🌹 Stanza 77 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

This ill presage advisedly she marketh:
Even as the wind is hush’d before it raineth,
Or as the wolf doth grin before he barketh,
Or as the berry breaks before it staineth,  
Or like the deadly bullet of a gun,
His meaning struck her ere his words begun.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "This ill presage advisedly she marketh:"

"ill presage": A bad omen or a sign that something unfortunate is about to happen. Shakespeare uses "ill" to emphasize the negative nature of the premonition.
"advisedly": Carefully, thoughtfully, deliberately, or with full awareness. This word highlights Venus's acute and conscious perception, indicating that she doesn't just casually notice but deeply processes the significance of what she perceives.
"she marketh": She observes, notices, pays attention to, or registers. The archaic "marketh" emphasizes a deep, internal registering of the information, not just a fleeting glance.
Meaning: Venus carefully and consciously notices this ominous sign or premonition of something bad to come.

Line 2: "Even as the wind is hush’d before it raineth,"

"Even as": Just as; a common opening for a simile, drawing a direct comparison.
"the wind is hush’d": The wind becomes quiet, still, or silent. This creates an image of an unnatural calm before a storm, often associated with an unsettling quiet.
"before it raineth": Before it rains. "Raineth" is an archaic form of "rains." The image evokes a natural phenomenon where a dramatic event (rain) is preceded by a distinctive, often heavy silence. Shakespeare chose this to represent the quiet before a significant, inevitable occurrence.
Meaning: Just as the wind falls silent and still before a rainstorm begins.

Line 3: "Or as the wolf doth grin before he barketh,"

"Or as": Another comparative phrase, continuing the series of similes.
"the wolf doth grin": The wolf bares its teeth, often in a menacing or aggressive display, indicating an impending attack or growl. "Grin" here signifies a baring of fangs rather than a smile.
"before he barketh": Before he barks or makes an audible sound. This image suggests a silent, menacing prelude to an aggressive action, emphasizing the dangerous and instinctual nature of the pre-action sign.
Meaning: Or like a wolf bares its teeth in a silent, menacing grin before it lets out a bark or initiates an attack.

Line 4: "Or as the berry breaks before it staineth,"

"Or as": Continues the string of comparisons.
"the berry breaks": The skin of the berry bursts or splits open. This suggests a sudden, often irreversible action.
"before it staineth": Before its juice spills out and leaves a mark or dye. "Staineth" implies the messy, often indelible consequence of the berry bursting. Shakespeare uses this to symbolize an event that, once initiated, will inevitably lead to a clear, visible, and perhaps lasting consequence.
Meaning: Or like a berry splits open, just before its juice spills out and leaves a stain.

Line 5: "Or like the deadly bullet of a gun,"

"Or like": Introduces the final, most impactful simile in the series.
"the deadly bullet of a gun": A fatal projectile fired from a firearm. This image is starkly violent and brings the chain of natural and animalistic omens to a man-made, lethal conclusion. It emphasizes the direct, swift, and unavoidable impact of the coming realization. Shakespeare chose this image for its immediate, destructive power, hinting at the fatal outcome of Adonis's resistance.
Meaning: Or like a fatal bullet discharged from a gun.

Line 6: "His meaning struck her ere his words begun."

"His meaning struck her": Adonis's true intention, purpose, or firm resolve became suddenly and forcefully clear to Venus. "Struck" conveys a sudden, powerful, and often painful realization, akin to a physical blow.
"ere his words begun": Before he even started speaking or articulated his thoughts. "Ere" is an archaic word for "before." This line highlights Venus's profound intuitive understanding and Adonis's unyielding, silent resolve, which she perceives even before he voices it.
Meaning: His true intention became clear to her with a sudden impact, even before he began to speak.

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Simile	"Even as the wind is hush’d...", "Or as the wolf doth grin...", "Or as the berry breaks...", "Or like the deadly bullet of a gun,"	Creates vivid and ominous comparisons that emphasize the foreboding nature of Adonis's unstated intent. Each simile builds in intensity, culminating in the "deadly bullet," highlighting the inevitable and destructive impact of his impending rejection. They underscore Venus's acute perception of impending doom.
Anaphora	Repetition of "Even as," "Or as," "Or as," "Or like" at the beginning of lines 2-5	Creates a strong rhythmic effect and reinforces the cumulative impact of the series of omens. It builds dramatic tension and emphasizes the parallel nature of the premonitions.
Foreshadowing / Presage	"This ill presage advisedly she marketh" and the subsequent similes.	Establishes a sense of impending doom and inevitability regarding Adonis's firm rejection and, implicitly, his tragic fate. Venus's intuitive understanding sets a somber tone for the subsequent interactions and the poem's overall tragic arc.
Sensory Imagery	"hush’d wind," "wolf doth grin," "berry breaks," "deadly bullet"	Engages the reader's senses (sight, sound, even a sense of impending physical impact), making Venus's internal realization palpable and emphasizing the visceral and unsettling nature of the premonition. The imagery evokes a sense of quiet before a storm, predatory menace, messy consequence, and sudden violence.
Anticipation / Suspense	The entire stanza describes indicators before an event occurs.	Builds significant dramatic tension. By showing Venus's pre-verbal understanding of Adonis's "meaning," the poem heightens the impact of his eventual verbal rejection, as its essence has already been inwardly registered and dreaded. This emphasizes the futility of Venus's desires and the unchangeable nature of Adonis's will.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

Stanza 77 is pivotal in Venus and Adonis, marking a turning point where Venus, despite her passionate pleas and attempts at seduction, intuitively grasps Adonis's unwavering resolve to reject her. The stanza meticulously details Venus's sudden and painful realization, portraying it not as a gradual dawning but as a forceful, immediate understanding.

The series of escalating similes serves to illustrate the nature of this premonition: it's an ominous sign, like the stillness before a storm, the predatory baring of teeth before an attack, the bursting of a berry before it stains, and most potently, the unseen approach of a "deadly bullet." Each comparison emphasizes an inevitable, often destructive, precursor to an event. The "deadly bullet" is particularly significant, foreshadowing Adonis's tragic death and highlighting the lethal consequences that can arise from disinterest or misguided pursuits (like the hunt).

In the broader context of the poem, this stanza underscores several key themes:

Unrequited Love and Futility: It highlights the futility of Venus's ardent desires. No matter how persuasive or beautiful she is, Adonis's meaning, his deeply held disinterest in love and preference for the hunt, is immutable. Her efforts are ultimately doomed.
Intuition vs. Articulation: The stanza showcases Venus's divine intuition. She perceives Adonis's true intention before he even speaks, emphasizing a deeper, more profound form of communication (or lack thereof) than mere words. This makes his subsequent verbal rejection even more impactful because its essence was already "felt" as a grave omen.
Nature vs. Human Desire: The similes drawn from nature (wind, wolf, berry) contrast with the human-made "gun," reflecting the clash between Venus's natural, passionate love and Adonis's more austere, unyielding nature, which ultimately leads to a violent, unnatural end.
Foreboding and Tragedy: The "ill presage" and the violent imagery of the "deadly bullet" infuse the poem with a sense of impending tragedy. It hints that Adonis's pursuit of his own desires, particularly the hunt, will lead to his demise, and Venus's love, though strong, cannot avert his fate.

In essence, Stanza 77 is a powerful moment of psychological insight into Venus's character and a chilling forewarning of the poem's tragic resolution. It establishes the unchangeable core of Adonis's character and the ultimate powerlessness of love in the face of predestined fate or determined disinterest.