🌹 Stanza 118 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘Then shalt thou see the dew-bedabbled wretch
Turn, and return, indenting with the way;   
Each envious briar his weary legs doth scratch,
Each shadow makes him stop, each murmur stay:
For misery is trodden on by many,
And being low never reliev’d by any.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: ‘Then shalt thou see the dew-bedabbled wretch

"Then shalt thou see": This phrase translates to "Then you will see." It's a prophetic or declarative statement, perhaps addressed to Venus herself, to the reader, or to an imagined observer, setting the scene for Adonis's miserable state. Shakespeare uses "shalt" for future tense and "thou" for a familiar or singular "you," creating a direct, almost intimate address.
"dew-bedabbled": This means "spattered or covered with dew." It suggests Adonis has been out all night or since very early morning, either having fled or wandered extensively. The image implies a disheveled, unkempt, and physically uncomfortable state, reinforcing his distress.
"wretch": A person who is unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable. Here, it refers to Adonis, portraying him as a pitiable figure in his current state, likely from Venus's perspective, emphasizing his suffering after rejecting her.
Meaning: "Then you will see the miserable person, wet and dishevelled with dew."

Line 2: Turn, and return, indenting with the way;

"Turn, and return": This phrase describes his aimless, repetitive movement. He is wandering without direction, perhaps circling back on himself, indicating confusion, exhaustion, or an inability to escape his internal turmoil. This repetition emphasizes his desperate and fruitless struggle.
"indenting with the way": This means leaving deep marks or impressions on the path as he walks. It implies a heavy, weary tread, or perhaps that he is pressing down hard with his steps, signifying exhaustion and the weight of his misery. It can also suggest he is making his own difficult path, impacting the ground with his struggle.
Meaning: "He will wander back and forth, leaving deep marks on the ground as he goes."

Line 3: Each envious briar his weary legs doth scratch,

"envious briar": A thorny bush that seems to act with malice. This is a personification, as a plant cannot feel envy. The briar is portrayed as 'envious' perhaps because it wishes to hinder him, or it is jealous of his beauty, thus attacking him. This reflects Adonis's paranoid state, where even nature appears to conspire against him.
"weary legs": His legs are tired and exhausted, likely from running, hiding, and aimless wandering. This highlights his physical suffering.
"doth scratch": An archaic form of "scratches." The action reinforces the hostile environment Adonis finds himself in, where even natural elements cause him pain.
Meaning: "Every thorny bush, as if with malice, scratches his tired legs."

Line 4: Each shadow makes him stop, each murmur stay:

"Each shadow makes him stop": This suggests that Adonis is jumpy, fearful, and paranoid. He perceives threats even in innocuous things like shadows, causing him to halt his movements frequently. It illustrates his profound psychological distress.
"each murmur stay": Every faint sound, like a whisper, rustle, or distant noise, causes him to pause or halt. This further emphasizes his heightened state of anxiety and vulnerability, where he is constantly on edge, expecting danger from any subtle sound.
Meaning: "Every shadow makes him halt, and every faint sound makes him pause."

Line 5: For misery is trodden on by many,

"misery": Refers to a state of great unhappiness, suffering, or distress. Here, it signifies Adonis's profound emotional and physical pain.
"is trodden on by many": This is a metaphorical statement, presenting a universal truth or proverb. It means that when someone is suffering or in a low state, they are often stepped upon, disregarded, or even further burdened by others or by circumstances. It implies a lack of compassion or an exacerbation of suffering. Shakespeare uses this to generalize Adonis's specific plight.
Meaning: "Because suffering is often trampled upon or worsened by many people,"

Line 6: And being low never reliev’d by any.

"being low": This phrase means being in a state of despair, vulnerability, or misfortune. It is synonymous with being down or at a low point in life.
"never reliev’d by any": This asserts that when one is in such a state of misery, no one ever comes to alleviate their suffering or offer aid. It's a pessimistic and cynical observation about the isolating nature of profound unhappiness, suggesting that people are left to endure their pain alone.
Meaning: "and when one is in a state of distress, no one ever comes to relieve their suffering."

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Personification	"Each envious briar his weary legs doth scratch" (Line 3)	Gives human emotion (envy) to an inanimate object (briar), making nature seem hostile and actively working against Adonis. This amplifies his sense of being persecuted and enhances the imagery of his suffering.
Imagery	"dew-bedabbled wretch" (Line 1)	Creates a vivid visual of Adonis's disheveled and miserable appearance, making his suffering tangible to the reader.
Repetition / Anaphora	"Each... each..." (Lines 3, 4)	The repetition of "Each" at the beginning of clauses emphasizes the pervasive and relentless nature of the obstacles Adonis faces. It highlights how every small thing contributes to his distress and his heightened state of fear and paranoia.
Alliteration	"Turn, and return" (Line 2)	The repetition of the "t" sound creates a sense of the repetitive, aimless, and weary movement of Adonis, mirroring his lack of direction and his internal turmoil.
Aphorism / Proverb	"For misery is trodden on by many, / And being low never reliev’d by any." (Lines 5-6)	Shifts from a specific description of Adonis's suffering to a universal philosophical statement about the nature of misery. This generalizes his plight, suggesting it's part of a larger, often harsh, human condition and adding a cynical, fatalistic tone to the poem's commentary on suffering and isolation.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza offers a stark portrayal of Adonis's immediate aftermath following his rejection of Venus, presenting his suffering as both a physical ordeal and a universal human condition. It functions as Venus's (or the narrator's) commentary on the harsh consequences of his spurning of love and his commitment to his youthful, solitary pursuits.

The first four lines vividly depict Adonis's physical and psychological torment. He is not merely escaping but wandering aimlessly ("Turn, and return"), disheveled ("dew-bedabbled"), and profoundly weary. His environment, far from offering solace, actively conspires against him: "envious briars" scratch him, and even mundane "shadows" and "murmurs" trigger his paranoia, forcing him to halt. This imagery underscores the idea that Adonis's internal turmoil—his discomfort with Venus's passionate advances and his preference for the hunt—has manifested externally, turning his world into a source of constant distress and making him vulnerable to even the slightest natural elements. It suggests that his decision to reject love has brought him not peace, but a heightened state of anxiety and discomfort.

The final couplet ("For misery is trodden on by many, / And being low never reliev’d by any") then elevates Adonis's specific pain to a broader, more cynical philosophical statement. It suggests a bleak outlook on suffering: not only is misery a common experience, but it also tends to be exacerbated by circumstances or overlooked by others. There is no relief for those who are "low." This shifts the tone from descriptive to didactic, offering a pessimistic view of the human condition where despair is isolating and self-perpetuating.

In the broader context of Venus and Adonis, this stanza is significant for several reasons: * Consequences of Rejection: It starkly illustrates the immediate, negative consequences of Adonis's rejection of Venus's ardent love. His suffering contrasts sharply with the earlier playful and persuasive tones, emphasizing that his choice to pursue stoic chastity and hunting does not lead to contentment but to a deeper form of distress. * Nature as a Mirror: The personification of nature ("envious briar") and the way shadows and murmurs affect him suggest that the external world reflects and amplifies Adonis's inner turmoil and fear. Nature becomes a hostile environment rather than a peaceful retreat. * Themes of Love vs. Apathy: The stanza implicitly argues for the necessity of emotional connection. Adonis's refusal to engage with Venus's passionate love leaves him in a state of profound isolation and misery, suggesting that emotional detachment or fear of sensuality can lead to a desolate inner landscape. * Foreboding: The bleakness of this stanza also foreshadows Adonis's tragic end. His current state of vulnerability and distress sets a somber tone, hinting that his path is fraught with danger, not just from the boar but from his own internal state. The universal maxim about misery reinforces the idea that his fate is sealed, and no external aid will come.