Stanza 93 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'Have done,' quoth he: 'my uncontrolled tide
Turns not, but swells the higher by this let.
Small lights are soon blown out, huge fires abide,
And with the wind in greater fury fret:
The petty streams that pay a daily debt
To their salt sovereign, with their fresh falls' haste
Add to his flow, but alter not his taste.'

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down stanza 93 of Shakespeare's 'The Rape of Lucrece' line by line, identifying literary devices and then pulling it all together for an overall meaning.

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• 'Have done,' quoth he: 'my uncontrolled tide'

  • "Have done": An imperative command; telling Lucrece to stop her resistance. It sets a tone of forceful authority.
  • "quoth he": An archaic way of saying "said he."
  • "my uncontrolled tide": A metaphor. Collatine's lust is likened to a powerful, relentless ocean tide. The "uncontrolled" aspect emphasizes his inability (or unwillingness) to restrain himself.
  • Meaning: Collatine tells Lucrece to stop resisting, declaring that his lust is like an unstoppable tide.

• 'Turns not, but swells the higher by this let.'

  • "Turns not": The tide will not turn back; he won't stop his assault.
  • "swells the higher by this let": Another metaphor. "Let" here means hindrance or obstacle (her resistance). He claims that her resistance isn't stopping him; instead, it's fueling his desire, making it stronger. This is a perversion of a loving encounter, it is the pursuit of forced conquest.
  • Meaning: Her resistance isn't stopping him; it is only inflaming his desire further.

• 'Small lights are soon blown out, huge fires abide,'

  • "Small lights are soon blown out": Metaphor and alliteration ("blown out"). Small lights represent those easily subdued, the innocent, or those lacking strength to resist.
  • "huge fires abide": Metaphor. Huge fires represent his powerful lust, which cannot be extinguished. "Abide" suggests permanence and resilience.
  • Meaning: Things that are weak can be easily stopped, but powerful forces (like his lust) persist.

• 'And with the wind in greater fury fret:'

  • "And with the wind in greater fury fret": The fire (his lust) is exacerbated by the "wind" (her resistance). "Fret" means to agitate or chafe. The alliteration on the "f" sound in "fury fret" emphasizes the escalating intensity.
  • Meaning: Her resistance is only making him angrier and more determined.

• 'The petty streams that pay a daily debt'

  • "petty streams that pay a daily debt": Metaphor. "Petty streams" symbolize smaller, individual acts or desires that contribute to a larger, dominant force. "Paying a daily debt" suggests these streams are obligated to contribute to the whole, illustrating that these acts or desires constantly feed into the "salt sovereign".
  • Meaning: Small, insignificant things feed into the power of the larger entity (his lust).

• 'To their salt sovereign, with their fresh falls' haste'

  • "their salt sovereign": A metaphor referring to the ocean. "Salt" suggests something corrupt or defiled, an ironic association with the "fresh falls" that feed into it. "Sovereign" emphasizes the ocean's (and, by extension, Collatine's lust's) absolute power.
  • "fresh falls' haste": The eagerness with which these streams contribute to the ocean.
  • Meaning: The streams eagerly and constantly feed into the all-powerful sea.

• 'Add to his flow, but alter not his taste.'

  • "Add to his flow": They make the ocean (and his lust) larger and more powerful.
  • "alter not his taste": Even though the streams are "fresh," they don't change the overall salty, and perhaps corrupted, nature of the ocean or lust.
  • Meaning: The streams increase the sea's power but do not change its fundamental nature.

Literary Devices:

• Metaphor: Dominates the stanza. Collatine's lust is consistently compared to a powerful tide and a raging fire. Smaller desires or contributions are likened to petty streams.
• Alliteration: Used for emphasis and musicality, e.g., "blown out," "fury fret."
• Imperative mood: "Have done" creates a sense of command and authority.

Overall Meaning:

This stanza is a powerful and disturbing expression of Collatine's rationalization of his behavior. He argues that his lust is an unstoppable force, like a tide or a fire that cannot be extinguished. He even goes further, claiming that Lucrece's resistance is only fueling his desire, making it stronger. The metaphor of the ocean and the streams suggests that his lust is a fundamental part of him, a powerful force that is not easily changed or controlled. He absolves himself of responsibility by portraying himself as subject to a force beyond his control, and he twists Lucrece's resistance to justify his impending assault. The overall message is one of ruthless power and a disturbing disregard for Lucrece's agency. The final line underscores the idea that Lucrece's innocence ("fresh falls") will be overwhelmed and corrupted ("salt sovereign") by Collatine's relentless and unyielding lust. It highlights the tragic inevitability of the impending rape.