Mojo, The Bard, & Me

 

Today’s Totally Random Lines

  

At this request, with noble disposition

Each present lord began to promise aid,

As bound in knighthood to her imposition,

Longing to hear the hateful foe bewray’d.

But she, that yet her sad task hath not said,

The protestation stops. ‘O, speak,’ quoth she,

‘How may this forced stain be wiped from me?

 

 

Narrator/Lucrece

The Rape of Lucrece                     Line 1696

 

Lucrece’s husband has arrived home, and he’s got a bunch of his guys with him. The request mentioned in the first line is Lucrece’s request to all of them to revenge the wrong done her. The word bewray, in the fourth line above, means revealed. She has not yet told them the name of the person who raped her.

I’m not sure how well this tale does here in the twenty-first century. Lucrece is taking most of the blame for this rape upon herself. And as we saw on Tuesday, a few lines down from here she takes her own life because of it. Of course, nothing has changed from 1600 to 2023, the rapist was as guilty then as he is now; the woman as innocent. Public perception (are those even the right words?) on the other hand is vastly different, and even that is still (always?) evolving: exhibit one - the recent ‘me too’ movement.

So, what to say about all of this? Honestly, I just don’t know.

Perhaps we can think of this as a picture of Lucrece in happier times. 

Perhaps.