🌹 Stanza 60 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

O! what a war of looks was then between them;
Her eyes petitioners to his eyes suing;     
His eyes saw her eyes as they had not seen them;
Her eyes woo’d still, his eyes disdain’d the wooing:
And all this dumb play had his acts made plain
With tears, which, chorus-like, her eyes did rain.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "O! what a war of looks was then between them;"

• "O! what a war of looks": This is a powerful metaphor comparing the intense, silent exchange of glances between Venus and Adonis to a battle. "War" implies conflict, opposing forces, and a struggle for dominance or persuasion. "Of looks" specifies that this conflict is happening through their eyes, highlighting the non-verbal intensity. Shakespeare chooses "war" to emphasize the clashing wills and desires – Venus's aggressive pursuit versus Adonis's resolute resistance – conveyed solely through their gaze.
• "was then between them": Refers to that specific moment of their interaction, emphasizing the immediate and palpable tension created by their eye contact.
• Meaning: "Oh, what an intense and conflicting struggle of gazes occurred between them at that moment."

Line 2: "Her eyes petitioners to his eyes suing;"

• "Her eyes petitioners": Venus's eyes are personified as 'petitioners,' like individuals making a humble and formal request. This conveys the earnestness, vulnerability, and pleading nature of her gaze.
• "to his eyes suing": "Suing" here means to plead, entreat, or make a passionate appeal, not in a legal sense, but in the sense of 'to beg earnestly' or 'to seek with great effort'. It reinforces the idea that her eyes are making a deeply heartfelt and humble appeal to Adonis's eyes, trying to win his favor. Shakespeare uses both "petitioners" and "suing" to underscore the depth of her yearning and her submissive posture in this interaction.
• Meaning: "Her eyes were like supplicants, earnestly pleading with his eyes for a favorable response."

Line 3: "His eyes saw her eyes as they had not seen them;"

• "His eyes saw her eyes": This describes the physical act of seeing, but the following clause immediately complicates it.
• "as they had not seen them": This crucial phrase suggests a profound lack of acknowledgment or recognition. It implies Adonis's eyes either looked through Venus's eyes, or perceived them without truly registering their beauty, desire, or plea. It conveys a blank, indifferent, or deliberately dismissive gaze, as if her presence or her passionate appeal made no impression whatsoever on him. Shakespeare uses this to illustrate Adonis's emotional detachment and the utter futility of Venus's direct, intimate appeal.
• Meaning: "His eyes perceived her eyes as if they didn't truly register what they were seeing, or as if he intentionally ignored her fervent gaze."

Line 4: "Her eyes woo’d still, his eyes disdain’d the wooing:"

• "Her eyes woo’d still": "Woo’d" means to seek the affection or love of someone. "Still" means continuously or persistently. This shows the unwavering and persistent nature of Venus's romantic pursuit, with her eyes acting as the instruments of her passionate desire.
• "his eyes disdain’d the wooing": "Disdain’d" means to consider something unworthy of one's consideration, to reject with contempt or scorn. This phrase creates a direct and powerful antithesis to Venus's "wooing," highlighting Adonis's active and cold rejection of her advances. The personification of both their eyes emphasizes the core conflict: persistent, ardent desire clashing with dismissive, cold rejection.
• Meaning: "Her eyes continued to express affection and desire, while his eyes demonstrated contempt and rejection towards her advances."

Line 5: "And all this dumb play had his acts made plain"

• "And all this dumb play": "Dumb play" refers to mime or pantomime – a dramatic performance carried out without words. This phrase encapsulates the entire silent "war of looks" previously described. It emphasizes the purely non-verbal nature of their communication, casting their interaction as a silent, expressive performance.
• "had his acts made plain": "His acts" refers to the actions or unfolding events of this silent drama. "Made plain" means made clear, evident, or understandable. This line serves as a transition, indicating that the silent struggle had a clear outcome or consequence that was about to be revealed. The "his" refers to the 'dumb play' itself, or the unfolding drama's own revelations.
• Meaning: "And all this silent, non-verbal drama had its intentions and consequences clearly revealed."

Line 6: "With tears, which, chorus-like, her eyes did rain."

• "With tears": The direct and visible consequence of the "dumb play" and Adonis's unyielding disdain, revealing Venus's deep emotional distress.
• "which, chorus-like": This is a powerful simile. In classical Greek drama, the 'chorus' comments on the action, expresses collective emotion, or offers moral commentary, often foreshadowing fate. Here, Venus's tears are likened to a chorus – they not only reflect her intense personal sorrow and frustration but also openly narrate or comment on the 'silent play' that just occurred, making her pain and the futility of her pursuit undeniably visible to herself and the reader.
• "her eyes did rain": "Rain" is a strong, vivid verb suggesting an abundant and continuous flow, far beyond a few drops. It emphasizes the overwhelming quantity and intensity of her weeping, turning her eyes into a source of continuous outpouring, much like rain from the sky. This is an example of hyperbole used to convey extreme emotion.
• Meaning: "Her eyes began to pour out tears, which, like a Greek chorus, openly revealed and commented on the emotional state and outcome of the silent drama."

🎭 Literary Devices

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza is a poignant microcosm of the central conflict and themes that pervade Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis. It precisely captures the essence of unrequited love and the painful dynamic between ardent desire and cold indifference.

The stanza's intense focus on the eyes highlights the power of non-verbal communication. The "war of looks" establishes a silent, yet fierce, battle of wills. Venus's eyes are portrayed as active, pleading, "suing," and desperately "wooing," symbolizing her overwhelming desire and pursuit. Conversely, Adonis's eyes are passive, unseeing, and "disdain’d," embodying his youthful detachment and resolute rejection of her advances. This stark contrast underscores the fundamental incompatibility of their desires.

Significantly, this stanza portrays the mighty goddess Venus in a position of unexpected vulnerability. Despite her divine status and immense power, she is reduced to a "petitioner," her efforts met with scorn, ultimately culminating in tears that "rain" from her eyes. This subversion of typical divine power illustrates love's capacity to humble even the gods, emphasizing that desire cannot be forced or reciprocated by will alone.

The "dumb play" culminating in "chorus-like" tears makes Venus's emotional suffering palpable and publicly visible. The tears act as a commentator on the silent drama, revealing the tragic outcome of Venus's pursuit: the futility of her passionate advances against Adonis's unyielding disinterest. This sets the stage for the escalating emotional intensity and the ultimate tragic resolution of the poem, where love's persuasive power fails in the face of innate aversion, leading to sorrow rather than union. The stanza encapsulates the broader themes of the poem: the nature of desire (Venus's aggressive sexual love vs. Adonis's chaste, self-contained disposition), the pain of unreciprocated affection, and the inherent conflict between passion and reason or youthful innocence.