The Rape of Lucrece (1594) is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare about the legendary Lucretia.
In his previous narrative poem, Venus and Adonis (1593), Shakespeare had included a dedicatory letter to his patron, the Earl of Southampton, in which he promised to compose a graver labour.
Accordingly, The Rape of Lucrece has a serious tone throughout.
The poem begins with a prose dedication addressed directly to the Earl of Southampton, which begins, The love I dedicate to your Lordship is without end.
It refers to the poem as a pamphlet, which describes the form of its original publication of 1594.
Throne Classics The rape of lucrece, hardcover/william shakespeare
