📚 Overview

🌹 Stanza 43 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

Now which way shall she turn? what shall she say?
Her words are done, her woes the more increasing;
The time is spent, her object will away,
And from her twining arms doth urge releasing:      
‘Pity,’ she cries; ‘some favour, some remorse!’
Away he springs, and hasteth to his horse.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "Now which way shall she turn? what shall she say?"

Line 2: "Her words are done, her woes the more increasing;"

Line 3: "The time is spent, her object will away,"

Line 4: "And from her twining arms doth urge releasing:"

Line 5: "‘Pity,’ she cries; ‘some favour, some remorse!’"

Line 6: "Away he springs, and hasteth to his horse."

🎭 Literary Devices

Device Example Effect
Rhetorical Question "Now which way shall she turn? what shall she say?" Emphasizes Venus's extreme desperation, confusion, and complete lack of options, highlighting her helplessness and the failure of her usual strategies.
Imagery "her twining arms," "Away he springs," "hasteth to his horse" Creates vivid mental pictures of the physical struggle and Adonis's determined escape, making the scene more dynamic and emotionally palpable. "Twining" specifically conveys Venus's clinging, possessive desperation.
Alliteration "Her words are done, her woes the more increasing" Creates a subtle musicality and rhythm within the line, drawing attention to the connected concepts of Venus's failed rhetoric and her mounting sorrow.
Anaphora/Repetition "some favour, some remorse!" The repetition of "some" within Venus's final plea emphasizes the desperate, pleading tone and the diminishment of her demands from grand love to a mere shred of kindness.
Direct Address/Apostrophe "Pity," "some favour, some remorse!" While technically spoken to Adonis, the abrupt, quoted exclamations act as a direct, raw appeal for an abstract concept (pity, favour), highlighting her emotional distress and the shift from reasoned argument to primal pleading.
Contrast Venus's "twining arms" vs. Adonis's "urge releasing" / Venus's pleas vs. Adonis's swift action. Highlights the fundamental opposition between Venus's desire for connection and Adonis's desire for freedom, emphasizing the futility of her efforts and the chasm between their wills.
Personification (Subtle) "her woes the more increasing" Gives the abstract concept of "woes" (sorrows) a dynamic quality, suggesting they are a tangible force growing within her, intensifying her suffering.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza marks a pivotal moment in Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis, signifying the complete and utter failure of Venus's attempts to seduce, persuade, or even physically restrain Adonis. It functions as the climax of their direct interaction, immediately preceding his definitive departure.

The stanza's overall meaning emphasizes Venus's profound helplessness and desperation. Her legendary rhetorical prowess, which was showcased earlier in the poem with lengthy and elaborate speeches, has proven entirely ineffective against Adonis's youthful indifference and steadfast commitment to the hunt. The questions "Now which way shall she turn? what shall she say?" encapsulate her utter disorientation and the exhaustion of her resources, both verbal and emotional. Her final, fragmented cries of "Pity...some favour, some remorse!" underscore her descent from a powerful, eloquent goddess to a vulnerable, rejected figure, stripped of her dignity by unrequited desire.

In the broader context of the poem, this stanza is highly significant for several reasons:

📚 Overview