The Rape of Lucrece
Categories: Literature & Fiction
Drawing on the Roman legend told by Ovid and Livy, this 1594 narrative poem follows Tarquin, the king's son, who is inflamed by reports of Lucrece's virtue and, while her husband is away at war, rapes her. Composed in rhyme royal and dedicated, like Venus and Adonis, to the Earl of Southampton, the poem dwells on guilt, shame and violence in long, intense speeches. This New Penguin Shakespeare edition was edited by J. W. Lever.
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