Stanza 95 - Explanation

Original Stanza

'So shall these slaves be king, and thou their slave;
Thou nobly base, they basely dignified;
Thou their fair life, and they thy fouler grave:
Thou loathed in their shame, they in thy pride:
The lesser thing should not the greater hide;
The cedar stoops not to the base shrub's foot,
But low shrubs wither at the cedar's root.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Okay, let's break down Stanza 95 of Shakespeare's The Rape of Lucrece line by line, and then discuss the overall meaning and literary devices.

Line-by-Line Breakdown:

• "So shall these slaves be king, and thou their slave;"

  • Meaning: If Lucrece submits to Tarquin and lives with the shame of the rape, then the metaphorical "slaves" (Tarquin's lust, his base instincts, his corrupted court) will become "king," meaning they will rule over the situation and dictate Lucrece's life. Lucrece herself, though noble, will become enslaved by her own shame and by the power that Tarquin's actions hold over her.
  • Literary Devices: Paradox (the slaves becoming king and the noble becoming the slave), Metaphor ("slaves" representing base desires).

• "Thou nobly base, they basely dignified;"

  • Meaning: Lucrece, despite being inherently noble and virtuous, will be perceived as "base" or degraded because of the rape. Conversely, Tarquin and his actions, which are inherently "base," will be "dignified" – that is, given a veneer of power or status because he remains unpunished and in control. Her nobility has become a liability.
  • Literary Devices: Antithesis (Nobly base versus basely dignified), Oxymoron (nobly base), Paradox.

• "Thou their fair life, and they thy fouler grave:"

  • Meaning: This is a very powerful line. Lucrece, by her virtue and purity, has been the "fair life" for those around her (her husband, her family, Rome). However, Tarquin's actions and their consequences (her shame, the potential for civil unrest) become her "fouler grave," both literally (as it leads to her suicide) and figuratively (as it destroys her reputation and her place in society).
  • Literary Devices: Metaphor ("fair life" and "fouler grave"), Imagery (contrasting "fair" with "foul").

• "Thou loathed in their shame, they in thy pride:"

  • Meaning: Lucrece, through no fault of her own, will be "loathed" by some due to the shame that has been forced upon her. They might look down on her for being defiled. Tarquin and his cohorts, on the other hand, will revel in their "pride" (meaning arrogance and power) stemming from their actions. He has achieved his goal, though ignoble.
  • Literary Devices: Antithesis (loathed in their shame versus in their pride).

• "The lesser thing should not the greater hide;"

  • Meaning: This is a general statement of principle, but also a direct challenge to the situation. The "lesser thing" is Tarquin's base act of violence, his lust, and his wickedness. The "greater" is Lucrece's inherent nobility, her virtue, and her rightful position in society. The speaker argues that the lesser (Tarquin's crime) should not overshadow and obscure the greater (Lucrece's virtue). This line has implications for justice and the proper ordering of society. It's an argument against allowing evil to triumph over good.
  • Literary Devices: Metaphor (lesser and greater as concepts), General Statement/Maxim.

• "The cedar stoops not to the base shrub's foot,"

  • Meaning: This is a simile using natural imagery to further illustrate the point of the previous line. A cedar tree (representing Lucrece, her virtue, and her high status) does not bow down or submit to a low-growing "shrub" (Tarquin and his base desires/actions).
  • Literary Devices: Simile (using "not" to compare), Imagery (cedar and shrub as visual symbols of status).

• "But low shrubs wither at the cedar's root."

  • Meaning: The opposite should be true: the "low shrubs" (Tarquin and his ilk) should wither and die under the strength and virtue of the "cedar" (Lucrece and her nobility). The implication is that justice should prevail and that evil should be punished, not the other way around.
  • Literary Devices: Imagery (withered shrubs), Metaphor.

Overall Meaning:

Stanza 95 expresses the tragic injustice of Lucrece's situation and argues for a proper, just order. It laments the potential for evil to triumph over good and for the innocent to be punished while the guilty prosper. The stanza highlights the perversion of natural order that results from Tarquin's crime. The speaker contends that Lucrece's inherent nobility and virtue should not be eclipsed by the shame forced upon her. The powerful imagery of the cedar and the shrub reinforces the idea that the "greater" (Lucrece) should not be subjected to the "lesser" (Tarquin), but that the "lesser" should rightly be crushed beneath the "greater." It's a statement of outrage against the injustice Lucrece is enduring, a plea for a return to natural and moral order, and a foreshadowing of the tragic consequences if that order is not restored.

Key Literary Devices:

• Paradox: The slaves becoming king, the noble becoming base.
• Antithesis: Contrasting opposing concepts (nobly base/basely dignified, loathed in shame/in pride).
• Metaphor: "Slaves," "fair life," "fouler grave," cedar tree, low shrub.
• Simile: The cedar stooping not to the shrub's foot.
• Imagery: Vivid visual descriptions (withered shrubs, the contrast of fair and foul).
• General Statement/Maxim: The lesser thing should not the greater hide.

This stanza is a microcosm of the larger themes of the poem: the conflict between virtue and vice, the abuse of power, and the tragic consequences of injustice. Shakespeare uses a variety of rhetorical devices to create a powerful and emotionally resonant statement about the moral disorder resulting from Tarquin's actions.