy of judging others more harshly than oneself.

• 'O, how are they wrapp'd in with infamies

  • Meaning: Oh, how people become entangled with disgrace and shame!
  • Literary Devices: Wrapp'd in is a metaphor for being consumed by disgrace, Interjection "O" indicates emotional intensity.

• 'That from their own misdeeds askance their eyes!'

  • Meaning: People tend to avert their eyes or look away from their own sins.
  • Literary Devices: Personification (misdeeds askance their eyes), Askance is a visual image of shame and avoidance, creating a strong sense of moral evasion.

Overall Meaning of the Stanza:

This stanza is a complex and insightful exploration of hypocrisy and self-deception. The speaker (presumably Lucrece, or perhaps the narrative voice) is trying to appeal to Tarquin's conscience by making him confront the ugliness of his intended act. The stanza argues that people are often blind to their own faults, minimizing or ignoring their transgressions while readily condemning the same actions in others. The vivid imagery of "smothering" transgressions and looking "askance" at misdeeds conveys the sense of shame and guilt that people try to avoid. Ultimately, the stanza condemns the self-serving blindness that allows people to commit atrocities while justifying them to themselves.