🌹 Stanza 81 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

The night of sorrow now is turn’d to day:
Her two blue windows faintly she up-heaveth,
Like the fair sun, when in his fresh array
He cheers the morn, and all the world relieveth:    
And as the bright sun glorifies the sky,
So is her face illumin’d with her eye;

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "The night of sorrow now is turn’d to day:"

• "The night of sorrow": This phrase metaphorically represents a period of deep grief, despair, or emotional darkness experienced by Venus. "Night" here symbolizes gloom, pain, and the absence of light or hope.
• "now is turn’d to day": This indicates a significant shift or transformation. "Day" symbolizes renewal, clarity, hope, and the emergence from the darkness. It suggests Venus is beginning to recover or emerge from her profound despondency. Shakespeare chose "night" and "day" to provide a stark, universally understood contrast for Venus's emotional state.
• Meaning: Venus's period of intense grief and despair has now shifted, giving way to a state of awakening or renewed hope, as if dawn has broken after a long, dark night.

Line 2: "Her two blue windows faintly she up-heaveth,"

• "Her two blue windows": This is a powerful metaphor for Venus's eyes. "Windows" suggests they are openings through which one perceives the world and through which her soul or emotions can be seen. "Blue" describes their color. Shakespeare uses "windows" to imply an intimate connection to the inner self.
• "faintly she up-heaveth": This describes the action of slowly and with effort opening her eyes. "Up-heaveth" suggests a heavy lifting motion, implying she is weak, exhausted, or has been in a deep sleep or stupor, making the act of opening her eyes a physical exertion. "Faintly" emphasizes the weakness or slowness of the action.
• Meaning: She slowly and weakly lifts her eyelids, revealing her blue eyes, as if emerging from a deep sleep or state of unconsciousness.

Line 3: "Like the fair sun, when in his fresh array"

• "Like the fair sun": This initiates a grand simile, comparing Venus's emerging eyes and their effect to the rising sun. "Fair" describes the sun's beauty and brilliance. Shakespeare uses this comparison to elevate Venus's divine beauty and power.
• "when in his fresh array": This phrase personifies the sun ("his"). "Fresh array" refers to the sun's appearance at dawn, newly vibrant, unclouded, and brilliant, as if it has just put on new, splendid garments of light. It suggests a pure, powerful, and beautiful beginning.
• Meaning: This is similar to how the beautiful sun appears when it rises in the morning, adorned in its new and radiant splendor.

Line 4: "He cheers the morn, and all the world relieveth:"

• "He cheers the morn": The personified sun ("He") brings joy, brightness, and warmth to the morning, dispelling the gloom and chill of night. "Cheers" implies invigorating and uplifting.
• "and all the world relieveth": The sun brings comfort, ease, and renewal to the entire world, freeing it from the darkness, cold, or burdens of the night. "Relieveth" suggests providing solace and new life.
• Meaning: The sun brightens and invigorates the morning, bringing comfort and renewal to the entire world.

Line 5: "And as the bright sun glorifies the sky,"

• "And as the bright sun glorifies the sky": This continues the extended simile, emphasizing the sun's magnificent effect on its surroundings. "Glorifies" means to make something appear splendid, magnificent, or beautiful, enhancing its stature. The sun's light makes the sky radiant and vibrant.
• Meaning: And just as the shining sun bestows splendor and beauty upon the sky.

Line 6: "So is her face illumin’d with her eye;"

• "So is her face illumin’d with her eye": This is the culmination of the simile. Just as the sun brings light and glory to the sky, Venus's own eyes, now open and vibrant, bring light, radiance, and expressiveness to her face, making it appear beautiful and animated. "Illumin'd" directly parallels "glorifies," suggesting an internal source of light originating from her eyes.
• Meaning: In the same way, her face is made radiant and beautiful by the light and expression that emanates from her eyes.

🎭 Literary Devices

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza marks a critical turning point for Venus. Having experienced "night of sorrow" – likely from Adonis's harsh rejection and her unfulfilled desires – she is now emerging from that profound despair. The turning of "night" to "day" symbolizes a shift from her lowest point, a moment of awakening or a glimmer of renewed hope and determination.

The extended simile, comparing Venus's opening eyes to the rising sun, is the heart of the stanza's significance. It not only vividly describes her awakening but also serves to re-establish her divine power and allure. Just as the sun brings light, warmth, and life to the entire world, Venus's own eyes are depicted as the source of radiance and beauty for her face. This underscores her inherent nature as the goddess of love and beauty, whose very gaze can "illuminate" and "glorify."

In the broader context of Venus and Adonis, where Venus is aggressively pursuing the chaste Adonis, this stanza suggests her resilience. Despite her recent humiliation and grief, her essential divine beauty and magnetic force remain undiminished. Her awakening here prepares her for further action or reflects her innate capacity to overcome despair, setting the stage for the poem's continued narrative of pursuit, rejection, and ultimately, tragedy. It reminds the reader of her powerful, almost overwhelming, influence, even as she grapples with human-like emotions of sorrow.