🌹 Stanza 104 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘On his bow-back he hath a battle set
Of bristly pikes, that ever threat his foes;        
His eyes like glow-worms shine when he doth fret;
His snout digs sepulchres where’er he goes;
Being mov’d, he strikes whate’er is in his way,
And whom he strikes his crooked tushes slay.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: ‘On his bow-back he hath a battle set

"bow-back": Refers to the arched, rounded, and powerful curvature of the boar's back. Shakespeare chose this to emphasize the formidable, taut, and spring-like physical strength of the beast, making it seem like a weapon poised for action.
"hath a battle set": Means he has a military formation or array (a "battle") positioned or arranged on his back. This is a vivid metaphor, portraying the boar's bristles not merely as hair, but as an organized, threatening army. "Set" implies a deliberate, menacing readiness.
Meaning: "On his arched, powerful back, he carries a formidable array, like a military formation."

Line 2: Of bristly pikes, that ever threat his foes;

"bristly pikes": The stiff, coarse hairs on the boar's back are metaphorically compared to "pikes," which were long, pointed spears used by soldiers. This immediately conveys the sharp, dangerous, and defensive nature of the boar's fur. "Bristly" emphasizes their stiffness, roughness, and ability to injure.
"ever threat his foes": These pike-like bristles are perpetually menacing to anyone who might oppose him. "Ever" conveys a constant, unwavering state of readiness for attack or defense, implying a creature that is always dangerous.
Meaning: "Consisting of sharp, bristly hairs that constantly threaten his enemies."

Line 3: His eyes like glow-worms shine when he doth fret;

"glow-worms": Small insects that emit a faint, often greenish light, typically visible in the dark. Comparing the boar's eyes to glow-worms suggests a sinister, eerie, and intense, albeit possibly small, light in the darkness, making the boar seem unnerving or even demonic.
"doth fret": Means "becomes agitated," "gets angry," or "is disturbed." The light in his eyes is not constant but appears when he is roused or provoked, indicating his readiness for violence and an internal rage.
Meaning: "His eyes glow with an eerie light, like a glow-worm's, when he becomes agitated or angry."

Line 4: His snout digs sepulchres where’er he goes;

"snout": The projecting nose and mouth of the boar, used for rooting and digging.
"digs sepulchres": A "sepulchre" is a tomb or burial place. This is a powerful and grim hyperbole. It means his snout is so destructive and his presence so deadly that wherever he goes, he effectively creates graves, implying he causes death and destruction, clearing the ground for the deceased. Shakespeare chose this to emphasize the boar's inherent destructive nature and foreshadow Adonis's demise.
"where’er he goes": Emphasizes the wide-ranging and pervasive destructive capability of the boar; his very movement signifies death and devastation.
Meaning: "His snout (nose) creates graves and brings death wherever he roams."

Line 5: Being mov’d, he strikes whate’er is in his way,

"Being mov’d": Meaning "when provoked," "when angered," or "when stirred to action." This highlights the boar's reactive aggression rather than a calm, calculated attack, underscoring its wild, untamed nature.
"strikes whate’er is in his way": Implies an indiscriminate and overwhelmingly powerful attack. He does not just attack foes; anything impeding him faces his brute force. This underscores his lack of discernment and overwhelming power when enraged.
Meaning: "When provoked, he violently attacks anything that obstructs his path."

Line 6: And whom he strikes his crooked tushes slay.

"whom he strikes": Refers to any person or thing that he hits or attacks.
"crooked tushes": The boar's long, curved, sharp teeth that protrude from its mouth. "Crooked" emphasizes their menacing, gnarled, and uniquely destructive shape, designed specifically for tearing and goring.
"slay": To kill violently. This is the ultimate consequence of the boar's attack, making explicit the fatal outcome of an encounter with this beast.
Meaning: "And whatever he strikes, his curved, sharp tusks kill."

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Metaphor	"On his bow-back he hath a battle set / Of bristly pikes"	Compares the boar's bristly back to an armed military formation (pikes), transforming the animal into a living weapon and emphasizing its formidable, defensive, and offensive capabilities.
Simile	"His eyes like glow-worms shine when he doth fret"	Compares the boar's eyes to glow-worms, evoking an eerie, piercing, and sinister light that appears when the animal is agitated, thus highlighting its dangerous intensity and malevolent presence.
Hyperbole	"His snout digs sepulchres where’er he goes"	Exaggerates the boar's destructive capacity, implying that its very movement brings death and creates graves. This powerfully conveys the fatal impact and widespread devastation caused by the beast.
Personification	"bristly pikes, that ever threat his foes"	Attributes the human action of "threatening" to the boar's bristles, making them seem actively malicious and constantly ready for aggression, imbuing the animal with a sense of deliberate hostility.
Foreshadowing	"His snout digs sepulchres where’er he goes; / And whom he strikes his crooked tushes slay."	These vivid descriptions of the boar's deadly nature directly hint at and predict Adonis's ultimate violent demise at the hands of the beast, building a sense of tragic inevitability and dread.
Imagery	"bow-back," "bristly pikes," "glow-worms shine," "snout digs sepulchres," "crooked tushes"	Creates powerful, menacing mental pictures of the boar, appealing to visual and tactile senses. This vivid description effectively conveys the animal's formidable, dangerous, and almost monstrous nature to the reader.
Alliteration	"snout digs sepulchres" (repetition of 's' sound)	Creates a subtle sibilant (hissing) auditory effect that enhances the ominous and destructive nature of the boar, contributing to the grim and dangerous atmosphere surrounding the creature.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza offers a chilling and intensely visceral description of the wild boar, contrasting sharply with Venus's earlier attempts to romanticize or downplay the danger of the hunt. It functions as Venus's ultimate, desperate warning to Adonis about the true nature of the beast he intends to hunt.

Overall Meaning: The stanza portrays the wild boar as an absolute embodiment of destructive force and untamed savagery. It is presented not merely as an animal but as a formidable, living weapon, with every physical attribute—from its arched back and bristling fur to its glowing eyes, digging snout, and lethal tusks—designed for indiscriminate violence and death. The boar's very existence signifies danger and fatal consequences, making it a harbinger of doom.

Significance in the Context of the Poem:

Intensified Warning and Foreshadowing: This detailed and brutal portrayal serves as Venus's most urgent plea to Adonis. It starkly contradicts her previous, idealized descriptions of a "gentle" boar that Adonis could easily conquer. By painting such a terrifying picture, Shakespeare masterfully heightens the dramatic irony and unequivocally foreshadows Adonis's tragic, violent death. The "sepulchres" the boar's snout digs are, tragically, meant for Adonis himself.
Theme of Untamed Nature and Violence: The stanza powerfully emphasizes the raw, uncontrollable, and destructive aspect of wild nature, particularly its capacity for fatal violence when provoked. It underscores the profound danger of underestimating or challenging such forces, a central theme as the youthful and perhaps arrogant Adonis disregards Venus's counsel.
Reversal of Power Dynamics: This description solidifies the boar's role as an unstoppable agent of fate and destruction, effectively reversing the power dynamic previously suggested. Instead of prey, the boar is clearly the dominant and lethal force, reinforcing the poem's tragic arc where Adonis succumbs to the very danger he sought.
Atmosphere and Tone Shift: The graphic imagery and strong, violent verbs contribute to a palpable atmosphere of impending doom and dread. This stanza marks a significant shift in the poem's tone, moving from the ardent, often sensuous pursuit of Venus to a stark and grim foreboding of death, setting the stage for the tragic climax.