Venus and Adonis

Venus and Adonis is a long narrative poem by William Shakespeare. Published in 1593, it was Shakespeare’s first published literary work under his own name, although he had already written some plays. The poem tells the story of the attempt by Venus, the goddess of love, to seduce Adonis, a handsome but shy young man who is more interested in hunting than making love. Shakespeare drew from classical sources such as Ovid’s Metamorphoses, although he developed the poem in his own way.

In Shakespeare’s day, Venus and Adonis was his most popular work and went through nine editions during his lifetime. It was particularly enjoyed, as one contemporary observer noted, by young people, who lapped up the erotic elements, perhaps rather like a reader today might be drawn to a racy romance novel.

Today, however, Venus and Adonis is read less often and is not as well regarded as it was in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Nevertheless, it can be enjoyed as an erotic, witty mythological story with rich figurative language that explores themes such as love versus lust, innocent male versus cunning female, and self-involved male resisting the call to self-knowledge and relationship. Readers will also enjoy the decidedly comic undertone as Venus tries everything she can to seduce the unwilling Adonis.

Poet Biography

One of the greatest poets and dramatists, William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The exact date of his birth is unknown. He was the third child of John Shakespeare, a glove-maker and businessman, and Mary Arden Shakespeare, the daughter of a wealthy landowner. Although there are no records of his schooling, he likely attended Stratford grammar school and received an education in the classics. In November 1582, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was eight years older than him. At the time, she was pregnant with their first child, Susanna, who was born in 1593. Two years later, the twins Hamnet (a boy who died age 11) and Judith were born.

At some point, Shakespeare left Stratford for London, although his reasons for doing so are unknown. Venus and Adonis, the long poem this study guide addresses, was the first work published under the name William Shakespeare and was released in 1593. The poem is dedicated to Shakespeare’s patron Henry Wriothesley, the third earl of Southampton. Shakespeare also wrote another narrative poem, The Rape of Lucrece (1594), and 154 sonnets.

Shakespeare’s lasting fame, however, is due to his authorship of 37 plays, including comedies, tragedies, histories, and romances. His tragedies, such as Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, and Othello constitute some of the world’s best-known literary works, along with comedies such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. Dates of composition are the subject of debate. The earliest plays may have been written around 1588 or a little later, with the final play, Henry VIII, appearing around 1612-13. There was no collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays during his lifetime, but in 1623 two of Shakespeare’s fellow actors, John Heminges and Henry Condell, published the first collection of his plays, referred to as the First Folio.

In 1594, Shakespeare became a shareholder and playwright of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a theater company. In 1599, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men built the Globe Theater on the south bank of the river Thames in London. It became famous as the site of numerous productions of Shakespeare’s plays.

Shakespeare’s career spanned the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558-1603) and James I (ruled 1603-1625), and both monarchs showed appreciation of his work. In 1603, James allowed Shakespeare’s company to call themselves The King’s Men. Shakespeare appears to have been financially successful, since in 1597, he bought New Place, the second-largest house in Stratford. Shakespeare retired from the theater around 1612 and returned to Stratford to live. He died on April 23, 1616 and was buried in the church at Stratford.

Poem Text

Shakespeare, William. Venus and Adonis. 1593. Poetry Foundation.

Summary

At dawn, Adonis, a handsome youth, is on horseback and about to set off for the hunt, his favorite pastime. However, Venus, the goddess of love, has other ideas. She is greatly enamored of Adonis and wants to make love to him. She pulls him off his horse, and a long dialogue ensues as Venus tries to persuade Adonis to make love with her. Nevertheless, he remains reluctant, since he just wants to go on the hunt with his friends. Venus tries every trick in the book to persuade him, to no avail. Their back-and-forth dialogue goes on all day, but by evening, Adonis is able to get away. Venus wants to meet him the next morning, but he declines. He wants to hunt wild boar. Venus warns him that if he does so, he will be killed by the boar. Adonis takes no notice of the warning, but sure enough, the next morning the prophecy comes true: He is killed by a boar’s tusk in his side. When Venus comes upon Adonis’s body, she is grief-stricken. After her lament, a purple flower springs up from the blood-soaked ground where he lies. Venus picks the flower and says she will hold it to her bosom. Then she flies off in her chariot to Paphos, a city in Cyprus, where she plans to live in seclusion.