🌹 Stanza 108 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘Didst thou not mark my face? was it not white?
Saw’st thou not signs of fear lurk in mine eye?     
Grew I not faint? And fell I not downright?
Within my bosom, whereon thou dost lie,
My boding heart pants, beats, and takes no rest,
But, like an earthquake, shakes thee on my breast.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "Didst thou not mark my face? was it not white?"

"Didst thou not mark": Did you not notice or observe? "Mark" in this context means to pay attention to, to perceive. Shakespeare chooses this word to imply that the physical signs of her fear were evident and should have been seen by Adonis, thereby implying his lack of attentiveness.
"was it not white?": This refers to her face turning pale due to shock, fear, or distress. "White" here signifies pallor, a common physiological reaction to intense fear, emphasizing the visible manifestation of her internal terror.
Meaning: "Did you not notice my face? Wasn't it extremely pale?"

Line 2: "Saw’st thou not signs of fear lurk in mine eye?"

"Saw’st thou not": Did you not see? This is an archaic second-person singular past tense form of 'to see', maintaining the direct address to Adonis.
"signs of fear lurk in mine eye": Indications of hidden, unsettling fear in her eyes. "Lurk" suggests a subtle yet persistent and potentially menacing presence, implying that the fear was not just momentary but a deep, underlying current visible to an attentive observer. Shakespeare uses "lurk" to convey a sense of something concealed but ominously present.
Meaning: "Didn't you see the indications of fear hidden in my eyes?"

Line 3: "Grew I not faint? And fell I not downright?"

"Grew I not faint?": Did I not become weak or lightheaded, perhaps on the verge of losing consciousness? "Faint" describes a state of physical enfeeblement brought on by extreme emotion or shock.
"And fell I not downright?": And did I not fall completely or utterly to the ground? "Downright" here means entirely or completely, emphasizing the totality or near-totality of her collapse, or the dramatic extent of her physical reaction to terror.
Meaning: "Didn't I become weak? And didn't I almost completely collapse?"

Line 4: "Within my bosom, whereon thou dost lie,"

"Within my bosom": Inside her chest or breast area. "Bosom" is a common poetic term for the chest, often associated with deep emotions or intimate feelings.
"whereon thou dost lie": On which you (Adonis) are currently resting. This phrase grounds the abstract expression of fear in a concrete, physical setting, emphasizing Adonis's intimate proximity and his direct, tangible experience of her agitated state.
Meaning: "Inside my chest, where you are presently lying,"

Line 5: "My boding heart pants, beats, and takes no rest,"

"My boding heart": Her heart, which foretells or presages something bad. "Boding" conveys a strong sense of premonition, a foreboding of impending doom or tragedy. Shakespeare uses "boding" to foreshadow the tragic outcome of Adonis's fate.
"pants, beats, and takes no rest": This triadic description emphasizes the frantic, irregular, and ceaseless action of her heart. "Pants" suggests rapid, shallow breathing or gasping, often associated with extreme exertion or fear, while "beats" refers to its intense palpitations. The phrase "takes no rest" highlights the relentless and exhausting nature of her terror.
Meaning: "My heart, which foresees misfortune, is gasping, pounding, and cannot calm down,"

Line 6: "But, like an earthquake, shakes thee on my breast."

"But, like an earthquake": This is a powerful simile comparing the violent, uncontrollable throbbing of her heart to the immense and disruptive force of an earthquake. Shakespeare chooses this comparison to convey the overwhelming intensity and physical impact of her fear.
"shakes thee on my breast": The physical manifestation of her heart's agitation is so profound that it literally causes Adonis, who is lying on her, to shake. This vivid image provides tangible proof of her internal terror, making it impossible for Adonis to ignore, or at least, should make it impossible.
Meaning: "But, like an earthquake, it causes you to shake as you lie on my chest."

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Rhetorical Question	"Didst thou not mark my face? was it not white?" (Line 1), "Saw’st thou not signs of fear lurk in mine eye?" (Line 2), "Grew I not faint? And fell I not downright?" (Line 3)	Venus uses these questions not to elicit answers, but to strongly assert her experience and to reproach Adonis for his apparent obliviousness to her distress, highlighting his lack of understanding or empathy.
Imagery	"white" (Line 1), "fear lurk in mine eye" (Line 2), "faint" (Line 3), "pants, beats" (Line 5), "shakes thee on my breast" (Line 6)	Creates vivid sensory details (visual, kinesthetic, tactile) that bring Venus's physical and emotional distress to life for the reader and, theoretically, for Adonis.
Simile	"But, like an earthquake, shakes thee on my breast." (Line 6)	Compares the violent throbbing of Venus's heart to an earthquake, conveying the overwhelming and uncontrollable power of her fear in a highly impactful and relatable way.
Personification / Metonymy	"My boding heart" (Line 5)	Attributes the human quality of foretelling or premonition ("boding") to her heart, suggesting that her fear is not just an emotional reaction but a prophetic warning of impending doom.
Alliteration	"pants, beats" (Line 5)	The repetition of the 'p' and 'b' sounds creates a percussive effect, mimicking the frantic, thumping sound of a rapidly beating heart and emphasizing its agitation.
Tricolon / List	"pants, beats, and takes no rest" (Line 5)	The use of three parallel verbs emphasizes the relentless, intense, and continuous nature of her heart's agitation, conveying the profound and unceasing impact of her fear.
Hyperbole	"But, like an earthquake, shakes thee on my breast." (Line 6)	An exaggeration used to dramatically convey the extreme intensity of Venus's fear; while her heart is pounding, it's unlikely to literally shake Adonis like an earthquake, underscoring her desperate plea.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

Stanza 108 is a desperate and vivid expression of Venus's profound fear following her terrifying encounter with the wild boar. Having witnessed the beast's destructive power, she is trying to impress upon Adonis the mortal danger he faces, especially given his youthful bravado and dismissal of the boar as a mere "chafing" animal.

The stanza's significance lies in several key areas within the poem:

Venus's Prophetic Fear: Her "boding heart" is not just a sign of current distress but a powerful foreshadowing of Adonis's tragic death by the very boar she fears. As the goddess of love, her intuition and experience offer a mature, albeit unwelcome, insight into the reality of danger, contrasting sharply with Adonis's youthful naivety.
Clash of Perspectives: The stanza starkly highlights the fundamental difference between Venus's worldview and Adonis's. Venus, through her physical manifestations of terror (pallor, faintness, violently beating heart), attempts to make Adonis understand the gravity of the situation that words alone have failed to convey. Adonis's inability to "mark" her fear or comprehend its depth underscores his immaturity and his fatal attraction to the thrill of the hunt over the safety of love.
The Nature of Love and Desire: Venus's fear demonstrates the protective, possessive, and ultimately vulnerable aspects of her love for Adonis. Her love is not merely physical desire but a desperate concern for his life and well-being. This contrasts with Adonis's more detached, unfeeling pursuit of the chase, which ultimately leads to his demise. The stanza shows love's capacity for intense suffering and premonition.
Dramatic Irony: The reader knows, or can surmise from literary tradition, that Adonis is destined to die by a boar. Venus's visceral fear, therefore, resonates with a tragic irony, as her desperate attempts to warn and protect him are ultimately futile. Her physical reactions are a testament to the unheeded wisdom of experienced love over youthful recklessness.

In essence, this stanza serves as a critical moment where Venus lays bare her soul, her body reacting as a living testament to the danger that Adonis, to his peril, fails to acknowledge. It deepens the tragic themes of unrequited love, the folly of youth, and the inevitability of fate that permeate Venus and Adonis.