🌹 Stanza 117 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘By this, poor Wat, far off upon a hill,
Stands on his hinder legs with listening ear,
To hearken if his foes pursue him still:
Anon their loud alarums he doth hear;       
And now his grief may be compared well
To one sore sick that hears the passing bell.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "By this, poor Wat, far off upon a hill,"

"By this": By this time; meanwhile. Shakespeare uses this phrase to indicate a shift in focus or a progression in time, moving from the general pursuit to the specific plight of the hare.
"poor Wat": "Wat" is a traditional or common name for a hare, much like "Reynard" for a fox. The epithet "poor" immediately evokes sympathy and establishes the hare as a vulnerable, pitiable creature, drawing the reader's empathy. Shakespeare often uses such direct appeals to emotion.
"far off upon a hill": This phrase establishes the setting and the hare's current position—distant from the immediate chaos of the hunt, yet still within earshot or potential danger. The "hill" suggests a vantage point, but also a temporary, exposed isolation.
Meaning: "Meanwhile, the pitiable hare, known as Wat, is positioned some distance away on a hill."

Line 2: "Stands on his hinder legs with listening ear,"

"Stands on his hinder legs": This describes a characteristic posture of a hare or rabbit when it is alert and attempting to survey its surroundings. It's a vivid, realistic detail that immediately paints a clear picture of the animal's vigilance.
"with listening ear": This detail further emphasizes the hare's acute sense of hearing and its focused attention. The singular "ear" might be a poetic choice for rhythm or to imply an intense, singular focus of attention, though hares have two highly mobile ears that move independently to pinpoint sounds.
Meaning: "He stands upright on his back legs, with his ear keenly attentive, listening intently."

Line 3: "To hearken if his foes pursue him still:"

"To hearken": To listen intently, to give close attention to a sound. It's an archaic word for "listen," emphasizing the deep, anxious quality of the hare's auditory focus.
"his foes": Refers to the hunting hounds and the hunters themselves. This clearly defines the hare as the victim and highlights the adversarial nature of the situation from its perspective.
"pursue him still": Are still chasing him; continue to follow and hunt him. "Still" here means "yet" or "continually," indicating the ongoing nature of the threat.
Meaning: "He is listening carefully to determine if his pursuers are still close behind him."

Line 4: "Anon their loud alarums he doth hear;"

"Anon": Soon; shortly afterward. This archaic adverb emphasizes the immediacy of the hare's dread becoming reality.
"their loud alarums": The loud cries, shouts, or signals of the hunters and their hounds. "Alarums" (a form of "alarms") signifies a warning sound or a call to action, here specifically the sounds of the chase that herald impending danger. Shakespeare chooses this word to convey the overwhelming and terrifying nature of the sounds.
"he doth hear": He does hear. The use of "doth" emphasizes the certainty and inescapable nature of the sound reaching him, confirming his worst fears.
Meaning: "Soon, he distinctly hears their loud cries and signals of pursuit."

Line 5: "And now his grief may be compared well"

"his grief": The hare's extreme fear, despair, and distress. Attributing "grief" to an animal is an act of anthropomorphism, allowing the reader to empathize more deeply with the hare's suffering by framing it in human emotional terms. Shakespeare uses this to elevate the hare's plight.
"may be compared well": The speaker explicitly introduces a simile, preparing the reader for a powerful and striking comparison that will underscore the intensity of the hare's emotional state.
Meaning: "And at this moment, the depth of his sorrow and despair can be aptly compared..."

Line 6: "To one sore sick that hears the passing bell."

"one sore sick": A person who is gravely ill, profoundly afflicted by sickness, nearing death. "Sore" here means grievously or intensely.
"the passing bell": A bell traditionally tolled in a church when someone was dying or had just died, signaling their "passing" from life. It was a deeply ominous sound, a harbinger of imminent death for the listener.
Meaning: "...to that of a gravely ill person who hears the funeral bell ringing, signaling their own impending death."

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Personification / Anthropomorphism	"poor Wat," "his grief"	By describing the hare with human qualities like "poor" and experiencing "grief," Shakespeare evokes strong sympathy and empathy from the reader, making the animal's suffering relatable on a human level. It elevates the hare's plight beyond mere instinct.
Simile	"And now his grief may be compared well / To one sore sick that hears the passing bell."	This powerful comparison underscores the absolute despair and certainty of impending doom felt by the hare. It elevates the animal's fear to a profound, human-like experience of confronting death, intensifying the emotional impact and the sense of tragic inevitability.
Imagery (Auditory)	"listening ear," "loud alarums," "passing bell"	Engages the reader's sense of hearing, creating a vivid and immediate impression of the sounds of the hunt and the impending doom. It emphasizes the hare's heightened senses and the inescapable nature of the threat, making the scene more visceral and impactful.
Pathos	The overall description of "poor Wat," his anxious listening, the confirmation of the "loud alarums," and the culminating "passing bell" simile.	Aims to evoke deep pity and sadness from the reader for the hunted creature. It highlights the vulnerability and inevitability of the victim's fate, underscoring the cruelty of the hunt from the perspective of the prey.
Foreshadowing	The hare's inevitable capture and implied death, especially with the "passing bell" simile.	This scene, though a seemingly tangential interlude, foreshadows the tragic and unavoidable death of Adonis by the boar, reinforcing the theme of mortality and the dangers inherent in hunting, which Adonis, despite warnings, pursues.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza represents a poignant shift in perspective within Venus and Adonis. Up to this point, the poem has largely focused on Venus's passionate pursuit of Adonis and Adonis's resistance and desire for the hunt. Here, Shakespeare interrupts the main narrative to present a detailed, empathetic portrayal of the hunted creature – the hare, "poor Wat."

The stanza's overall meaning is to vividly depict the sheer terror and despair of being pursued, culminating in the chilling realization of unavoidable doom. The hare's initial vigilance ("listening ear") quickly turns into confirmation of its worst fears ("loud alarums"), leading to a state of profound "grief." The powerful simile comparing the hare's distress to "one sore sick that hears the passing bell" is pivotal. It humanizes the hare's suffering to an extreme degree, equating the sound of the approaching hunt with the death knell for a dying person. This conveys an absolute sense of finality and hopelessness, making the hare's plight deeply tragic.

In the broader context of Venus and Adonis, this stanza holds significant thematic weight:

Reversal of Pursuit/Empathy for the Hunted: While the poem's central conflict revolves around Venus's amorous pursuit of Adonis, this digression provides a crucial counterpoint by focusing on the victim's perspective in a literal hunt. It forces the reader to empathize with the hunted, foreshadowing Adonis's own eventual status as prey to the boar. It subverts the traditional heroic image of the hunter by showing the suffering inflicted.
Theme of Mortality and Inevitability of Death: The "passing bell" imagery explicitly introduces and emphasizes the theme of death, which is central to the poem's tragic conclusion. The hare's inescapable fate directly foreshadows Adonis's own death, highlighting that even the young, beautiful, and seemingly invincible are subject to mortality. It underscores the fragility of life in the face of inevitable forces, whether natural (the boar) or, metaphorically, the relentless forces of desire.
Nature's Brutality and the Cycle of Life and Death: The hunting scene serves as a microcosm of the natural world's inherent cruelty and the predator-prey dynamic. This stark reality contrasts with the more idealized, erotic pursuit of Venus and Adonis, grounding the poem in a more brutal aspect of nature that ultimately claims Adonis's life. It reinforces that death is an integral part of the natural cycle, despite the desire for eternal beauty or love.