The theme of rape in elizabethan and jacobean literary texts

Table of Contents

A. Introduction

I. Introduction into the topic

II. Aim of the present study and its position in current research

B. Definition of ‘rape’: narrowing of the term?

C. The notion of rape in antique, medieval and Renaissance times

I. Beliefs about rape in Antiquity: connection with honour

II. Medieval and Renaissance attitudes: rape as a theft of property

D. Literary forerunners: the “rape of Lucrece” in Antiquity and the Middle Ages

I. The “rape of Lucrece” in Antiquity

1. Political focus: Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita

2. The importance of the Roman calendar: Ovid’s Fasti

3. Roman myth for Greek readers: Dionysius Halicarnassos’ Antiquitates Romanae

II. The reception of the ancient myth of Lucrece in Christian and medieval literature

1. Lucrece as a self-murderer: St Augustine’s De Civitate Dei Contra Paganos

2. An unconscious Lucrece: Gower’s Confessio Amantis and Chaucer’s The Legend of Good Women

E. Different adaptations of the “rape of Lucrece” in the English Renaissance

I. William Shakespeare’s Lucrece

1. Structure of the text, context, reception history

2. Sources of Shakespeare’s adaptation

3. Textual analysis

a. Lucrece’s chastity: a virtue to be conquered

b. Tarquin’s lust: a double-edged sword

c. Description of the actual rape

d. Different ways of dealing with the rape

i. Lucrece’s different stages in her complaint and her subsequent suicide

ii. Tarquin: a troubled rapist

iii. Reactions of her husband, father and friends

e. Tarquin’s banishment: the “Argument” and the last stanza of the poem

II. Thomas Middleton’s The Ghost of Lucrece

1. Structure of the text, context, reception history

2. Sources of Middleton’s adaptation

3. Textual analysis

a. Lucrece: from chaste wife to lustful whore

b. Tarquin: a lecherous ghost in Hell

c. Reminiscences of the actual rape

d. Different ways of dealing with the rape

i. Lucrece’s raging complaint and the re-enactment of her suicide

ii. Tarquin the ghost: raping Lucrece a second time?

e. The dedication, the Latin text, the prologue and the epilogue

III. Thomas Heywood’s The Rape of Lucrece.

1. Structure of the text, context, reception history

2. Sources of Heywood’s adaptation

3. Textual analysis

a. Lucrece’s chastity: a virtue also imposed on the household

b. Tarquin: a lecherous prince in an infected state

c. The dialogue leading up to the actual rape

d. Different ways of dealing with the rape

i. Lucrece’s complaint and her heroic suicide

ii. Tarquin: Remorseful rapist?

iii. Reactions of her husband, father and friends

e. The rape as a reason for heroic deeds and the slaughter of the Tarquins

F. Conclusion: comparative analysis of the three Renaissance texts

Objectives and Themes

The study examines how Shakespeare, Middleton and Heywood adapt the myth of Lucrece, asking how their portrayals of rape relate to earlier literary sources, gendered interpretations and the social and political contexts of their works.

• Changing meanings of the term “rape”
• Ancient, medieval and Renaissance beliefs and laws
• Classical and medieval versions of the Lucrece myth
• Gender, chastity, consent and violence in three adaptations
• Literary form, political authority and revenge

Excerpt from the Book

Chapter Summaries

A. Introduction: The author introduces the Lucrece myth, the three Renaissance adaptations and the study’s position in source research and feminist criticism.

B. Definition of ‘rape’: narrowing of the term?: This chapter considers the word’s changing meanings, including seizure, abduction and sexual violation, through literary and historical examples.

C. The notion of rape in antique, medieval and Renaissance times: The discussion outlines beliefs and laws concerning honour, property, consent and prosecution across the three periods.

D. Literary forerunners: the “rape of Lucrece” in Antiquity and the Middle Ages: The author examines accounts by Livy, Ovid, Dionysius, Augustine, Gower and Chaucer as literary predecessors of the Renaissance works.

E. Different adaptations of the “rape of Lucrece” in the English Renaissance: Separate analyses explore the sources, reception and textual features of Shakespeare’s and Middleton’s poems and Heywood’s play.

F. Conclusion: comparative analysis of the three Renaissance texts: The final chapter compares the adaptations’ treatment of character, violence, revenge and political change.

Keywords

Lucrece, rape, English Renaissance, Elizabethan literature, Jacobean literature, William Shakespeare, Thomas Middleton, Thomas Heywood, classical reception, feminist criticism, chastity, consent, revenge, literary adaptation

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the work about?

It studies representations of rape through three English Renaissance adaptations of the Lucrece myth.

What are its central themes?

Its themes include sexual violence, chastity, consent, gender, literary inheritance, revenge and political authority.

What is the study’s primary objective?

It seeks to compare the three adaptations while examining their possible sources and extending feminist approaches beyond Shakespeare’s poem.

What scholarly method does the author use?

The author combines comparative literary analysis and close reading with source study, historical context and feminist criticism.

What does the main body cover?

It discusses historical understandings of rape, earlier accounts of Lucrece, and separate readings of works by Shakespeare, Middleton and Heywood.

Which keywords characterise the work?

Key terms include Lucrece, English Renaissance, rape, classical reception, feminist criticism, consent and revenge.

Which earlier versions of the Lucrece story are examined?

The study considers accounts by Livy, Ovid, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Augustine, John Gower and Geoffrey Chaucer.

Why does the author examine Middleton’s poem alongside Shakespeare’s?

She explores their literary relationship and reads Middleton’s ghostly Lucrece in connection with questions raised by Shakespeare’s poem.

How does Heywood’s play broaden the comparison?

Its dramatic form allows the study to examine public performance, the Roman state and political conflict alongside the treatment of Lucrece.