🌹 Stanza 107 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘O! let him keep his loathsome cabin still;
Beauty hath nought to do with such foul fiends:
Come not within his danger by thy will;
They that thrive well take counsel of their friends.
When thou didst name the boar, not to dissemble,
I fear’d thy fortune, and my joints did tremble.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "O! let him keep his loathsome cabin still;"

"loathsome cabin": Refers to the boar's lair or den, depicting it as disgusting and repulsive. "Cabin" signifies a rude or primitive dwelling, emphasizing the boar's wild, uncivilized nature. Shakespeare uses "loathsome" to convey Venus's profound aversion and fear, contrasting the boar's repulsive habitat with her own radiant beauty and Adonis's delicate grace.
"still": Means "always" or "continuously," expressing Venus's fervent wish for the boar to remain permanently in its vile, isolated dwelling and never pose a threat.
Meaning: "Oh! let that boar stay in his disgusting den forever;"

Line 2: "Beauty hath nought to do with such foul fiends:"

"Beauty hath nought to do": "Hath nought to do" means "has nothing to do with" or "should have no association with." This is Venus's assertion that beauty and ugliness/danger are fundamentally incompatible and should remain separate. "Nought" means "nothing."
"foul fiends": A vivid and hyperbolic description of the boar, portraying it as a demonic, evil creature. "Fiends" elevates the boar beyond a mere animal to a malevolent force, emphasizing its dangerous and corrupting nature, thus making it an antithesis to Venus's (and Adonis's) beauty and purity.
Meaning: "Beauty has nothing to do with such horrible, devilish creatures:"

Line 3: "Come not within his danger by thy will;"

"Come not within his danger": "Danger" here refers to the boar's power to inflict harm or its destructive reach. It's a direct warning against approaching the animal, implying that proximity alone is perilous.
"by thy will": Means "by your own choice" or "willingly." This emphasizes Adonis's agency in deciding to hunt the boar and serves as a plea for him to consciously choose to avoid the peril.
Meaning: "Do not willingly put yourself in his reach or power to harm;"

Line 4: "They that thrive well take counsel of their friends."

"thrive well": Means "prosper" or "succeed," specifically implying living a safe and fortunate life, avoiding misfortune.
"take counsel of their friends": Means "listen to the advice of their friends." This is presented as a proverbial truth, a piece of common wisdom. Venus employs this aphorism to lend authority and universality to her warning, positioning herself as a wise and concerned friend whose advice is vital for Adonis's well-being.
Meaning: "Those who live successfully and prosperously listen to the advice of their friends."

Line 5: "When thou didst name the boar, not to dissemble,"

"thou didst name the boar": Refers to Adonis's earlier mention of his intention to hunt the boar, which sparked Venus's renewed fears.
"not to dissemble": Means "to speak frankly" or "not to hide the truth/one's feelings." Venus is declaring her sincerity, indicating that her subsequent confession of fear is a genuine and unvarnished emotional reaction.
Meaning: "When you mentioned the boar, to speak to you honestly and without hiding my feelings,"

Line 6: "I fear’d thy fortune, and my joints did tremble."

"fear’d thy fortune": "Fortune" here refers to one's fate or destiny, particularly concerning what might befall them. Venus feared for Adonis's potential injury or death at the hands of the boar.
"my joints did tremble": A visceral and physical manifestation of intense fear or anxiety. The trembling of her limbs signifies a profound loss of composure and underscores the depth of Venus's terror for Adonis's safety, making her plea more urgent and emotionally resonant.
Meaning: "I feared for what would happen to you, and my body shook with fright."

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Personification	"Beauty hath nought to do with such foul fiends"	Elevates the abstract concept of "Beauty" to an entity with agency and distinct nature, emphasizing its purity and incompatibility with savagery. It also demonizes the boar by calling it "foul fiends."
Metaphor/Imagery	"loathsome cabin"	Creates a repulsive and vivid image of the boar's den, underscoring Venus's disgust and the inherent danger associated with the creature and its habitat.
Metaphor/Imagery	"foul fiends" (referring to the boar)	Transforms the boar from a mere animal into a malevolent, demonic entity, thereby intensifying the perceived danger and emphasizing its repulsive nature as a stark contrast to Adonis's beauty.
Aphorism/Proverb	"They that thrive well take counsel of their their friends."	Lends universal truth and moral weight to Venus's advice, positioning her warning as sound, practical wisdom rather than mere infatuation, aiming to persuade Adonis through reason and common sense.
Pathos	"I fear’d thy fortune, and my joints did tremble."	Appeals to Adonis's emotions by vividly conveying Venus's deep distress and genuine fear for his safety, aiming to elicit sympathy and impress upon him the gravity of her warning.
Hyperbole	"my joints did tremble"	Exaggerates the physical manifestation of Venus's fear, emphasizing the extreme anxiety and visceral terror she feels at the thought of Adonis encountering the boar.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza represents Venus's desperate and multi-faceted attempt to dissuade Adonis from his fatal pursuit of the boar. She employs a combination of rhetorical strategies: appealing to disgust by demonizing the boar as a "loathsome" and "foul fiend," using reason by presenting her advice as a universal proverb, and finally, using powerful emotional appeal by revealing her own profound physical terror at the mere mention of the beast. Her trembling joints are a raw, physical manifestation of her fear for Adonis's "fortune," underscoring the sincerity and depth of her concern.

In the broader context of Venus and Adonis, this stanza is highly significant for several reasons:

Foreshadowing of Tragedy: Venus's vivid fear and "trembling joints" are stark foreshadowing of Adonis's ultimate death by the boar's tusks. Her warnings, unheeded, underscore the poem's tragic arc and the inevitability of Adonis's fate.
Theme of Love vs. Death: The stanza directly contrasts Venus's desire for love, life, and procreation (her beauty, her plea) with Adonis's fatal attraction to the destructive hunt, which symbolizes barrenness and death. The boar represents the antithesis of Venus's world of beauty and fertility.
The Futility of Persuasion: Despite Venus's varied and intense appeals – logical, emotional, and even appealing to common wisdom – Adonis remains unyielding. This highlights the central conflict of unrequited desire and Adonis's youthful, stubborn independence, which ultimately leads to his demise.
Gender Roles and Agency: Venus takes the active, pleading, and protective role, while Adonis remains passive in love but active in his dangerous pursuit. The stanza emphasizes Venus's agency in trying to save her beloved, even as it highlights the limits of her influence over his choices.
Symbolism of the Boar: The boar is not just an animal; it embodies wild, untamed, and destructive passion, contrasting with Venus's desire for cultivated, tender love. Her description of it as a "foul fiend" and its dwelling as a "loathsome cabin" reinforces its symbolic role as a harbinger of death and a force opposed to beauty and life.