Introduction to the poem
Like his Venus and Adonis, Shakespeare’s Lucrece belongs to the genre of the minor epic. But unlike Venus, Lucrece incorporates a second genre, the complaint. As a minor epic, Lucrece draws upon the legendary history of a great empire, the moment when Rome ceases to be a kingdom ruled by the Tarquins and becomes a republic governed by elected consuls. Yet, again as a minor epic, Lucrece employs as its chief characters figures of seemingly secondary historical or political importance. The poem gives us Tarquin (the king’s young son) and Lucrece (the wife of one of Rome’s first consuls, Collatine). Lucrece focuses initially on Tarquin’s overwhelming desire for the beautiful wife of his kinsman and friend. From the moment of Tarquin’s rape of Lucrece through the remainder of the poem, the focus shifts to the sexual shame felt by Lucrece, a much more disturbing emotion than that felt by Adonis as he is ardently wooed by Venus.
The Folger Shakespeare
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Night-wand’ring weasels shriek to see him there;
They fright him, yet he still pursues his fear.
In vain I rail at Opportunity,
At Time, at Tarquin, and uncheerful Night.
Lucrece in our collection
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Essays and resources from The Folger Shakespeare
Lucrece
Learn more about Shakespeare, his poem, its language, and its history from the experts behind our edition.
Shakespeare’s Life
An essay about Shakespeare and the time in which he lived
About Shakespeare’s Lucrece
An introduction to the sources behind Shakespeare’s poem and his transformation of them.
Reading Shakespeare’s Language
A guide for understanding Shakespeare’s words, sentences, and poetic techniques
An Introduction to This Text
A description of the publishing history of the poem and our editors’ approach to this edition
Textual Notes
A record of the variants in the early printings of this text
A Modern Perspective
An essay by Catherine Belsey
Further Reading
Suggestions from our experts on where to learn more
Teaching Lucrece
Use the Folger Method to teach any of Shakespeare’s works. Become a Teacher Member to get exclusive access to lesson plans and professional development.
The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
The Key to Getting ALL Students Understanding and Interpreting Complex Texts
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The First Week of School: Literature Line Toss
The First Week of School: Literature Line Toss
2-Line Scenes - General Shakespeare
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The Monologue Project
The Monologue Project
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