🌹 Stanza 155 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

Look, how the world’s poor people are amaz’d        
At apparitions, signs, and prodigies,
Whereon with fearful eyes they long have gaz’d,
Infusing them with dreadful prophecies;     
So she at these sad sighs draws up her breath,
And, sighing it again, exclaims on Death.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 155: "Look, how the world’s poor people are amaz’d"

"Look, how": An introductory phrase, drawing the reader's attention to an observation or comparison about to be made. Shakespeare uses it to set up a vivid simile.
"the world’s poor people": Refers to ordinary, uneducated, and often superstitious common folk. "Poor" here doesn't necessarily denote lack of wealth, but rather a lack of sophisticated understanding or enlightenment, making them susceptible to fear and misinterpretation of events. Shakespeare uses this to establish a relatable, universal human reaction.
"are amaz’d": Are filled with astonishment, wonder, or awe, often tinged with fear or bewilderment. Shakespeare chooses "amaz'd" to convey a strong sense of being overwhelmed by something incomprehensible.
Meaning: Observe how ordinary, uneducated people are filled with astonishment and awe.

Line 156: "At apparitions, signs, and prodigies,"

"At apparitions": Refers to supernatural visions, ghosts, or specters. These are often seen as omens or messages from another realm.
"signs": Omens or portents; unusual natural phenomena (like comets, eclipses, or strange animal behavior) interpreted as indicators of future events, often negative.
"and prodigies": Extraordinary, unnatural, or monstrous events or phenomena that are typically seen as foreboding or indicating divine displeasure. The trio of terms emphasizes a broad range of phenomena that inspire superstitious dread.
Meaning: ...at supernatural visions, omens, and extraordinary, ominous events.

Line 157: "Whereon with fearful eyes they long have gaz’d,"

"Whereon": Upon which; referring back to the "apparitions, signs, and prodigies."
"with fearful eyes": Their eyes are filled with apprehension, dread, and superstitious terror. This imagery emphasizes the emotional impact of these phenomena.
"they long have gaz’d": They have stared intently and for a prolonged period, indicating an obsessive fascination or a deep, unsettling contemplation of these perceived omens. Shakespeare uses "long have gaz'd" to show the lasting psychological effect of such sightings.
Meaning: Upon which they have long stared intently with eyes full of fear.

Line 158: "Infusing them with dreadful prophecies;"

"Infusing them": Imbuing or filling the apparitions, signs, and prodigies (or the events themselves) with meaning. The people project their fears and interpretations onto these occurrences. "Them" refers to the phenomena observed.
"with dreadful prophecies": Predictions of terrible, frightening, or disastrous future events. The people, driven by their fear, interpret these omens as foretelling doom. Shakespeare uses "dreadful prophecies" to highlight the terrifying nature of the interpretations.
Meaning: Attributing to these events predictions of terrible future misfortunes.

Line 159: "So she at these sad sighs draws up her breath,"

"So she": This phrase serves as the pivot of the simile, connecting Venus's reaction to the previously described behavior of superstitious people. "So" means "in the same way."
"at these sad sighs": Refers to the painful groans and dying breaths of Adonis, who is now mortally wounded. "Sad" emphasizes the sorrowful, mournful nature of these sounds.
"draws up her breath": An idiom meaning to inhale deeply, often in a gasp of shock, grief, or terror, or to gather oneself before speaking or reacting. It signifies a sudden, visceral reaction.
Meaning: In the same way, Venus gasps in a deep breath upon hearing these sorrowful sighs (of Adonis).

Line 160: "And, sighing it again, exclaims on Death."

"sighing it again": Exhaling the breath she just drew up, but not as a simple exhalation; rather, as a profound, mournful sigh, expressing deep sorrow, despair, and anguish.
"exclaims on Death": Cries out vehemently against Death, curses Death, or laments Death's cruel action. "Exclaims on" implies a strong verbal protest or accusation directed at an abstract entity personified as an active agent. Shakespeare uses this strong verb to convey Venus's intense emotional outburst and her immediate blame of Death.
Meaning: And, exhaling that breath as a mournful sigh, she cries out against Death.

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Simile	"Look, how the world’s poor people are amaz’d... So she at these sad sighs draws up her breath"	Establishes a direct comparison between Venus's overwhelming shock and the universal human reaction of fear and awe towards perceived omens. It amplifies the intensity of Venus's grief by likening it to a primal, superstitious dread.
Imagery	"fearful eyes they long have gaz’d," "sad sighs"	Creates vivid mental pictures and sensory experiences for the reader, drawing them into the emotional landscape of the poem. The visual of "fearful eyes" and the auditory "sad sighs" heighten the sense of distress.
Personification	"exclaims on Death"	Treats Death as a sentient being that can be addressed, blamed, or cursed. This intensifies Venus's emotional outburst, giving her grief a concrete, albeit abstract, target for her anger and despair.
Hyperbole (implied)	"the world’s poor people," "dreadful prophecies"	While not overt, the phrasing subtly exaggerates the universality and terror of the comparison, emphasizing the profoundness of the shock. "Dreadful prophecies" highlights the intensity of the feared outcome.
Alliteration	"sad sighs"	The repetition of the 's' sound creates a soft, melancholic, and drawn-out effect, mirroring the sound and feeling of a sigh, thus reinforcing the sense of sorrow.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza is a pivotal moment in "Venus and Adonis," marking a dramatic shift in tone from the passionate (and often humorous) pursuit of Adonis by Venus to the tragic realization of his impending death. The stanza's overall meaning is to vividly portray Venus's profound, visceral reaction to the sounds of Adonis's dying sighs, likening her shock and dread to the primal fear experienced by superstitious people confronted with terrifying omens.

Significance in the Context of the Poem:

Intensification of Grief: The simile elevates Venus's despair to an almost mythical, universal level. By comparing her reaction to the awe and terror of "the world's poor people" at "apparitions, signs, and prodigies," Shakespeare emphasizes the sheer enormity of her grief and terror. It's not just a personal loss, but an event that shakes her to her divine core, as profound as any portended disaster.
Powerlessness in the Face of Fate/Death: Despite being a goddess, Venus is utterly powerless against Adonis's fate and the unstoppable force of Death. Her "exclaim[ing] on Death" is a futile protest against an immutable power, mirroring the helplessness of the "poor people" before what they perceive as inevitable prophecies. This underscores one of the poem's central themes: the invincibility of death and the limitations of even divine power against it.
Shift to Tragedy: This stanza ushers in the tragic conclusion of the poem. The playful, seductive tone of Venus's earlier attempts to win Adonis is abruptly replaced by the harsh reality of mortality. It prepares the reader for Venus's extensive lamentations and the subsequent transformation of Adonis.
Nature of Fear and Superstition: The opening lines cleverly use the common human reaction to the unknown and the fearful interpretations of omens to establish a relatable framework for Venus's extraordinary divine sorrow. It suggests that even a goddess can experience a form of primal, instinctual dread akin to human superstition when faced with ultimate loss.
Foreshadowing: The "dreadful prophecies" attributed to omens subtly foreshadow the literal tragic outcome that Venus is now witnessing, linking the imagined terrors of superstition to the very real terror of Adonis's death.