Abstract
This essay demonstrates the interrelationship between the historical source (Livy, Ab Urbe Condita LVIII-LX) and the literary source (Ovid, Fasti, II. 721-852) present in the construction, or rather, in “the artistic scheme,” of Shakespeare’s Rape of Lucrece. The “Argument,” written in prose and the text of the narrative poem reveal Shakespeare’s synchronic engagement with both Clio and Calliope. The synergistic interaction between the two parts proves that Shakespeare either consciously or unconsciously joined the ongoing discussion on the interaction between history and poetry. Falling in line with the sixteenth-century debate on the credibility of historical sources, the reading of Lucrece encourages the reader to judge the so-called authenticity or actuality of past events as depicted in different genres of literary texts. In other words, as a two-part structure Shakespeare’s Lucrece invites the analysis of the relationship between history/historiography and poetry, in which one of the essential elements is the question of the process of interpreting both historical and poetic narrative texts and their use of language, style, form and literary genre.
Highlights
Even a cursory look at historical works written during Shakespeare’s times shows that the problem of their credibility constituted one of the major topics of discussion among contemporary luminaries of science, culture and literature (Baker, 1967: 15-41)
Sidney’s critical comments do not express the general opinion of the Elizabethan philosophy of history, they do present two very important issues. In those times it was believed, following the ancients, that the main purpose of historical works was to determine and declare the truth about past events, and that this truth should play the role of a moral paradigm for relationships between people, confirmed by the experience of eminent individuals
The work is composed of two parts: the Argument, written in prose, and the text of the narrative poem
Summary
Even a cursory look at historical works written during Shakespeare’s times shows that the problem of their credibility constituted one of the major topics of discussion among contemporary luminaries of science, culture and literature (Baker, 1967: 15-41). The work is composed of two parts: the Argument, written in prose, and the text of the narrative poem.3 Analysis of the mutual relationships between these parts, as I shall try to prove, supports the thesis that the use of this particular structure allowed Shakespeare, either consciously or unconsciously, to participate in this debate on the interactions between history and poetry (or a literary work in general).
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