🌹 Stanza 127 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘What is thy body but a swallowing grave,
Seeming to bury that posterity
Which by the rights of time thou needs must have,
If thou destroy them not in dark obscurity?
If so, the world will hold thee in disdain,
Sith in thy pride so fair a hope is slain.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: ‘What is thy body but a swallowing grave,

"What is thy body but a swallowing grave": This is a rhetorical question posed by Venus to Adonis. She suggests that if Adonis does not procreate, his body, rather than being a vessel for new life, becomes like a tomb that actively consumes or holds within itself (swallows) the potential for future generations, preventing their existence. "Swallowing grave" is a striking metaphor, emphasizing the idea of life's potential being consumed or buried instead of brought forth. Shakespeare uses "swallowing" to convey an active, almost predatory, consumption of what should be.
Meaning: "What is your body if not a tomb that devours the potential for future generations?"

Line 2: Seeming to bury that posterity

"Seeming to bury": This phrase continues the grim imagery from the previous line. His refusal to procreate is likened to an act of interring or hiding away his future offspring. It's not a literal burial, but a metaphorical one, preventing life from emerging.
"that posterity": Refers to future generations, his descendants, or offspring. Venus is arguing that Adonis is responsible for the non-existence of his lineage if he does not procreate.
Meaning: "It seems to be burying those future generations,"

Line 3: Which by the rights of time thou needs must have,

"Which by the rights of time": This refers to the natural order or expectation of life. It implies a duty or entitlement that comes with age and maturity – the natural progression of conceiving and raising children. It suggests that procreation is a fundamental biological and societal right or imperative.
"thou needs must have": Emphasizes the strong compulsion or inevitability, in Venus's view, for Adonis to have children. It's not merely a suggestion, but a necessity dictated by nature and time.
Meaning: "Who, according to the natural course of life, you are inevitably destined to have,"

Line 4: If thou destroy them not in dark obscurity?

"If thou destroy them not": This highlights Adonis's agency in preventing the existence of his descendants. By not procreating, he is effectively 'destroying' or nullifying their potential to exist.
"in dark obscurity": This refers to a state of non-existence, being unknown, forgotten, or never having been born. If he does not procreate, his potential offspring will forever remain in this 'dark' and 'obscure' state, never coming into the light of life.
Meaning: "Unless you prevent their existence by keeping them in an unknown state of non-being?"

Line 5: If so, the world will hold thee in disdain,

"If so": Refers back to the condition laid out in the previous lines – if Adonis fails to fulfill his duty to procreate and allows his potential offspring to remain in "dark obscurity."
"the world will hold thee in disdain": Means that society, or perhaps the universe itself, will regard him with contempt, scorn, or disrespect. This suggests a societal judgment against those who do not contribute to the continuation of the human race, or who waste their vital potential.
Meaning: "If that happens, society will regard you with contempt,"

Line 6: Sith in thy pride so fair a hope is slain.

"Sith": An archaic word meaning "since" or "because."
"in thy pride": Refers to Adonis's self-centeredness, his aloofness, or his refusal to engage with Venus and the natural call of procreation. His "pride" is depicted as the cause of this destructive act.
"so fair a hope is slain": "So fair a hope" refers to the potential for beautiful, perhaps numerous, and thriving descendants that Adonis could father. "Is slain" uses a powerful, violent verb, personifying this potential future as a living entity that is actively killed or destroyed by his choices. It emphasizes the tragic loss inherent in his refusal.
Meaning: "Because, due to your arrogance, such a promising future is destroyed."

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Rhetorical Question	"What is thy body but a swallowing grave," (Line 1)	Engages Adonis (and the reader) directly, forcing consideration of Venus's stark point without expecting an answer.
Metaphor	"swallowing grave" (Line 1)	Compares Adonis's unprocreating body to a tomb that consumes life, emphasizing barrenness and wasted potential.
Personification	"rights of time" (Line 3), "hope is slain" (Line 6)	Gives abstract concepts human-like agency, making the argument more forceful and the consequences more tangible.
Antithesis/Contrast	"body" vs. "grave", "posterity" vs. "dark obscurity", "hope" vs. "slain"	Highlights the stark opposition between life/creation and death/destruction, emphasizing the profound loss.
Archaic Language	"thy", "thou", "needs must have", "Sith"	Establishes the historical setting and contributes to the poem's elevated, persuasive, and somewhat formal tone.
Imagery	"swallowing grave", "dark obscurity", "hope is slain"	Creates vivid, often morbid, mental pictures that underscore the negative consequences of Adonis's actions.
Alliteration	"dark obscurity" (Line 4), "fair a hope is slain" (Line 6)	Adds to the lyrical quality and memorability of the lines, subtly emphasizing the words.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

Stanza 127 is a pivotal part of Venus's lengthy persuasion of Adonis, encapsulating her central argument about the natural imperative to procreate. She challenges Adonis's youthful self-absorption and his rejection of her advances by framing his chastity as an act of cosmic negligence and destruction. By refusing to engage in procreative love, Adonis is depicted not merely as abstinent, but as actively "slaying" his "posterity" and burying his lineage in "dark obscurity."

This stanza connects directly to the broader themes of the poem, particularly the tension between sensuality and restraint, nature's demands versus individual will, and the cycle of life and death. Venus, as the embodiment of life and fertility, views Adonis's refusal to procreate as an unnatural act against the very "rights of time." The vivid imagery of the "swallowing grave" powerfully contrasts with the potential of a youthful body to create life, transforming Adonis from a figure of beauty into one of barrenness and loss if he maintains his chaste resolve.

The stanza's significance lies in its moralistic tone, arguing that procreation is not merely a personal choice but a societal and biological duty. The "world will hold thee in disdain" for his "pride" that leads to such a destructive outcome. This echoes the "procreation sonnets" (Sonnet 1-17), where Shakespeare similarly urges a young man to marry and have children to preserve his beauty, lest it be lost to time and death. Here, Venus acts as a voice for nature's relentless drive towards propagation, highlighting the profound waste and existential emptiness that Adonis's refusal represents within the grand scheme of life.