🌹 Stanza 128 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘So in thyself thyself art made away;
A mischief worse than civil home-bred strife,       
Or theirs whose desperate hands themselves do slay,
Or butcher-sire that reeves his son of life.
Foul-cankering rust the hidden treasure frets,
But gold that’s put to use more gold begets.’

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: ‘So in thyself thyself art made away;’

• "So in thyself thyself art made away": The repetition of "thyself" emphasizes the self-inflicted nature of the destruction. "Art made away" is an archaic phrase meaning 'are undone', 'are destroyed', 'are annihilated', or 'are wasted'. Here, it refers to the destruction of one's potential and legacy by refusing to procreate. Shakespeare uses the repetition to highlight the paradox of self-destruction through inaction.
• Meaning: "Therefore, by your own actions (or inactions), you are destroying yourself and your potential."

Line 2: ‘A mischief worse than civil home-bred strife,’

• "A mischief": Here, "mischief" means a great harm, injury, or misfortune, often implying a calamitous evil.
• "civil home-bred strife": Refers to internal conflict or a civil war within a nation or even a family. "Home-bred" emphasizes that the conflict arises from within, linking it to the self-destruction mentioned in the previous line. Shakespeare chooses this comparison to elevate the severity of Adonis's refusal to procreate, likening it to a societal breakdown.
• Meaning: "This is a harm more grievous than an internal war or conflict within one's own country or family."

Line 3: ‘Or theirs whose desperate hands themselves do slay,’

• "theirs whose desperate hands themselves do slay": This refers to those who commit suicide. "Do slay" means 'do kill'. Shakespeare presents suicide as a grave sin, and by comparing Adonis's inaction to it, Venus aims to shock him with the perceived gravity of his choice.
• Meaning: "Or worse than the act of those who, in desperation, take their own lives."

Line 4: ‘Or butcher-sire that reeves his son of life.’

• "butcher-sire": A compound epithet implying a father who is cruelly destructive, akin to a butcher slaughtering an animal. It evokes a strong sense of unnatural evil.
• "reeves": An archaic verb meaning 'bereaves', 'deprives', or 'robs'. In this context, it specifically means to deprive of life, i.e., to kill.
• "reeves his son of life": Refers to a father who kills his own son (filicide). This is presented as the ultimate unnatural act, showing the extreme extent of Venus's hyperbole to persuade Adonis. Shakespeare uses such strong, negative imagery to convey the enormity of the 'crime' of not procreating from Venus's perspective.
• Meaning: "Or even worse than a cruel, murderous father who deprives his own son of life."

Line 5: ‘Foul-cankering rust the hidden treasure frets,’

• "Foul-cankering": Adjective meaning corrosive, decaying, rotting, or spreading like a canker (a destructive ulcer or disease). It implies a slow, insidious destruction.
• "rust": The corrosive tarnish that affects metals, symbolizing decay, disuse, and wasted potential.
• "hidden treasure": A metaphor for valuable assets or potential that is not used or displayed. In the context of the poem, it represents Adonis's beauty, youth, and potential for procreation. Shakespeare uses this image to emphasize the waste of unused inherent value.
• "frets": An archaic verb meaning 'gnaws', 'corrodes', 'consumes', or 'wears away'.
• Meaning: "Just as vile, corroding rust gradually eats away at valuable treasure that is kept concealed and unused."

Line 6: ‘But gold that’s put to use more gold begets.’

• "gold that’s put to use": This refers to gold that is invested, traded, or used actively in commerce, rather than hoarded.
• "more gold begets": Produces more gold; increases in value or quantity. The word "begets" is crucial as it literally means 'to procreate' or 'to bring into being', linking the economic metaphor directly back to the biological theme of procreation. Shakespeare expertly uses this double meaning to conclude Venus's argument on a note of growth and natural productivity.
• Meaning: "But gold that is actively used or invested generates more wealth."

🎭 Literary Devices

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza is a pivotal part of Venus's impassioned and increasingly desperate plea to Adonis, showcasing her argument against his celibacy and aversion to love. The core meaning conveyed is that refusing to procreate is a profound act of self-destruction and a wasteful denial of one's inherent value and purpose.

Venus begins by directly accusing Adonis of self-annihilation ("So in thyself thyself art made away"). She then escalates this accusation dramatically by comparing his inaction to acts considered morally abhorrent and destructive: civil war (internal strife that tears apart a community), suicide (the ultimate act of self-destruction), and even filicide (the most unnatural and cruel act against one's own offspring). Through this extreme hyperbole, Venus aims to shock Adonis into recognizing the gravity of his resistance, arguing that his denial of love and procreation is not merely a personal preference but a sin against nature and his own legacy.

The final two lines provide a powerful and enduring metaphor. Adonis's beauty, youth, and potential for procreation are likened to "hidden treasure" or "gold." Venus argues that if this "treasure" (his genes, his potential children) is kept hidden and unused (i.e., he remains celibate and childless), it will inevitably decay and be wasted, just as "foul-cankering rust" corrodes unused gold. Conversely, she asserts that if this "gold" is "put to use" (meaning, if he procreates), it will multiply and generate more of itself ("more gold begets"). The genius of "begets" here is its double meaning: it literally means to procreate, thus seamlessly linking the economic metaphor back to the biological imperative.

Significance in the Context of the Poem:

This stanza is crucial because it encapsulates one of the poem's central thematic conflicts: the clash between Venus's ardent desire for love, procreation, and the perpetuation of beauty, and Adonis's youthful resistance, purity, and aversion to physical love.

1. The Renaissance Imperative to Procreate: The stanza reflects a common Renaissance theme, particularly prevalent in Shakespeare's Sonnets (e.g., Sonnet 1), which emphasizes the moral and social obligation to procreate. For the nobility, having heirs was essential for the continuation of lineage, wealth, and beauty. Venus is not just pleading for sexual gratification; she is making a sophisticated argument for the perpetuation of beauty and life through offspring, seeing Adonis's celibacy as a profound waste of his extraordinary qualities.
2. Nature vs. Resistance: Venus, as the goddess of love and fertility, represents the powerful, undeniable forces of nature and life. Adonis's refusal to yield to her advances is portrayed as an unnatural act, a defiance of his inherent purpose. The stanza highlights the idea that life, like gold, is meant to be invested and multiplied, not hoarded and left to decay.
3. The Consequences of Unused Potential: The rust and gold metaphor extends beyond just procreation to a broader commentary on potential. It suggests that any valuable asset—be it beauty, talent, or even wealth—if not actively used or shared, will diminish and be wasted. This adds a layer of philosophical depth to Venus's otherwise direct seduction attempt.

In essence, this stanza serves as Venus's ultimate philosophical argument, urging Adonis to embrace his destiny as a vehicle for the continuation of beauty and life, lest he be responsible for its untimely decay and disappearance.