🌹 Stanza 135 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘More I could tell, but more I dare not say;
The text is old, the orator too green.
Therefore, in sadness, now I will away;
My face is full of shame, my heart of teen:
Mine ears, that to your wanton talk attended
Do burn themselves for having so offended.’

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: ‘More I could tell, but more I dare not say;’

"More I could tell": Refers to the continuation of her arguments or narratives regarding love, desire, and procreation, implying a vast knowledge or fervent desire to persuade Adonis.
"more I dare not say": Indicates an abrupt halt to her discourse, driven by a sudden internal constraint or a perceived boundary. "Dare not" conveys a sense of fear or reluctance to transgress social or personal propriety further, suggesting a moment of self-censorship or modesty emerging from her passionate plea.
Meaning: "I have more to tell you, but I am afraid to say any more."

Line 2: ‘The text is old, the orator too green.’

"The text is old": A metaphor where "the text" represents the subject matter Venus has been discussing—the ancient, fundamental, and weighty truths about natural desire, procreation, and the universal law of love. "Old" emphasizes its established, profound, and perhaps sacred nature.
"the orator too green": A contrasting metaphor where "the orator" is Venus herself. "Green" signifies immaturity, inexperience, or naivety. She views herself as too young or unrefined to adequately convey such a profound and ancient "text," creating a paradox where the goddess of love claims inadequacy in her own domain. This choice highlights her sudden self-consciousness and a shift from confident persuader to hesitant speaker.
Meaning: "The subject I'm speaking about is ancient and profound, but I, the speaker, am too inexperienced or immature to speak of it properly."

Line 3: ‘Therefore, in sadness, now I will away;’

"in sadness": In seriousness, earnestly, or with a sense of gravity or regret, not necessarily sorrow in the modern sense. It marks a solemn decision and a sincere change in her disposition, moving from intense persuasion to a desire for withdrawal. Shakespeare uses this to convey the weight of her sudden self-reproach.
"will away": An archaic phrasing meaning "will go away" or "will depart."
Meaning: "Therefore, with a serious and earnest resolve, I will now leave."

Line 4: ‘My face is full of shame, my heart of teen:’

"My face is full of shame": Venus expresses overwhelming embarrassment and modesty, a dramatic shift from her earlier boldness. It suggests she feels she has transgressed a boundary or revealed too much of her desire.
"my heart of teen": "Teen" (archaic) means sorrow, grief, vexation, or distress. It signifies a profound internal discomfort or anguish. Shakespeare uses "teen" to convey a deep-seated emotional pain or vexation, underscoring the severity of her emotional state and linking it intimately to the outward expression of shame.
Meaning: "My face is flushed with embarrassment, and my heart is filled with distress."

Line 5: ‘Mine ears, that to your wanton talk attended’

"Mine ears": Venus's own ears, personified as if they were distinct entities that have listened to a separate speaker. This serves as a rhetorical device for self-reproach.
"that to your wanton talk attended": This is key to understanding the stanza's shift. "Wanton" means unrestrained, extravagant, playful, and here, perceived by Venus herself as immodest or even licentious. The "your" is directed at herself or her own speech, effectively blaming herself for her prior passionate and uninhibited arguments. She is metaphorically listening to her own "wanton talk" and judging it. Shakespeare chooses "wanton" to convey the impropriety she now perceives in her ardent pursuit, highlighting her internal conflict and sudden self-condemnation.
Meaning: "My own ears, which have just listened to my immodest and unrestrained speech,"

Line 6: ‘Do burn themselves for having so offended.’

"Do burn themselves": Hyperbolic imagery indicating extreme physical discomfort from intense shame and regret. Her ears feel hot, metaphorically "burning" as if punishing themselves for having been instrumental in allowing such "offensive" speech to be uttered. This vivid imagery conveys the overwhelming nature of her embarrassment.
"for having so offended": For having sinned, transgressed, or caused offense. The "offense" is her own immodest, persistent pleading and argument for lust/procreation. The burning is a physical manifestation of her intense shame and self-reproach.
Meaning: "are now burning with shame for having been part of such offensive discourse."

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Metaphor	"The text is old, the orator too green."	Establishes a contrast between the profound, ancient subject of love/procreation and Venus's perceived immaturity or inexperience in delivering it, highlighting her sudden self-consciousness.
Personification	"My face is full of shame, my heart of teen," "Mine ears...Do burn themselves"	Gives human attributes to abstract concepts (shame, teen) and body parts (ears), vividly expressing Venus's intense internal emotional state and physical manifestations of embarrassment.
Hyperbole	"Mine ears...Do burn themselves"	Exaggerates the physical sensation of shame, emphasizing the extreme nature of Venus's embarrassment and self-reproach by suggesting a literal self-immolation of her ears.
Apostrophe / Internal Monologue	"Mine ears, that to your wanton talk attended"	Venus addresses her own ears and her own speech as if they were external entities, indicating a moment of intense self-reflection and self-condemnation, turning her shame inward.
Dramatic Shift	From passionate persuasion to sudden self-reproach and desire to withdraw.	Marks a pivotal moment in Venus's character, revealing her vulnerability and human-like emotional complexity after her prolonged, ardent, and assertive pursuit of Adonis.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza marks a crucial turning point in Venus and Adonis. After relentlessly pursuing Adonis with eloquent arguments for love, procreation, and the natural order, Venus abruptly halts her discourse. The stanza reveals her sudden, overwhelming surge of modesty and shame. She perceives her own passionate arguments as "wanton" (unrestrained, immodest) and feels profound embarrassment, claiming her "text" (the subject of love) is ancient and profound, but she, the "orator," is too "green" (inexperienced/immature) to speak of it properly. Her ears, she claims, are burning from having listened to her own "offensive" words.

This shift is significant because it highlights Venus's human-like vulnerability, contrasting with her earlier portrayal as a formidable, almost divine force of desire. It introduces a note of self-awareness and self-reproach, which Adonis, being youthful and chaste, might find more appealing or less threatening than her aggressive pursuit.

In the broader context of the poem, this stanza deepens the exploration of themes such as:

Lust vs. Love vs. Chastity: Venus, the embodiment of passionate desire, experiences shame for her "wanton talk," suggesting a recognition of the bounds of proper discourse or the potential offense of unrestrained desire. This contrasts with Adonis's steadfast rejection of lust and his preference for a purer, more innocent form of existence.
The Power Dynamics of Desire: For the first time, Venus retreats, indicating a shift in the power dynamic. Her shame is a response to her own unfulfilled desire and perhaps the perceived impropriety of her persistent advances.
Nature vs. Artifice: Her claim that "the text is old, the orator too green" implies that the natural laws of love are profound, but her human-like attempt to articulate them has become flawed or immodest.
Feminine Agency and Vulnerability: While Venus has been fiercely assertive, this stanza reveals her capacity for vulnerability and self-doubt, making her a more complex and relatable character. It underscores the potential for female desire, when overtly expressed, to be perceived (even by the expresser) as "wanton" and shameful within societal norms.

Ultimately, this stanza sets the stage for a new phase in the narrative, where Venus's approach becomes less overtly aggressive and more tinged with sorrow and resignation, as Adonis's continued resistance forces her to confront the limitations of her own persuasive powers and the nature of her desire.