The Rape of Lucrece Themes

The Rape of Lucrece Themes Shakespeares greatest poem is  The Rape of Lucrece. Explore some of the key themes in this classic text. The Plague It has been suggested that this poem reflects fears about the plague, which was rampant in Shakespeare’s England. The dangers of inviting a stranger into your home could result in your body being ravaged by disease, as Lucrece is ravaged. She kills herself to save her family from shame, but if the rape signifies the plague might she kill herself to prevent the disease from spreading? The play was written at a time when the theaters would have been closed to prevent the spreading of the plague and may, therefore, have informed Shakespeare’s writing. The story would have been familiar to Elizabethans and various versions of it were already available. Love and Sexuality The Rape of Lucrece serves as an antidote to Venus and Adonis in that it provides a moral contrast to how it deals with the idea of love and sexuality. Tarquin is unable to subdue his desires despite misgivings and he suffers for this, as does the undeserving Lucrece and her family. It is a cautionary tale of what can happen if you let your desires run free. Tarquin, Lines 267-271 Why hunt I then for colour or excuses?All orators are dumb when beauty pleadethPoor wretches have remorse in poor abuses;Love thrives not in the heart that shadows dreadeth;Affection is my captain, and he leadeth This play is a contrast to the romantic comedy of As You Like It, for example, where the pursuit of love and affection is treated in a light, though hard-won, way. This poem highlights the dangers of self-satisfaction and pursuing the wrong person. The pastoral is replaced by the military and instead of a game; the pursuit of a woman is seen as the spoils of war but in the end, it is seen for what it is which is a kind of a war crime. The poem comes under the genre known as the complaint, a type of poem which was popular in the late middle ages and Renaissance. This style was particularly popular at the time when this poem was written. A complaint is usually in the form of a monologue in which the narrator laments and bewails their fate or the sad state of the world. The Rape of Lucrece fits the complaints’ highly elaborate style, which uses digressions and long speeches. Themes of Rape Violation often takes Biblical images in The Rape of Lucrece. Tarquin takes on the role of Satan in the garden of Eden, violating an innocent and incorruptible Eve. Collatine takes on the role of Adam, who lures Satan in with his boastful discourse about his wife and her beauty. When he takes the apple from the tree, the Snake enters Lucrece’s bedchamber and violates her. Lines 85-87 This earthly saint adored by this devilLittle suspecteth the false worshipper,For unstained thoughts do seldom dream on evil. Collatine is responsible for inciting Tarquin’s desires and redirecting his rage from the enemy in the field to his own wife. Tarquin becomes jealous of Collatine and instead of vanquishing an army, his desires are redirected towards Lucrece as his prize. Lucrece is described as if she is a work of art; Lines 27-28 Honour and beauty in the owner’s armsAre weakly fortressed from a world of harms. Tarquin’s rape of her is described as if she is a fortress under attack. He conquers her physical attributes. Through her suicide, Lucrece’s body becomes a political symbol. As feminism later coined, the personal is political and the King and his family are finally overthrown to make way for the Republic to be formed. Lines 1849-1855 When they had sworn to this advised doomThey did conclude to bear dead Lucrece thenceTo show her bleeding body thorough Rome,And to publish Tarquin’s foul offence;Which being done with speedy diligence,The Romans plausibly did give consentTo Tarquin’s everlasting banishment. Source Shakespeare, William. The Rape of Lucrece. Paperback, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, March 11, 2018.

The Roman Relationship Between Patron and Client

The Roman Relationship Between Patron and Client The people of ancient Rome were divided into two classes: wealthy, aristocratic patricians and poorer commoners called plebians. Patricians, or upper-class Romans, were patrons to plebian clients. The patrons provided many types of support to their clients who, in turn, rendered services and loyalty to their patrons. The number of clients and sometimes the status of clients conferred prestige on the patron. The client owed his vote to the patron. The patron protected the client and his family, gave legal advice, and helped the clients financially or in other ways. This system was, according to the historian Livy, created by Romes (possibly mythical) founder, Romulus. Rules of Patronage Patronage was not just a matter of picking out an individual and giving him money to support himself. Instead, there were formal rules pertaining to patronage. While the rules did change over the years, the following examples provide an idea of how the system worked: A patron could have a patron of his own; therefore, a client, could have his own clients, but when two high-status Romans had a relationship of mutual benefit, they were likely to choose the label amicus (friend) to describe the relationship since amicus did not imply stratification.Some clients were members of the plebian class but had never been slaves. Others were freed slaves. While freeborn plebes could choose or change their patron, freed slaves called liberti or freedmen automatically became clients of their former owners and were obligated to work for them in some capacity.Each morning at dawn, clients were required to greet their patrons with a greeting called the salutatio. This greeting could also be accompanied by requests for help or favors. As a result, clients were sometimes called salutatores.Clients were expected to support their patrons in all matters, personal and political. As a result, it was possible for a wealthier patron to count on the votes of his many clien ts. Meanwhile, however, patrons were expected to provide a range of goods and services including food (which was often traded for cash) and legal counsel. There was also patronage in the arts where a patron provided the wherewithal to allow the artist to create in comfort. The work of art or book would be dedicated to the patron. Outcomes of the Patronage System The idea of client/patron relationships had significant implications for the later Roman Empire and even medieval society. As Rome expanded throughout the Republic and Empire, it took over smaller states which had its own customs and rules of law. Rather than attempting to remove the states leaders and governments and replace them with Roman rulers, Rome created client states. Leaders of these states were less powerful than Roman leaders and were required to turn to Rome as their patron state. The concept of clients and patrons lived on in the Middle Ages. Rulers of small city/states acted as patrons to poorer serfs. The serfs claimed protection and support from the upper classes who, in turn, required their serfs to produce food, provide services, and act as loyal supporters.