🌹 Stanza 181 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘Bonnet nor veil henceforth no creature wear!      
Nor sun nor wind will ever strive to kiss you:
Having no fair to lose, you need not fear;
The sun doth scorn you, and the wind doth hiss you:
But when Adonis liv’d, sun and sharp air
Lurk’d like two thieves, to rob him of his fair:

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "Bonnet nor veil henceforth no creature wear!"

"Bonnet nor veil": Types of head coverings. Bonnets were often worn outdoors for protection or as fashion, while veils were used for modesty, mourning, or to obscure/enhance beauty. Here, Venus implies that there's no longer any beauty to protect or adorn.
"henceforth": From this time forward; from now on. Shakespeare uses this to emphasize the permanent and profound change brought by Adonis's death.
"no creature wear": No living being should wear them. This is a hyperbolic declaration, reflecting Venus's despair that the world has lost its reason for beauty, modesty, or protection.
Meaning: From now on, no one should bother wearing bonnets or veils.

Line 2: "Nor sun nor wind will ever strive to kiss you:"

"strive to kiss you": To exert effort, compete, or eagerly attempt to touch or caress you. This personifies the natural elements (sun, wind) as having a desire to interact intimately with beauty. In the context of Adonis, it suggests how even nature was drawn to his allure.
Meaning: Neither the sun nor the wind will ever again eagerly try to touch or caress you.

Line 3: "Having no fair to lose, you need not fear;"

"fair": Beauty, specifically physical attractiveness. It refers to the world's collective beauty, which Venus perceives as having vanished with Adonis.
"no fair to lose": No beauty left to be diminished, stolen, or harmed. This is a lament that the world has become so bereft of beauty that there's nothing precious left to protect.
"need not fear": There is no longer any cause for apprehension or worry about losing beauty. This underscores the depth of Venus's despair, as she sees no remaining value in the world.
Meaning: Since there is no beauty left to be lost, you have no reason to be afraid.

Line 4: "The sun doth scorn you, and the wind doth hiss you:"

"doth scorn you": Does despise you, treat you with contempt or disdain. The sun, which previously desired to "kiss," now actively expresses repulsion, mirroring Venus's own sense of desolation and the world's perceived ugliness after Adonis's death.
"doth hiss you": Does make a sharp, sibilant sound, often indicative of disapproval, contempt, or a threat. This personifies the wind, showing its disgust or rejection of a world without Adonis's beauty.
Meaning: The sun treats you with contempt, and the wind hisses at you in disapproval.

Line 5: "But when Adonis liv’d, sun and sharp air"

"But when Adonis liv’d": This phrase introduces a stark contrast, shifting from the present state of despair to the past, highlighting the world's vibrancy and Adonis's captivating presence.
"sharp air": Cold, biting, or harsh wind. Even this less gentle form of air was drawn to Adonis, emphasizing the overwhelming nature of his beauty.
Meaning: But when Adonis was alive, both the sun and the biting wind...

Line 6: "Lurk’d like two thieves, to rob him of his fair:"

"Lurk’d": Waited secretively, often with a sinister or predatory intention. This personifies the natural elements as having a hidden, covetous desire for Adonis.
"like two thieves": A simile comparing the sun and air to criminals. This suggests that Adonis's beauty was so precious and desirable that even natural forces sought to take it, perhaps by tanning or chapping, but also implying a jealous desire to possess or diminish his perfection.
"to rob him of his fair": To steal or take away his beauty. This reinforces the idea that his attractiveness was a valuable asset that others, including nature, envied and coveted.
Meaning: ...waited like two thieves, plotting to steal his beauty from him.

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Personification	"Nor sun nor wind will ever strive to kiss you:"	Imbues natural elements (sun, wind, air) with human desires and emotions (striving, scorn, hissing, lurking, robbing). This externalizes Venus's grief, suggesting that even nature recognizes and reacts to the profound loss of Adonis's beauty.
Simile	"Lurk’d like two thieves, to rob him of his fair:"	Vividly compares the sun and air to thieves, emphasizing the intense, almost predatory desire these elements had for Adonis's beauty. It highlights the preciousness and vulnerability of his "fair" and the covetousness it inspired.
Apostrophe	"'Bonnet nor veil henceforth no creature wear!'"	Venus directly addresses the world or humanity, projecting her despair onto all of creation. This emphasizes the magnitude of her grief, suggesting that Adonis's death has removed all reason for beauty, modesty, or protection in the world.
Contrast	"Nor sun nor wind will ever strive to kiss you: [...] The sun doth scorn you [...] But when Adonis liv’d, sun and sharp air / Lurk’d..."	The stanza starkly contrasts the elements' eager, almost predatory actions towards Adonis when he was alive with their scornful rejection of the world after his death. This underscores the immense impact of Adonis's beauty and the devastating void left by his absence.
Hyperbole	"Having no fair to lose, you need not fear;"	An exaggeration of the world's loss of beauty, reflecting Venus's extreme grief. It implies that with Adonis's death, all beauty has vanished, making protective measures like veils utterly pointless. This emphasizes the all-consuming nature of Venus's sorrow.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza is a poignant lament from Venus, expressing the utter desolation and despair she feels following Adonis's death. It marks a significant shift in the poem's tone from passionate pursuit to profound grief. Venus externalizes her sorrow, believing that Adonis's unparalleled beauty was the sole source of aesthetic value in the world, and with his passing, the world itself has become an ugly, valueless place.

The stanza's significance lies in its powerful portrayal of: * The transformative power of grief: Venus's sorrow is so overwhelming that it warps her perception of reality. She sees a world so devoid of beauty that even natural elements, which once coveted Adonis, now scorn and hiss at it. This illustrates how personal anguish can color one's entire perception of existence. * Adonis's extraordinary beauty: The intense, almost predatory desire of the sun and wind for Adonis's "fair" (likened to thieves wanting to "rob" him) reinforces the idea of his unique and captivating attractiveness. His beauty was so potent that it inspired covetousness even in nature, highlighting its almost supernatural quality. * Themes of loss, decay, and the transience of beauty: The stanza underscores the poem's broader exploration of how quickly beauty can fade and how death can erase even the most vibrant life. Venus's declaration that "no creature wear!" protective garments because there is "no fair to lose" emphasizes the vanity of earthly beauty in the face of inevitable demise. * Venus's self-centered love: While expressing profound grief, the stanza also subtly reveals Venus's perspective where Adonis's value is often tied to his beauty and the pleasure it brings her. His loss is framed as a universal aesthetic catastrophe, reflecting her obsessive and possessive love.

In essence, this stanza captures the profound emptiness left in Venus's world after Adonis's death, projecting her internal desolation onto the very fabric of nature and underscoring the tragic consequences of beauty, desire, and loss that permeate the poem.