🌹 Stanza 151 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

Whose frothy mouth bepainted all with red,  
Like milk and blood being mingled both together,
A second fear through all her sinews spread,
Which madly hurries her she knows not whither:      
This way she runs, and now she will no further,
But back retires to rate the boar for murther.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "Whose frothy mouth bepainted all with red,"

• "Whose": Refers to Adonis, indicating that the preceding context describes his discovery after the fatal boar attack.
• "frothy mouth": Suggests the presence of foam or saliva mixed with blood, a common symptom of severe trauma, especially from a goring wound or in the throes of death. Shakespeare chooses "frothy" to emphasize the horrifying, visceral appearance of the mouth.
• "bepainted all with red": Means completely covered or smeared with red, referring to blood. The word "bepainted" is chosen to vividly convey the extent and shocking visual of the sanguine stain, almost as if it were deliberately applied, highlighting the gruesome artistry of the injury.
• Meaning: Adonis's mouth was covered in a frothy red substance, indicating a severe, bloody wound.

Line 2: "Like milk and blood being mingled both together,"

• "Like milk and blood": This simile compares the appearance of Adonis's wound to a mixture of white milk and red blood.
• "milk": Symbolically represents purity, innocence, youth, and life. Its inclusion in the simile, despite not being physically present, starkly contrasts with the "blood," emphasizing the tragic desecration of Adonis's youthful, unblemished body. Shakespeare uses "milk" to heighten the sense of violated innocence and tragic loss.
• "blood": Represents violence, injury, and death.
• "mingled both together": Indicates that the two contrasting substances (symbolically) are mixed, creating a disturbing and grotesque visual that underscores the violent end of a pure being. Shakespeare highlights this mixture to evoke a profound sense of shock and tragedy.
• Meaning: The gruesome appearance of Adonis's mouth was like milk and blood horrifically mixed together, signifying the violent end of his innocent youth.

Line 3: "A second fear through all her sinews spread,"

• "A second fear": Implies that Venus had an initial fear or premonition of danger for Adonis, and now this is a new, intensified fear upon witnessing the direct result of the boar attack. It signifies a deeper, more profound terror.
• "through all her sinews spread": "Sinews" refers to tendons, nerves, or muscular power, representing the entire physical being. The phrase conveys that the fear permeated every part of Venus's body, causing a deep, physical paralysis or trembling, indicating extreme shock. Shakespeare uses "sinews" to emphasize the profound physiological impact of this terror.
• Meaning: A renewed and overwhelming fear permeated Venus's entire body, gripping her with intense horror.

Line 4: "Which madly hurries her she knows not whither:"

• "Which madly hurries her": The fear causes Venus to move frantically, uncontrollably, and irrationally. "Madly" emphasizes the extreme, disoriented nature of her panic, stripping her of rational thought.
• "she knows not whither": Means she doesn't know where she is going. This highlights her complete disorientation and the aimless, desperate nature of her flight, characteristic of profound shock and grief.
• Meaning: This overwhelming fear caused her to flee frantically and without any clear direction, completely disoriented.

Line 5: "This way she runs, and now she will no further,"

• "This way she runs": Describes her initial, panicked flight from the horrifying scene.
• "and now she will no further": Marks a sudden and decisive halt to her panicked movement. This indicates a turning point where her initial flight response gives way to a new, resolute action.
• Meaning: She ran wildly in one direction, but then abruptly stopped her flight.

Line 6: "But back retires to rate the boar for murther."

• "back retires": Signifies that she turns back from her flight, not retreating, but purposefully moving towards the source of her distress. "Retires" suggests a deliberate (though emotionally charged) turning.
• "to rate": To scold, rebuke, or censure severely. This verb conveys Venus's intense anger and indignation, as she seeks to hold the boar accountable for Adonis's death. Shakespeare uses "rate" to show the force and vehemence of her emotional outburst.
• "the boar for murther": Blaming the boar for the "murder" (or mortal wounding) of Adonis. This personifies the boar, treating it as a culpable agent capable of intentional harm, reflecting Venus's grief-fueled need to assign responsibility and express outrage.
• Meaning: Instead of fleeing, she turned back with fierce resolve to severely condemn the boar for killing Adonis.

🎭 Literary Devices

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza marks a pivotal moment in Venus and Adonis, depicting Venus's immediate, visceral reaction to the tragic death of Adonis. It plunges the reader into the brutal reality of mortality, sharply contrasting with the poem's earlier focus on sensual pursuit and idyllic natural beauty.

The initial lines vividly portray the gruesome details of Adonis's fatal wound, emphasizing the horrific collision of innocence and violence through the "milk and blood" simile. This imagery shatters Venus's illusion of control over love and fate, directly confronting her with the devastating power of death. Her subsequent reaction, a "second fear" that "madly hurries her," reveals the profound shock and grief that overwhelms her, rendering her disoriented and helpless.

However, the stanza then pivots dramatically. Venus's initial flight gives way to a sudden, resolute turning "back retires to rate the boar for murther." This shift is crucial. It signifies Venus's refusal to passively accept the tragedy. Instead, she channels her immense grief and shock into fury and a desperate need for retribution, even if directed irrationally at an animal. This act of "rating the boar" is her initial, raw attempt to confront and assign blame to the force that has destroyed the object of her desire.

In the broader context of the poem, this stanza underscores several key themes: * Mortality vs. Immortality: For an immortal goddess, Adonis's mortal death is a jarring, incomprehensible reality, exposing the limits of her power and the fragility of mortal life. * The Destructive Nature of Unchecked Passion/Love: While Adonis's death is directly due to his passion for hunting, it highlights the destructive potential that exists within the world, a stark counterpoint to Venus's idealized view of love and desire. * Nature's Indifference: The boar, a creature of the wild, symbolizes the untamed, indifferent, and destructive forces of nature that can arbitrarily end beauty and life, directly challenging Venus's attempts to impose her will. * Grief and Transformation: This stanza is the emotional trigger for Venus's subsequent profound grief, lamentation, and ultimately, her act of transforming Adonis into the Anemone flower. Her fury at the boar is the first outward manifestation of her intense internal suffering, setting the stage for the poem's tragic conclusion and Venus's own transformation.