POLITICAL USE OF RAPE IN LIVY AND SHAKESPEARE’S “THE RAPE OF LUCRECE”
POLITICAL USE OF RAPE IN LIVY AND SHAKESPEARE’S “THE RAPE OF LUCRECE”

Summary/Abstract: Out of the numerous examples of feminine victims in the Romanian literature and historiography, three stand out as a source of inspiration for the Shakespearian narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece. The foundation of moral and political values in ancient Rome is represented by the famous Abduction of the Sabines in Ab Urbe Condita, that of Virginia and the chapter of Lucrece’s rape. In his poem, Shakespeare presents Rome undergoing a period of transition, the starting point for the evolution of the Roman Republic, founded on the death of Lucrece. While in Titus Livius’ work the legendary victims are perceived as essential for the salvation of Rome, and they bring legitimacy and political pragmatism, in Shakespeare’s case Lucrece is the image of “sacrifice” turning “sacred” for its own sake.

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