person
Lucretia
Wife of Tarquinius Collatinus, raped by Sextus Tarquinius; her suicide precipitated the expulsion of the Tarquins.
Reading notes
- On the Ends of Good and Evil §2.66 Lucretia, violated by force by the king's son
The noble Roman matron whose rape by Sextus Tarquinius and subsequent suicide, in legend, sparked the overthrow of the monarchy under Brutus and the founding of the Republic. Cicero cites her as proof that honor outweighs life.
- On the Ends of Good and Evil §5.64 was found a Lucretia
Lucretia, the Roman matron raped by the king's son Sextus Tarquinius, took her own life and so sparked the overthrow of the monarchy. She exemplifies a voluntary death chosen for honour's sake.