Lucrece, the Chaste Woman
Lucrece herself acts as a symbol for ideals of feminine virtue and honor. Her description as chaste paired with her ultimate decision to kill herself rather than live with the 'dishonor' of having been raped symbolizes the importance of maintaining female virtue, and the strict bounds in which women were made to live- both in Roman times and in Shakespeare's times.
Darkness
Lucrece directly condemns the darkness that comes with night as being a partner in Tarquin's assault on her person. This darkness, which hides his intentions until it is too late, can be seen as representing the societal conditions which would allow a man to violently exert control over a woman with virtual impunity. Thus society, in the unsaid darkness of night, allows for Lucrece's exploitation.
Sinon
Sinon, one of the characters who Lucrece identifies in the painting of the Battle of Troy which she views shortly after she has been raped, is representative of Tarquin and his deceit. Lucrece remarks that though Sinon is a liar and dishonorable, the painter has managed to portray him as saint-like and innocent. This mirrors her experience with Tarquin, wherein he deceived his way into her home only to reveal his true colors under the cover of night.
Troy
Just as Sinon in the painting represents Tarquin, the city of Troy represents Lucrece. She sees herself as being in the position of the invaded, with Tarquin as the one who has betrayed her. While this dynamic would seem to shift the blame onto Tarquin, it in fact symbolizes Lucrece's belief that she should have known better than to trust Tarquin, and that now that her body-her own city of Troy-has been in some way destroyed, it is no longer of any worth.
The Roman Dagger
The dagger that Lucrece uses to kill herself is a phallic symbol. The violent penetration which directly causes her death mirrors the violent rape which spurred her decision to die. This re-emphasizes the effect of male power and control over the female body in this time period, suggesting that even Lucrece's death is not free from this influence. Thus, while her choice to die is supposedly her own, it still stems from an imbalance of power, meaning that her death is the only option in this situation.
