🌹 Stanza 89 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘Look! the world’s comforter, with weary gait
His day’s hot task hath ended in the west;
The owl, night’s herald, shrieks, ‘tis very late;
The sheep are gone to fold, birds to their nest,    
And coal-black clouds that shadow heaven’s light
Do summon us to part, and bid good night.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: ‘Look! the world’s comforter, with weary gait

• "Look!": An imperative exclamation used by Venus to draw Adonis's immediate attention to the natural phenomenon she is describing, emphasizing its significance as a signal.
• "the world’s comforter": This is a periphrasis referring to the sun. Shakespeare uses this poetic and elevated term to describe the sun's vital role in sustaining life and providing warmth and light, which are sources of comfort and well-being to the world. It frames the sun as a benevolent, life-giving entity.
• "with weary gait": "Gait" refers to a manner of walking or moving. Here, it personifies the sun, suggesting it is moving slowly and with exhaustion, as if tired from its day's work. "Weary" underscores the idea of the day drawing to a close, as the sun's energy for the day is expended.
• Meaning: "Look! The sun, which brings warmth and life to the world, is moving slowly and tiredly."

Line 2: His day’s hot task hath ended in the west;

• "His day’s hot task": This continues the personification of the sun, referring to its daily duty of providing heat and light as a laborious "task." The "hot" emphasizes the intensity of the sun's work throughout the day.
• "hath ended in the west": "Hath" is an archaic form of "has." This phrase explicitly states that the sun has completed its daily journey and has set or is setting in the western sky, a universal sign of the day's conclusion.
• Meaning: "The sun's warm and demanding daily work has finished, as it sets in the west."

Line 3: The owl, night’s herald, shrieks, ‘tis very late;

• "The owl, night’s herald": A "herald" is an official messenger, often one who announces the arrival of something important. The owl, a nocturnal bird whose call signals the transition from day to night, is personified as the messenger announcing the arrival of night. Shakespeare chooses the owl for its established association with dusk and night.
• "shrieks": This describes the owl's cry as a loud, piercing, and perhaps urgent sound. The verb choice adds an auditory dimension to the impending darkness, making the transition feel more insistent and less gentle.
• "‘tis very late": "‘Tis" is a contraction of "it is." This direct and explicit statement of the lateness of the hour serves to emphasize Venus's point about the need for them to part.
• Meaning: "The owl, the messenger of night, cries out loudly, signifying that it is very late."

Line 4: The sheep are gone to fold, birds to their nest,

• "The sheep are gone to fold": A "fold" is an enclosure or pen where sheep are gathered for the night. This imagery depicts a common pastoral scene of evening, where livestock are secured for safety and rest, further indicating the end of the active day.
• "birds to their nest": This describes another universal sign of dusk, as birds return to their sheltered homes for the night. Both examples of animals seeking rest reinforce the natural rhythm of the day concluding and the time for activity ceasing.
• Meaning: "The sheep have returned to their pens, and birds have gone to their nests."

Line 5: And coal-black clouds that shadow heaven’s light

• "coal-black clouds": The compound adjective "coal-black" vividly describes the extreme darkness of the clouds, emphasizing their opacity and their role in obscuring light. This powerful visual imagery reinforces the pervasive approach of night.
• "that shadow heaven’s light": To "shadow" here means to darken or obscure. The clouds are not just dark but are actively blocking out the natural light from the sky, creating a deeper sense of encroaching darkness and the complete absence of day.
• Meaning: "And extremely dark clouds that block out the light from the sky,"

Line 6: Do summon us to part, and bid good night.

• "Do summon us to part": "Summon" means to call upon someone to appear or to do something, often with a sense of authority or urgency. The various natural signs described in the preceding lines (the setting sun, owl's cry, animals returning home, dark clouds) are personified as collectively issuing a command or strong suggestion that Venus and Adonis must separate. "Part" means to go their separate ways.
• "and bid good night": "Bid" means to say. This phrase encapsulates the ultimate message conveyed by the natural world's signals: it is time to conclude their day's encounter and say their farewells until the next day.
• Meaning: "Are calling for us to separate and say good night."

🎭 Literary Devices

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

Stanza 89 is a pivotal moment in the narrative, delivered by Venus as a pragmatic observation about the passage of time. Having spent the entire day passionately attempting to woo and embrace Adonis, Venus finally acknowledges the undeniable signals of evening. The stanza details a succession of natural occurrences – the setting sun, the owl's cry, animals returning to rest, and the onset of darkness – all of which collectively and emphatically declare that the day is over and it is time for her and Adonis to separate.

This stanza signifies a temporary cessation in Venus's relentless pursuit, driven by the inescapable reality of the natural world's rhythms. It highlights the conflict between human desire and the external constraints of time and nature. While Venus is driven by an intense, all-consuming passion, even she must bow to the inevitable end of the day. The "weary gait" of the sun and the "hot task" reflect the arduousness of Venus's own efforts throughout the day. The "coal-black clouds" and the "shrieks" of the owl add a sense of urgency and perhaps a touch of foreboding, hinting at the dangers that night might bring (which foreshadows the boar hunt).

In the broader context of the poem, this stanza serves to punctuate the end of the first day's intense interactions between Venus and Adonis, setting the stage for the events of the following morning, particularly Adonis's ill-fated hunting expedition. It underscores a theme of natural order and the limits it imposes on individual will and desire, even for a goddess.