Rape of Lucrece, The by SHAKESPEARE, William

The Rape of Lucrece (1594) is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare about the legendary Lucretia. Lucrece draws on the story described in both Ovids Fasti and Livys history of Rome. In 509 BC, Sextus Tarquinius, son of Tarquin, the king of Rome, raped Lucretia (Lucrece), wife of Collatinus, one of the kings aristocratic retainers. As a result, Lucrece committed suicide. Her body was paraded in the Roman Forum by the kings nephew. This incited a full-scale revolt against the Tarquins led by Lucius Junius Brutus, the banishment of the royal family, and the founding of the Roman republic. (Summary by Wikipedia)