Below is a link to the “The Rape of Lucretia” reading. This story is first found in the work of the earliest Roman historian Fabius Pictor (late 3rd century B. C.E.) The classical form of the story is Livy’s version (late 1st century C.E.). According to this tale, Lucretia was a Roman noblewoman whose rape by Sextus Tarquinius (son of the Etruscan king) caused the rebellion that overthrew the Roman monarchy and led to the creation of the Roman Republic.
Please read “The Rape of Lucretia” and answer the following discussion questions in no less than 200 words.
Link
Source: “Livy, The Rape of Lucretia, from The History of Rome,” Internet History Sourcebook
Discussion Questions:
1. What virtues does “The Rape of Lucretia” put forth for Roman society through the example of Lucretia?
2. How would Romans use this story to explain the end of monarchy in Rome and the emergence of a republic?
