Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis
'But this foul, grim, and urchin-spouted boar,
Whose downward eye still looketh for a grave,
Ne'er saw the beauteous livery that he wore;
Witness the entertainment that he gave:
If he did see his face, why then I know
He thought to kiss him, and hath killed him so.
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | Foul boar vs. beautiful Adonis | Emphasizes the tragic opposition between ugliness and beauty |
| Monster Description | "foul, grim, and urchin-spouted" | Creates vivid image of the boar as monstrous and threatening |
| Personification | Boar's "eye...looketh for a grave" | Gives the boar human-like consciousness and morbid intentions |
| Dramatic Irony | Boar's blindness to beauty | Shows how beauty can be invisible to those incapable of appreciation |
| Tragic Misunderstanding | Boar meaning to kiss but killing | Presents the death as accidental result of misguided affection |
| Metaphor | "beauteous livery" | Compares Adonis's appearance to fine clothing or uniform |
| Legal Language | "Witness" | Presents evidence in court-like manner |
| Euphemism | "entertainment" for violent attack | Ironically polite term for brutal assault |
This stanza presents Venus's final theory about Adonis's death—that it resulted from the boar's inability to see beauty properly, leading to a tragic misunderstanding where intended affection became fatal violence.
The Blindness to Beauty: Venus argues that the boar "ne'er saw" Adonis's beauty, suggesting that some creatures are incapable of perceiving what makes life valuable. This blindness to beauty becomes a form of moral blindness.
Downward vs. Upward Vision: The boar's "downward eye" that "looketh for a grave" contrasts with the upward-looking, life-affirming responses of other creatures. The boar is oriented toward death rather than life and beauty.
The Tragic Kiss: Venus's theory that the boar "thought to kiss him" transforms the attack from malicious violence into tragic accident. This makes the death even more senseless—not evil intention but fatal incompetence in love.
Beauty as Universal Language: Venus suggests that if the boar had truly seen Adonis's face, he would have been moved to affection like all other creatures. Beauty should be a universal language that even dangerous beasts understand.
The Incompatibility of Love and Violence: The boar's deadly tusks make him incapable of expressing love safely, even when he feels it. His very nature makes affection fatal.
Physical vs. Spiritual Blindness: The boar's failure to see Adonis's "beauteous livery" suggests spiritual blindness—the inability to perceive value and meaning beyond the physical.
Ironic Reversal: While all other creatures served Adonis with joy, the boar serves him with destruction. This reverses the pattern of universal harmony established in previous stanzas.
The Problem of Predation: Venus grapples with why some creatures are made to destroy rather than create or appreciate. The boar represents the problem of natural violence in a world of beauty.
Death as Misguided Love: By suggesting the attack was intended as a kiss, Venus makes death itself a form of love gone wrong—the ultimate tragic romance.
The Limits of Beauty's Power: While beauty harmonized all other creatures, it failed to protect Adonis from the one creature incapable of seeing it properly.
This stanza shows Venus trying to make sense of senseless tragedy by finding love even in the act that destroyed her beloved, while acknowledging that some forms of love are too dangerous to survive.