🌹 Stanza 54 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

His testy master goeth about to take him;
When lo! the unback’d breeder, full of fear,        
Jealous of catching, swiftly doth forsake him,
With her the horse, and left Adonis there:
As they were mad, unto the wood they hie them,
Outstripping crows that strive to overfly them.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: His testy master goeth about to take him;

• "His testy master": Refers to the stallion's owner or handler, who is characterized as irritable, impatient, or easily annoyed. "Testy" conveys a sense of short temper. Shakespeare uses this to quickly establish the master's disposition, which likely contributes to the horse's fear of being caught.
• "goeth about to take him": "Goeth about" means is preparing or intending to. "To take him" means to catch or apprehend the stallion.
• Meaning: The stallion's irritable master is preparing to catch him.

Line 2: When lo! the unback’d breeder, full of fear,

• "When lo!": An exclamation meaning "behold!" or "look!" It's an archaic interjection used to draw attention to a sudden, surprising, or significant event. Shakespeare employs it to signal an abrupt shift in the action.
• "the unback’d breeder": "Unback'd" means untrained or unbroken for riding; it has not yet had a rider on its back. "Breeder" refers to the mare (female horse), suggesting her purpose is procreation, and she is likely valuable, yet untamed. This emphasizes her wild, natural state.
• "full of fear": Describes the mare's intense emotional state, implying that her actions are driven by this powerful instinct. This fear is a direct response to the human attempt to control her.
• Meaning: Suddenly, behold! The untamed mare, filled with fear,

Line 3: Jealous of catching, swiftly doth forsake him,

• "Jealous of catching": "Jealous" here is used in an older sense meaning wary, suspicious, or apprehensive of. The mare is fearful or mistrustful of being apprehended or captured. It's not about envy, but a protective wariness. Shakespeare uses "jealous" to anthropomorphize her fear, giving it a deeper, almost moral, dimension.
• "swiftly doth forsake him": "Doth forsake him" means quickly abandons or leaves the stallion (Adonis's horse) that was pursuing her. The speed emphasizes her panic and desire for freedom.
• Meaning: apprehensive of being caught, swiftly abandons the stallion she was with,

Line 4: With her the horse, and left Adonis there:

• "With her the horse": This refers to the stallion (Adonis's own horse) that was pursuing the mare. It means the stallion also flees along with the mare, indicating a mutual flight from capture or a natural pairing.
• "and left Adonis there": The departure of both horses leaves Adonis standing alone in the field, frustrated and abandoned by his own mount. This physical isolation highlights his situation and impotence in controlling the wild.
• Meaning: and with her, the stallion also fled, leaving Adonis alone there:

Line 5: As they were mad, unto the wood they hie them,

• "As they were mad": A simile comparing their desperate speed and wild behavior to the actions of someone insane. This emphasizes the extreme panic and uncontrolled nature of their flight. Shakespeare uses this to convey the overwhelming force of their fear.
• "unto the wood they hie them": "Hie them" means they hasten or hurry themselves. "Unto the wood" specifies their destination – the safety and concealment of the forest. This escape into the wild signifies their return to their natural state, away from human interference.
• Meaning: As if they were insane, they hurried themselves into the woods,

Line 6: Outstripping crows that strive to overfly them.

• "Outstripping crows": "Outstripping" means running faster than. Crows are known for their swift flight, so this is a hyperbole emphasizing the extraordinary, almost unbelievable speed of the horses.
• "that strive to overfly them": The crows are actively trying to keep pace or fly above the horses but cannot, reinforcing the incredible velocity of the fleeing animals. Shakespeare uses this vivid image to heighten the sense of their wild, untamed energy.
• Meaning: Running so fast they outran crows that were struggling to fly over them.

🎭 Literary Devices

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza vividly depicts the sudden and dramatic flight of the horses, specifically the "unback'd breeder" mare and Adonis's own stallion. Driven by an innate fear of capture and an untamed spirit, they escape into the woods with incredible speed, leaving Adonis isolated and frustrated.

In the broader context of Venus and Adonis, this event is highly significant. It directly mirrors and reinforces the central theme of nature's untamability versus human desire and control. Just as Adonis (the "unback'd" youth) resists Venus's passionate advances, the wild mare refuses to be "backed" or controlled by human will. Her "jealousy of catching" is a parallel to Adonis's "chaste" resistance to love. The horses' successful flight highlights the futility of trying to impose one's will or desire upon something (or someone) that is inherently wild and free.

Furthermore, the stanza serves as an obstacle and source of frustration for Adonis. His pursuit of the mare is interrupted, and he is left without his horse, momentarily helpless. This parallels Venus's own frustrations in her pursuit of Adonis. The scene also emphasizes Adonis's isolation, a recurring motif that underscores his youthful independence and his resistance to being possessed. By abandoning him, the horses symbolize the broader theme of the unpredictable nature of desires and the difficulty of holding onto what one pursues, whether it be a wild horse or a reluctant lover.