The Rape of Lucrece

In “The Rape of Lucrece,” Shakespeare throws a veil of anachronism over a Roman myth: His poem resembles long narrative works from Greece and Rome but uses distinct elements from the Arthurian literary tradition. In addition to language that directly references Arthurian codes of conduct, like “knights [who] should right poor ladies’ harms” (Line 1694), Shakespeare uses narrative devices associated with the Arthurian tradition.

Throughout the poem, the narrator intervenes with opinions and information external to the characters. For instance, the narrator condemns Tarquin: “through the length of times he stands disgraced” (Line 718), as well as sets the scenes: “And solemn night with slow sad gait descended / To ugly hell, when lo, the blushing morrow / Lends light to all fair eyes that light will borrow” (Lines 1081-83). Chatty and opinionated narrators appear in many Arthurian tales, from the central Grail stories to romances only tangentially connected to the Round Table, such as the Roman de Silence.

Furthermore, the poem takes aesthetic qualities and concerns from Arthuriana. The poetic motif of eyes controlling the heart and the debate between nature and artistic representation (in the painting of Troy) can be found in classic French romances that are descended from the songs of the troubadours, a type of “minstrels” (Line 817) who bridged Sufi poetics and the stories of love that were recited in Marie de Champagne’s court. However, in the case of Tarquin, these motifs are mobilized in the service of violence, rather than a distant, worshipful courtly love.