The Rage of Lucrece: Anger, Empathy, and "Imaginary Work"

This paper explores Shakespeare's contrapuntal depictions of empathy, grief, and rage in The Rape of Lucrece . I argue that Lucrece's position as alert interpreter of myth also provides a model for the reader's own agency. While the poem depicts Lucrece (and women more generally) as vulnerable wax, I propose that it also shows how the susceptibility to pity is a valuable trait that should be balanced with rage, especially given the contemporary efforts to ignore women's voices and their agency over their bodies.