The Rape of Lucrece (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Shakespeare
- First Published: 1594
- Type of Work: Poetry
- Type of Plot: Tragedy
- Time of Work: 500
- Setting: Rome
- Principal Characters: Collatine, Lucrece, Tarquin
- Genres: Poetry, Narrative poetry
- Subjects: Suicide, Beauty, Emotions, Rape, War, Blackmail, Revenge, Greek or Roman times, Rome, Honor
- Locales: Italy, Rome, ancient
The Story:
At Ardea, where the Romans were fighting, two Roman leaders, Tarquin and Collatine, spoke together one evening. Collatine described his beautiful young wife, Lucrece, in such glowing terms that Tarquin’s passions were aroused. The next morning, Tarquin left the Roman host and journeyed to Collatium, where the unsuspecting Lucrece welcomed him as one of her husband’s friends. As Tarquin told her many tales of Collatine’s prowess on the battlefield, he looked admiringly at Lucrece and decided that she was the most beautiful woman in Rome.
In the night,...
[The entire page is 2324 words long]
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