🌹 Stanza 103 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘Thou hadst been gone,’ quoth she, ‘sweet boy, ere this,
But that thou told’st me thou wouldst hunt the boar.
O! be advis’d; thou know’st not what it is
With javelin’s point a churlish swine to gore,      
Whose tushes never sheath’d he whetteth still,
Like to a mortal butcher, bent to kill.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: ‘Thou hadst been gone,’ quoth she, ‘sweet boy, ere this,

"Thou hadst been gone": An archaic form of the past perfect tense, meaning "You would have already left." Shakespeare uses this to indicate a hypothetical situation in the past, showing that Adonis's presence is not by chance but by Venus's intervention.
"quoth she": An archaic way of saying "said she." This clearly identifies the speaker as Venus, emphasizing her voice and her direct address to Adonis.
"sweet boy": A term of endearment Venus frequently uses for Adonis. It highlights his youth, innocence, and her deep affection for him, while also subtly underscoring her maternal or protective stance towards him.
"ere this": Before this time; by now. It implies that a significant amount of time has passed, during which Venus has held Adonis back, prolonging their encounter.
Meaning: "You would have already left by now," she said, "my sweet boy,"

Line 2: But that thou told’st me thou wouldst hunt the boar.

"But that": A conjunction meaning "except for the fact that" or "if it weren't for the fact that." It introduces the reason Venus has detained Adonis.
"thou told’st me": An archaic second-person singular past tense of "tell," meaning "you told me." This highlights Venus's attention to Adonis's words and intentions.
"thou wouldst hunt the boar": You intended to hunt the wild boar. This reveals Adonis's primary desire and the source of Venus's growing concern, setting the stage for her vivid warnings.
Meaning: "If it weren't for the fact that you told me you intended to hunt the boar."

Line 3: O! be advis’d; thou know’st not what it is

"O! be advis’d": An urgent exclamation meaning "Oh! Be warned" or "Take heed; be prudent." The "O!" adds dramatic emphasis to Venus's plea, showing her alarm and desire to impress upon Adonis the gravity of the situation. "Advis'd" implies seeking or taking counsel.
"thou know’st not what it is": You do not know what the boar (or the act of hunting it) truly entails. This underscores Adonis's naivety and inexperience, contrasting it with Venus's presumed wisdom or foresight regarding the danger.
Meaning: "Oh! Be warned; you don't truly understand what it means to..."

Line 4: With javelin’s point a churlish swine to gore,

"With javelin’s point": Using the sharp tip of a javelin or spear. This specifies the hunting weapon Adonis intends to use, emphasizing the direct, physical confrontation.
"a churlish swine": A rude, ill-tempered, brutal, or uncivilized wild pig (boar). "Churlish" characterizes the boar as hostile and ungracious, not just an animal but a dangerous, aggressive entity. "Swine" is used here to denote the wild boar, often carrying negative connotations of dirtiness or wildness. Shakespeare uses "churlish" to personify the boar, giving it human-like temperament.
"to gore": To pierce or stab with a sharp object, often a horn or tusk. Here, it refers to wounding the boar with the javelin. This verb, however, carries a strong association with the boar's own later actions (goring Adonis), creating a chilling double meaning and foreshadowing.
Meaning: "...to wound an ill-tempered wild boar with the tip of a spear,"

Line 5: Whose tushes never sheath’d he whetteth still,

"Whose tushes": Whose tusks (the long, pointed teeth of a boar). "Tushes" specifically refers to these prominent, dangerous weapons.
"never sheath’d": Never put away or covered; always exposed and ready for attack. This emphasizes the boar's constant state of readiness for violence and its inherently aggressive nature.
"he whetteth still": He continually sharpens. "Whetteth" (an archaic third-person singular present tense of "whet") means to sharpen. "Still" means continuously or constantly. This powerfully personifies the boar, suggesting it deliberately and menacingly prepares its weapons, like a skilled killer.
Meaning: "Whose constantly exposed tusks he continually sharpens,"

Line 6: Like to a mortal butcher, bent to kill.

"Like to a mortal butcher": A simile comparing the boar to a human butcher who is subject to death ("mortal") but whose profession involves killing. "Mortal" also carries the connotation of "death-dealing" or "deadly." This comparison elevates the boar beyond a mere animal, presenting it as a professional, relentless agent of death. Shakespeare uses "mortal" to heighten the sense of fatal danger.
"bent to kill": Absolutely determined and focused on killing. This final phrase reinforces the boar's singular, terrifying purpose. It leaves no doubt about its lethal intent and contrasts sharply with Adonis's idea of a sporting hunt.
Meaning: "Like a deadly butcher, absolutely determined to kill."

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Personification	"a churlish swine," "he whetteth still," "bent to kill"	Attributes human-like temperament ("churlish") and deliberate actions (sharpening tusks, being "bent to kill") to the boar, making it a more menacing, almost sentient antagonist rather than a mere animal.
Simile	"Like to a mortal butcher, bent to kill."	Vividly compares the boar to a human professional killer, emphasizing its focused, relentless, and deadly intent. It elevates the boar from a beast of the field to an embodiment of destructive force.
Foreshadowing	Descriptions of the boar's "tushes never sheath'd," its intent "to gore," and being "bent to kill."	Venus's warnings and vivid description of the boar's lethal nature directly prefigure Adonis's eventual death by the boar's tusks, creating dramatic irony and heightening the sense of impending tragedy for the knowing reader.
Imagery	"javelin's point," "churlish swine," "tushes never sheath'd," "whetteth still," "mortal butcher."	Creates a stark and terrifying mental picture of the boar, emphasizing its physical danger (tusks, gore) and its violent, professional-killer demeanor. Engages the reader's senses and imagination to convey the threat.
Metaphor/Implied Metaphor	The boar as a "mortal butcher"	Beyond a simple comparison, this paints the boar as an embodiment of death or a skilled executioner, deepening its symbolic significance within the poem as a force of destruction that opposes Venus's life-affirming love.
Dramatic Irony	Venus warns Adonis about the boar's lethal nature.	The audience, aware of the myth of Adonis, knows that despite Venus's warnings, he will indeed be killed by this very boar. This adds a layer of tragic inevitability to Venus's pleas.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

Stanza 103 marks a crucial turning point in Venus and Adonis, as Venus shifts from her insistent, often overwhelming, physical pursuit of Adonis to a profound expression of maternal or protective love and fear. She directly confronts Adonis's intention to hunt the boar, using increasingly graphic and terrifying imagery to paint a picture of the animal as a formidable, almost sentient, and utterly lethal force.

The stanza's central meaning revolves around Venus's desperate attempt to warn Adonis of a danger he is too naive or arrogant to comprehend. She portrays the boar not as a mere beast of sport, but as a "churlish swine" with "tushes never sheath'd," constantly "whetteth still," and resembling "a mortal butcher, bent to kill." This vivid personification and simile serve to elevate the boar to a symbolic representation of wild, uncontrolled, and destructive passion or death itself, directly contrasting with Venus's desire for love, beauty, and life.

In the broader context of the poem, this stanza is highly significant for several reasons:

Foreshadowing of Tragedy: It directly foreshadows Adonis's tragic death. Venus's detailed and terrifying description of the boar's destructive nature lays the groundwork for the inevitable climax, making her warnings prophetic and deepening the sense of impending doom for the reader.
Theme of Life vs. Death: The stanza explicitly introduces the theme of death and its destructive power, which will ultimately triumph over Venus's passionate love and Adonis's youth and beauty. The boar becomes the antagonist representing this destructive force, highlighting the fragility of life and the futility of mortal efforts against fate.
Venus's Shifting Role: It showcases a different facet of Venus's character. While previously driven by erotic desire, here she embodies a protective, almost maternal concern. Her intense fear for Adonis's safety underscores the depth of her affection and foreshadows her grief.
Adonis's Naivety and Masculine Drive: Adonis's insistence on hunting, despite Venus's pleas, highlights his youth, inexperience, and perhaps a rigid adherence to traditional masculine pursuits (hunting, valor) over love or caution. This ultimately contributes to his demise.

Ultimately, Stanza 103 is a powerful dramatic moment where the poem's central conflict between love/life and death/destruction is articulated through Venus's desperate, yet ultimately futile, warning. It cements the boar's role as a symbol of untamed, deadly nature, setting the stage for the poem's tragic conclusion.