🌹 Stanza 50 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

Round-hoof’d, short-jointed, fetlocks shag and long,
Broad breast, full eye, small head, and nostril wide,
High crest, short ears, straight legs and passing strong,
Thin mane, thick tail, broad buttock, tender hide:
Look, what a horse should have he did not lack,
Save a proud rider on so proud a back.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "Round-hoof’d, short-jointed, fetlocks shag and long,"

"Round-hoof’d": Describes hooves that are perfectly formed and rounded, indicating soundness, balance, and good conformation, essential for a horse's health and performance.
"short-jointed": Refers to the joints in the horse's legs (particularly the pasterns) being relatively short. This is considered a desirable trait in horses, contributing to strength, quickness, and reducing the risk of injury, signifying a sturdy build.
"fetlocks shag and long": Fetlocks are the joints just above the hoof. "Shag" means hairy or shaggy. Long, shaggy hair on the fetlocks adds to the horse's wild, untamed, and majestic appearance, often associated with powerful, spirited horses.
Meaning: The horse possesses perfectly rounded hooves, compact and strong joints in its legs, and long, shaggy hair around its fetlocks.

Line 2: "Broad breast, full eye, small head, and nostril wide,"

"Broad breast": A wide chest indicates ample space for the lungs and heart, signifying great stamina, power, and athletic capacity crucial for speed and endurance.
"full eye": A large, prominent, and clear eye suggests intelligence, alertness, and a lively spirit in a horse, often considered a mark of beauty and good temperament.
"small head": A small, refined head, relative to the body, is often regarded as a sign of good breeding and intelligence in horses, and contributes to an elegant profile.
"nostril wide": Wide, flaring nostrils allow for maximum air intake during exertion, which is essential for a horse's performance, speed, and endurance.
Meaning: The horse has a wide chest, a large and intelligent eye, a small and refined head, and wide, flaring nostrils.

Line 3: "High crest, short ears, straight legs and passing strong,"

"High crest": The crest is the top line of the neck. A high, well-arched crest indicates strong musculature, power, and a noble bearing, particularly desirable in stallions.
"short ears": Short, well-set ears are often considered a mark of good breeding, refinement, and alertness in a horse, contributing to a striking and elegant appearance.
"straight legs": Perfectly straight and well-aligned legs are indicative of excellent conformation, soundness, and strength, critical for preventing lameness and ensuring efficient movement.
"passing strong": "Passing" here acts as an intensifier, meaning exceedingly or extremely. So, "exceedingly strong."
Meaning: It possesses a noble, high-arched neck, short, refined ears, and legs that are perfectly straight and exceptionally strong.

Line 4: "Thin mane, thick tail, broad buttock, tender hide:"

"Thin mane": A thin, fine mane, while perhaps less showy than a thick one, is often preferred for riding as it doesn't interfere with the reins or rider's view, and can also be a sign of fine breeding and responsiveness.
"thick tail": A thick, full, and luxuriant tail is a sign of health, vitality, and beauty in a horse, adding to its overall majestic appearance.
"broad buttock": Broad, well-muscled buttocks indicate powerful hindquarters, which are the primary source of propulsion, speed, and jumping ability in a horse.
"tender hide": "Tender hide" refers to skin that is fine, sensitive, and soft. This quality often signifies a well-bred horse whose skin is responsive to the rider's aids and a sign of good condition, rather than coarse or tough.
Meaning: The horse has a fine, thin mane, a thick and full tail, wide and muscular hindquarters, and sensitive, fine skin.

Line 5: "Look, what a horse should have he did not lack,"

"Look": An exclamation or interjection, drawing the reader's attention to the emphatic statement that follows, urging them to acknowledge the horse's perfection.
"what a horse should have he did not lack": This is a powerful double negative, meaning the horse possessed every single desirable quality. It implies that the horse was the epitome of perfection, wanting for nothing in terms of ideal equine characteristics.
Meaning: Indeed, this magnificent horse possessed every single quality and desirable feature that an ideal horse should have.

Line 6: "Save a proud rider on so proud a back."

"Save": Here, "save" functions as a preposition meaning "except for" or "unless."
"proud rider": This refers to Adonis, who is characterized by his youthful pride and aloofness. The irony is that the horse is perfect and ready for a rider, but Adonis, in his pride, chooses not to "mount" or engage. This phrase subtly links Adonis's psychological state to the physical readiness of the horse.
"so proud a back": This refers to the horse's noble, magnificent, and perhaps even spirited or untamed back, which is worthy of a rider. The "pride" of the back mirrors the "pride" of Adonis, creating a subtle connection between the horse's physical perfection and Adonis's personal perfection and, by extension, his resistance to Venus.
Meaning: The only thing this perfect horse lacked was a noble and worthy rider, such as Adonis, mounted upon its equally magnificent and spirited back.

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Blazon/Catalog	Lines 1-4, detailing all the horse's attributes.	Creates a comprehensive and idealized portrait of the horse's physical perfection, emphasizing its beauty, strength, and noble qualities. It showcases Shakespeare's command of specific vocabulary and his ability to paint a vivid mental image.
Imagery	"Round-hoof’d," "fetlocks shag and long," "Broad breast, full eye," "High crest, short ears," "Thin mane, thick tail," "tender hide."	Appeals strongly to the visual sense, allowing the reader to form a clear and detailed mental picture of the horse's magnificent appearance and conformation. Contributes to the horse's hyper-idealized status.
Hyperbole	"what a horse should have he did not lack"	Emphasizes the horse's supreme perfection, elevating it beyond merely good to an almost mythical or ideal status. This overstatement highlights the extraordinary beauty and quality of the horse.
Personification	"so proud a back"	Attributes human pride to the horse's back, subtly linking the horse's noble bearing to Adonis's own haughty and resistant nature. It imbues the animal with a sense of its own dignity and worth, mirroring Adonis's perceived self-importance.
Irony (situational/dramatic)	The horse's perfection and readiness contrasted with the lack of a "proud rider" (Adonis).	The horse is perfectly equipped for action and to be ridden, yet Adonis (the "proud rider") refuses to engage, highlighting his reluctance to participate in the natural cycle of love and procreation, which Venus represents. It underscores Adonis's aloofness.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza functions as a magnificent blazon of Adonis's horse, meticulously detailing its physical perfections. Every attribute listed — from its "round-hoof'd" feet to its "tender hide" — contributes to an image of an ideal, powerful, and beautiful steed. Shakespeare employs precise, almost technical, equestrian terminology to create a convincing and vivid portrait, making the horse an epitome of equine excellence.

Connection to broader themes of Venus and Adonis:

Beauty and Perfection: Like Adonis himself, the horse is described in hyper-idealized terms. This intense focus on physical beauty and perfection is a central theme of the poem. The horse's flawless form mirrors Adonis's own unparalleled beauty, which is ironically the source of Venus's desire and his own resistance.
Nature vs. Desire vs. Resistance: The horse, as a creature of power, instinct, and natural beauty, can be seen as a symbol of the very forces of nature and passion that Venus embodies and seeks to impose upon Adonis. The horse is ready for action, prepared to be "ridden," symbolizing the readiness for love and procreation inherent in nature.
Symbolism of the "Proud Rider": The final line, "Save a proud rider on so proud a back," is crucial. The horse's perfection is complete, except for the absence of a rider. This directly links to Adonis's character. His "pride" prevents him from being the rider, thereby refusing to engage with Venus's passionate advances and the natural urges she represents. The horse's "proud back," worthy of a great rider, metaphorically stands for the opportunity for love and life that Adonis, in his own pride and coldness, shuns. The stanza, therefore, not only praises the horse but also subtly critiques Adonis's aloofness and resistance to love's call, making the horse's unfulfilled potential a parallel to Adonis's unfulfilled role in the amorous pursuit.