🌹 Stanza 59 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

Now was she just before him as he sat,
And like a lowly lover down she kneels;
With one fair hand she heaveth up his hat,
Her other tender hand his fair cheek feels:
His tenderer cheek receives her soft hand’s print,
As apt as new-fall’n snow takes any dint.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "Now was she just before him as he sat,"

"just before him": This phrase emphasizes Venus's proximity and direct confrontation with Adonis. It signifies a moment where she has physically closed the distance between them, indicating her determination to engage with him more directly. Shakespeare chooses "just" to convey immediacy and precision.
"as he sat": This highlights Adonis's passive posture. He is seated, perhaps indicating a degree of rest, weariness, or an unwillingness to engage, in contrast to Venus's active pursuit. This immediately sets up a dynamic of pursuer (Venus) and pursued (Adonis).
Meaning: Venus was now directly in front of Adonis, who remained seated.

Line 2: "And like a lowly lover down she kneels;"

"lowly lover": "Lowly" means humble, submissive, or modest. This is a remarkable description for a goddess like Venus, the embodiment of love and beauty, suggesting a profound humility and desperation in her pursuit of Adonis. It indicates she is willing to demean herself from her divine status to win his affection, highlighting the intensity of her desire. Shakespeare uses this to underscore the extent of her unrequited passion.
"down she kneels": Kneeling is a posture of supplication, reverence, or entreaty. In a romantic context, it implies begging for affection or pledging devotion. This physical act emphasizes her earnestness and willingness to abase herself for Adonis.
Meaning: And like a humble, submissive suitor, she kneels down before him.

Line 3: "With one fair hand she heaveth up his hat,"

"fair hand": This description emphasizes Venus's beauty and delicacy, even in a practical action. "Fair" connotes beauty, purity, and attractiveness, reinforcing her divine grace. Shakespeare uses this to maintain the image of her allure.
"heaveth up": An archaic form of "heaves up" or "lifts up." It suggests a gentle, perhaps slightly effortful, but tender motion. The verb implies a careful, intimate gesture of removing an obstruction (the hat) to reveal Adonis's face and allow for closer interaction.
"his hat": The hat serves as a physical barrier, perhaps symbolizing Adonis's closed-off nature or his desire for privacy. By removing it, Venus is initiating a more direct and intimate encounter, physically clearing the way for her advances.
Meaning: With one of her beautiful hands, she gently lifts his hat from his head.

Line 4: "Her other tender hand his fair cheek feels:"

"tender hand": This reiterates the softness and delicacy of Venus's touch. "Tender" emphasizes gentleness, sensitivity, and affection. This choice of word highlights the intimate and caressing nature of her gesture.
"fair cheek": This describes Adonis's youthful beauty and unblemished skin. "Fair" here denotes attractiveness, health, and innocence.
"feels": This verb denotes a tactile, intimate interaction. It's not just a casual touch, but an exploration, a caress, indicating Venus's desire to physically connect with and appreciate his features.
Meaning: Her other soft and delicate hand touches and caresses his beautiful cheek.

Line 5: "His tenderer cheek receives her soft hand’s print,"

"tenderer cheek": The comparative form "tenderer" emphasizes Adonis's extreme youth, delicacy, and sensitivity, even more so than Venus's own "tender hand." This highlights his untouched, virginal quality and vulnerability.
"receives her soft hand’s print": "Print" here refers to a very faint impression or mark, not necessarily an indentation, but the tactile sensation of her hand's pressure. It suggests Adonis's skin is so soft that even a gentle touch is perceptible, underscoring his delicate nature and physical impressionability.
Meaning: His even softer cheek feels the gentle impression of her soft hand.

Line 6: "As apt as new-fall’n snow takes any dint."

"As apt as": This phrase means "as readily as" or "as easily as." It introduces a vivid simile to illustrate the previous line.
"new-fall’n snow": This is a powerful image of purity, pristine beauty, and extreme softness. Snow that has just fallen is unblemished and highly susceptible to any mark, perfectly capturing Adonis's delicate and untouched nature.
"takes any dint": "Dint" refers to an indentation, a mark, or an impression. The phrase means that new-fallen snow shows even the slightest mark. This simile emphasizes Adonis's physical sensitivity and the ease with which his delicate skin registers Venus's touch, even if his will does not yield. It also subtly suggests his innocence and unblemished state.
Meaning: Just as easily as fresh, newly fallen snow shows any mark or indentation.

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Simile	"And like a lowly lover down she kneels;"	Compares Venus's posture to that of a humble suitor, emphasizing her desperation and willingness to abase herself for Adonis.
Simile	"As apt as new-fall’n snow takes any dint."	Compares Adonis's extremely delicate cheek to fresh snow, highlighting his purity, untouched beauty, and physical sensitivity/impressionability. It emphasizes his innocence and vulnerability to touch, even if not to love.
Alliteration	"lowly lover," "fair hand," "fair cheek feels," "soft hand’s print," "new-fall’n snow"	Creates a soft, musical quality to the lines, enhancing the gentle and intimate atmosphere of the scene. It draws attention to key words, reinforcing themes of beauty, tenderness, and vulnerability.
Imagery	"fair hand," "tender hand," "fair cheek," "tenderer cheek," "soft hand’s print," "new-fall’n snow"	Engages the reader's visual and tactile senses, creating a vivid and palpable scene of intimate physical contact. It emphasizes the beauty and youth of both characters, particularly Adonis's delicate nature, making the encounter more immediate and sensual.
Word Choice/Connotation	"lowly," "heaveth," "tenderer," "print," "dint"	"Lowly" conveys Venus's humility/desperation. "Heaveth" suggests a gentle, deliberate action. "Tenderer" hyperbolically highlights Adonis's extreme youth and delicacy. "Print" and "dint" emphasize the subtle, almost imperceptible nature of the touch, focusing on Adonis's profound physical sensitivity.
Contrast (Implicit)	Venus's active, kneeling, and touching posture vs. Adonis's passive, seated posture.	Underscores the dynamic of the chase: Venus is the ardent pursuer, while Adonis remains largely unresponsive and distant, physically receptive but emotionally withdrawn. This highlights the one-sided nature of the desire.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

Stanza 59 marks a pivotal moment where Venus shifts from verbal persuasion to direct, gentle physical contact in her attempt to win Adonis's affection. Having previously tried to charm him with words and arguments, she now resorts to a more intimate and sensual approach, showcasing the depth of her desire and her willingness to abandon divine dignity for human love. Her act of kneeling "like a lowly lover" is a powerful image of humility and supplication, starkly contrasting with her usual divine stature and emphasizing the consuming nature of her passion for Adonis.

The meticulous description of her tender actions—lifting his hat and caressing his cheek—underscores the gentleness and delicacy of her seduction, despite the underlying intensity of her desire. The repeated emphasis on "tender" for both Venus's hand and, even more so, Adonis's "tenderer cheek," alongside the exquisite simile comparing his skin to "new-fall'n snow," highlights Adonis's extreme youth, purity, and untouched nature. This imagery reinforces his unblemished innocence and his vulnerability to physical impression, even if his will remains steadfast against Venus's romantic advances.

This stanza is significant because it escalates the tension of the poem, moving the conflict from a war of words to a physical encounter. It portrays Venus as both passionately aggressive and surprisingly delicate, adding complexity to her character. For Adonis, the imagery further establishes his chaste, almost ethereal quality, making his resistance to the goddess of love even more pronounced and central to the poem's conflict. It sets the stage for the further physical interactions and the ultimate tragedy, emphasizing the theme of unrequited desire and the vulnerability of innocence in the face of overwhelming passion.