Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis
This dismal cry rings sadly in her ear,
Througll which it enters to surprise her heart;
Who, overcome by doubt and bloodless fear,
With cold-pale weakness numbs each feeling part;
Like soldiers, when their captain once doth yield,
They basely fly and dare not stay the field.
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | "Like soldiers, when their captain once doth yield, / They basely fly and dare not stay the field." | Compares Venus's sudden, complete paralysis and inability to act in the face of dread to soldiers deserting after their leader's defeat, emphasizing her utter helplessness and the shattering of her resolve. |
| Imagery | "dismal cry," "sadly in her ear," "bloodless fear," "cold-pale weakness" | Evokes vivid sensory and emotional details, allowing the reader to visualize and feel Venus's profound distress, physical manifestation of fear, and the chilling impact of the cry. |
| Personification | "to surprise her heart;" "weakness numbs each feeling part;" | Attributes human actions or qualities to inanimate things or abstract concepts (the cry surprising the heart, weakness having the power to numb), making Venus's internal experience more visceral and impactful. |
| Metaphor (Implied) | "bloodless fear" | Implies that fear itself has drained the blood, rather than simply causing paleness, intensifying the description of her terror and the physical toll it takes. |
| Hyperbole | "numbs each feeling part" | Exaggerates the extent of Venus's paralysis, suggesting a total physical and sensory shutdown due to overwhelming fear, rather than just localized numbness. |
| Alliteration | "cold-pale weakness," "feeling part," "dismal cry" | The repetition of consonant sounds creates a sense of rhythm and draws attention to key phrases, reinforcing the impact of the described physical and emotional states. |
Stanza 149 marks a dramatic and devastating turning point in Venus and Adonis. It precisely captures Venus's immediate, visceral, and overwhelming reaction to the sound that signals Adonis's death. Up to this point, Venus has been portrayed as a powerful, ardent, and somewhat dominant figure, relentlessly pursuing Adonis. This stanza abruptly shatters that image, replacing it with one of utter helplessness and physical collapse.
The "dismal cry" acts as the harbinger of tragedy, instantly transforming Venus from a vibrant pursuer into a paralyzed victim of dread. Her "bloodless fear" and "cold-pale weakness" vividly illustrate the profound shock and psychological trauma that drains her vitality, physically manifesting her emotional devastation. The loss of color and sensation signifies the draining of her life force, foreshadowing the death that has just occurred or is about to occur to Adonis.
The powerful simile of the fleeing soldiers underscores Venus's complete incapacitation. It paints a picture of her entire being—her senses, her will, her physical prowess—collapsing in the face of the ultimate defeat, much like soldiers abandon the field when their leader falls. This not only highlights her profound shock but also suggests the perceived "cowardice" of her body to move forward or even process the full horror of what she has heard, revealing the raw, instinctual human response to overwhelming catastrophe.
In the broader context of the poem, this stanza is crucial for several reasons: 1. Shift in Narrative Tone: It definitively shifts the poem's tone from one of passionate, if unrequited, love and playful pursuit to one of impending tragedy, grief, and lament. 2. Vulnerability of Love: It powerfully illustrates the fragility and vulnerability of even the most passionate love in the face of death and fate. Venus's immense power as a goddess of love proves utterly useless against the boar's attack and the inevitability of death. 3. Consequences of Desire: While not directly causing his death, Venus's relentless pursuit led Adonis to the hunt. Her reaction here signifies the devastating consequences of that pursuit and the potential for love to lead to profound suffering. 4. Foreshadowing Grief: This stanza sets the stage for Venus's subsequent lamentations and profound mourning, emphasizing the depth of her initial shock and paving the way for the exploration of grief as a central theme. The "numbing" of her "feeling part" implies a temporary shutdown before the full pain of loss can be experienced.