Rape is War. The Language of Violence in "The Rape of Lucrece"

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject Didactics - English - Literature, Works, University of Botswana, language: English, abstract: This study examines how language is used to suggest sexual aggression in Shakespeare¿s The Rape of Lucrece. Tarquin commits rape because he wants to sexually conquer Lucrece. Such devices as metaphors of violence and other linguistic devices in the poem are examined for evidence of sexual conquest. The study argues that the kind of language that Tarquin uses reflects his behaviour and actions in significant ways.

For example, the language reflects his ideologies and the exercise of power. There are several ways in which the language manifests itself. Examples include figurative language such as imagery and metaphors. The study con-cludes that the structural metaphor of the poem is crucial to the understanding of rape as the worst form of intrusive crime comparable to the incursion of a territory by foreign forces.