🌹 Stanza 79 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

And all amaz’d brake off his late intent,
For sharply he did think to reprehend her,
Which cunning love did wittily prevent:
Fair fall the wit that can so well defend her!      
For on the grass she lies as she were slain
Till his breath breatheth life in her again.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "And all amaz’d brake off his late intent,"

"all amaz’d": Adonis is completely astonished, shocked, or bewildered. Shakespeare uses 'amazed' to emphasize the intensity of his surprise, which is strong enough to interrupt his previous thoughts and actions.
"brake off": Broke off, stopped, or interrupted. This highlights the suddenness of his change in action or thought, indicating a powerful diversion from his prior course.
"his late intent": His previous or recent intention or purpose. As the following line clarifies, this intent was to scold Venus, making her dramatic action effective in derailing his plan. 'Late' here means recent, not delayed.
Meaning: And completely astonished, he stopped his previous intention.

Line 2: "For sharply he did think to reprehend her,"

"For": Because; it introduces the reason why Adonis's intent was interrupted.
"sharply": Sternly, severely, or harshly. This adverb intensifies the degree of the rebuke Adonis was contemplating, emphasizing his displeasure with Venus's persistent advances.
"reprehend her": To rebuke, scold, criticize, or reprimand her. This reveals Adonis's active decision to confront Venus's aggressive pursuit with a verbal reprimand.
Meaning: Because he had intended to severely scold her.

Line 3: "Which cunning love did wittily prevent:"

"Which": Refers back to Adonis's intention to reprehend Venus.
"cunning love": This phrase personifies love, attributing human qualities of cleverness and skill. It can also refer specifically to Venus's own cleverness, as she embodies the force of love in this poem. 'Cunning' here implies ingenuity and shrewdness in achieving a goal.
"wittily prevent": Cleverly or intelligently stopped or hindered. 'Wittily' emphasizes the ingenious nature of Venus's strategy (feigning death or a swoon) to disarm Adonis and avert his intended scolding.
Meaning: But clever love (Venus's strategy) intelligently stopped him from doing so.

Line 4: "Fair fall the wit that can so well defend her!"

"Fair fall": A blessing or an exclamation of praise, meaning "good fortune attend" or "bless". It serves as an authorial or narrative interjection expressing admiration.
"the wit": The intelligence, cleverness, or ingenuity, specifically referring to the cleverness displayed by Venus in her act.
"that can so well defend her": That is so capable of protecting her (from Adonis's wrath or rejection) or serving her interests effectively. The line praises the efficacy of such a clever tactic.
Meaning: May good fortune come to such cleverness that can defend her so effectively!

Line 5: "For on the grass she lies as she were slain"

"For": Because; it explains the specific action by which Venus "wittily prevent[ed]" Adonis.
"as she were slain": As if she were killed or dead. This describes her feigned state of unconsciousness or death, a highly dramatic and manipulative tactic designed to evoke pity, alarm, and a protective instinct from Adonis.
Meaning: Because she lies on the grass as if she were dead.

Line 6: "Till his breath breatheth life in her again."

"Till his breath breatheth life in her again": This line suggests that Venus's 'revival' is contingent upon Adonis's close proximity and concern, particularly his breath, which symbolizes his vital presence and attention. It's a metaphorical and sensual way of implying that only his care can 'bring her back', thereby forcing an intimate and tender interaction. The alliteration of 'breath breatheth' adds a lyrical quality.
Meaning: Until his breath brings her back to life.

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Personification	"cunning love did wittily prevent"	Attributes human qualities of cunning and wit to the abstract concept of 'love' (or Venus's love-driven actions), elevating her manipulation to an almost strategic force.
Hyperbole	"as she were slain"	Exaggerates Venus's feigned state to a death-like collapse, emphasizing the dramatic and shocking impact her action has on Adonis.
Alliteration	"breath breatheth"	Creates a pleasing sound effect and emphasizes the intimate connection between Adonis's breath (his presence/attention) and Venus's feigned revival.
Dramatic Irony	Venus feigning death to manipulate Adonis	The audience is aware Venus is not dead, creating tension and highlighting the manipulative nature of her actions, in contrast to Adonis's genuine alarm.
Apostrophe / Aside	"Fair fall the wit that can so well defend her!"	Breaks the narrative flow to offer a direct commendation of Venus's cleverness, drawing the reader's attention to the ingenuity of her strategy.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza marks a crucial shift in Venus's strategy of seduction. Having exhausted direct persuasion and physical advances, Venus, faced with Adonis's stern rejection and his intent to scold her, resorts to an extreme act of emotional manipulation: a feigned death or swoon. The stanza highlights her "cunning" and "witty" ability to adapt her approach, turning Adonis's anger into alarm and concern. Her dramatic collapse "as she were slain" forces Adonis into a position of intimacy and care, as his "breath" is symbolically depicted as the source of her revival.

The significance of this moment is multifaceted within the poem's broader themes. It underscores Venus's relentless and resourceful pursuit of desire, illustrating the lengths to which she will go to achieve her amorous goals, even resorting to theatrical deceit. This manipulative act exemplifies the power dynamics at play, where Venus's overwhelming desire seeks to conquer Adonis's youthful resistance and aversion to lust. It also subtly foreshadows the true death that awaits Adonis later in the poem, contrasting the deliberate, feigned vulnerability with the genuine, tragic vulnerability of mortality. Ultimately, this stanza emphasizes Venus's formidable will and cunning in her unyielding quest to bend Adonis to her passion, showcasing the complex and sometimes deceptive nature of love and desire.