Rape of Lucrece

The Rape of Lucrece is a long narrative poem about Tarquin raping Lucrece and its aftermath. Shakespeare provides a brief window into Tarquin's obsession and how he becomes jealous of his inferior Collatine having a more virtuous wife. The rape itself takes up a small amount of narrative space, with a large amount of lines devoted to Lucrece's state of mind after the violation.

[Picture: Lucretia, Rembrandt, 1666]