Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis
‘Is thine own heart to shine own face affected?
Can thy right hand seize love upon thy left?
Then woo thyself, be of thyself rejected,
Steal thine own freedom, and complain on theft.
Narcissus so himself himself forsook,
And died to kiss his shadow in the brook.
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Rhetorical Question | "Is thine own heart to shine own face affected?" (Line 1) "Can thy right hand seize love upon thy left?" (Line 2) |
Venus uses these questions not to elicit answers, but to challenge Adonis's self-absorption and to highlight the absurdity and futility of his rejection of her. They imply that his behavior is unnatural, illogical, and self-defeating, putting Adonis on the defensive and forcing him to confront the implications of his actions. |
| Paradox/Contradiction | "Then woo thyself, be of thyself rejected," (Line 3) "Steal thine own freedom, and complain on theft." (Line 4) |
These statements present seemingly contradictory or illogical actions, emphasizing the self-defeating and ultimately unsatisfying nature of Adonis's refusal to engage with genuine love. They highlight the futility of an existence centered solely on oneself, where even self-love leads to rejection and self-inflicted imprisonment. |
| Allusion | "Narcissus so himself himself forsook, / And died to kiss his shadow in the brook." (Lines 5-6) | The direct reference to the myth of Narcissus serves as a powerful cautionary tale. It directly links Adonis's (perceived) self-love and indifference to Venus to the tragic, fatal outcome of Narcissus, suggesting that Adonis is heading down a similar path of unrequited self-love leading to a fruitless existence, metaphorically or literally prefiguring his death later in the poem. |
| Metaphor | "Can thy right hand seize love upon thy left?" (Line 2) | This vivid metaphor illustrates the idea that self-love is unproductive and cannot yield true affection. It physically represents the impossibility of finding love solely within oneself, as love, by its nature, requires an external object and reciprocity, thus emphasizing the barrenness of Adonis's self-contained state. |
| Repetition/Polyptoton | "himself himself" (Line 5) "thine own heart to shine own face affected" (repetition of "own") |
The repetition of "himself" (and the echoing of "own") serves to intensely emphasize the singular, solitary, and self-referential nature of the individual being described (Adonis/Narcissus). It underscores the deep narcissism and isolation, driving home Venus's accusation that Adonis is consumed by himself to the exclusion of all others. |
This stanza represents a shift in Venus's strategy to win Adonis's affection. Having exhausted her passionate pleas and physical advances, she now resorts to a sharp, accusatory tone, directly confronting Adonis's perceived self-love and emotional detachment. She suggests that his rejection stems not from purity or shyness, but from an unhealthy preoccupation with his own beauty and an inability to direct his affection outwards.
The core meaning of the stanza is a stark warning about the perils of narcissism and emotional isolation. Venus argues that a life lived solely for oneself is inherently barren, paradoxical, and ultimately destructive. Through rhetorical questions, she challenges Adonis to recognize the absurdity of his self-contained existence – one cannot truly "love" oneself in the reciprocal sense, nor can one escape the self-imposed prison of isolation without external connection.
The allusion to Narcissus is the most potent element of the stanza. It serves as an explicit, ominous prophecy of the fate that awaits Adonis if he continues on his current path. Just as Narcissus wasted away and died because he could only love an unreciprocated reflection, Venus implies that Adonis, by rejecting the natural, fertile love she offers, risks a similarly fruitless and perhaps even fatal end.
In the broader context of Venus and Adonis, this stanza is highly significant because: * It deepens the central thematic conflict: It explicitly pits active, generative, and outward-directed love (embodied by Venus) against a passive, sterile, and self-absorbed state (attributed to Adonis). This reinforces the poem's exploration of what constitutes true, fulfilling love versus unproductive self-admiration. * It foreshadows Adonis's tragic end: The Narcissus allusion directly prefigures Adonis's death later in the poem, linking his demise not just to the dangers of the hunt but also to his profound unresponsiveness to love and life. His death can be interpreted as the ultimate consequence of his inability to engage with the world beyond himself. * It characterizes Adonis: While Adonis is often portrayed as pure and chaste, this stanza offers a more critical psychological insight, suggesting that his resistance might be rooted in a form of youthful immaturity or unconscious narcissism, rather than purely virtuous reasons. * It highlights Venus's desperation: Her shift from seduction to condemnation reveals her increasing frustration and the depth of her desire to awaken Adonis to the power of love, even if it means resorting to harsh truths.