🌹 Stanza 93 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

And having felt the sweetness of the spoil,
With blindfold fury she begins to forage;
Her face doth reek and smoke, her blood doth boil,
And careless lust stirs up a desperate courage;     
Planting oblivion, beating reason back,
Forgetting shame’s pure blush and honour’s wrack.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "And having felt the sweetness of the spoil,"

• "sweetness of the spoil": This phrase refers to the perceived pleasure or gratification Venus has just experienced, likely in a metaphorical sense, from her aggressive pursuit of Adonis. "Spoil" here means something taken by force or effort, often after a battle or struggle. It implies a prize or plunder, but also carries a subtle connotation of something ruined or damaged. In the context of her forceful advances on Adonis, it suggests she views his presence or attention as a 'prize' she has 'taken.' The "sweetness" is ironic, as it's a subjective perception from a non-consensual or undesired interaction, highlighting Venus's self-deceptive and distorted understanding of her actions. Shakespeare chose "spoil" to convey the aggressive, almost predatory nature of her desire.
• Meaning: "And having experienced the perceived pleasure of her conquest (or what she considers a victory), despite its true nature."

Line 2: "With blindfold fury she begins to forage;"

• "blindfold fury": This is a powerful metaphor. "Blindfold" suggests a complete lack of sight, reason, or clear judgment, implying an uncontrolled and indiscriminate passion. "Fury" indicates intense, wild passion, rage, or overwhelming desire. Together, it conveys that Venus is acting without any thought or restraint, driven purely by overwhelming emotion and lust. It vividly illustrates how her desire has 'blinded' her to the reality of the situation and Adonis's disinterest. Shakespeare uses this to emphasize the irrationality and intensity of her state.
• "forage": To search widely and relentlessly for food or provisions, often implying an urgent, almost animalistic search. Here, it means Venus continues to pursue Adonis aggressively, relentlessly seeking to satisfy her desire, much like a predator searching for prey. The word implies a raw, instinctual drive.
• Meaning: "Driven by a reckless and unseeing passion, she continues her relentless pursuit of Adonis."

Line 3: "Her face doth reek and smoke, her blood doth boil,"

• "doth reek and smoke": This is a vivid hyperbole. "Reek" here suggests a visible emanation or a strong vapor, implying an intense heat. "Smoke" reinforces the idea of her passion being so extreme that it causes her face to visibly emit steam or vapor. It's a grotesque and powerful image, showing the overwhelming physical manifestation of her extreme passion and arousal. Shakespeare uses this exaggerated imagery to convey the sheer intensity of Venus's desire.
• "her blood doth boil": Another powerful hyperbole and common idiom for extreme anger or agitation. In this context, it primarily signifies intense physical arousal and internal heat, mirroring the external "reek and smoke." It emphasizes the overwhelming physiological impact of her lust, making her seem almost consumed by an internal fire.
• Meaning: "Her face shows visible signs of intense heat and passion, and her blood is hot and agitated with overwhelming desire."

Line 4: "And careless lust stirs up a desperate courage;"

• "careless lust": "Careless" here means heedless, reckless, unconcerned with consequences, or indifferent to the feelings of others. It underscores the selfish and inconsiderate nature of her desire. "Lust" is an overwhelming sexual desire, often used in a negative connotation, implying it is unchecked and immoral. Shakespeare uses "careless" to highlight the selfish and destructive nature of Venus's desire.
• "desperate courage": This is an oxymoron. "Desperate" implies a sense of urgency, recklessness, or being without hope, leading to extreme or frantic measures. "Courage" usually implies bravery for a noble or worthy cause. Here, it's bravery for an ignoble, self-serving, and aggressive purpose. It's a 'courage' born out of an urgent, unfulfilled desire, pushing her to audacious and inappropriate actions regardless of propriety or consent.
• Meaning: "And her reckless, unconcerned sexual desire ignites within her a bold and frantic resolve."

Line 5: "Planting oblivion, beating reason back,"

• "Planting oblivion": "Oblivion" means the state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening around one, or a state of being forgotten. Here, it means Venus is actively causing a deliberate forgetting or ignoring of moral principles, social norms, or the consequences of her actions. She is creating a state where she is willfully ignorant of anything that conflicts with her desire. Shakespeare uses "planting" to suggest a deliberate, active act of suppression.
• "beating reason back": "Reason" refers to logical thought, good judgment, or self-control. "Beating back" means forcefully repelling or suppressing. This clearly indicates that Venus is deliberately pushing away any rational thought, self-restraint, or moral considerations that might interfere with her desires. It's a conscious battle she's winning against her own conscience, emphasizing her total surrender to passion.
• Meaning: "She is actively causing herself to forget or ignore what is right, and forcefully suppressing any rational thought."

Line 6: "Forgetting shame’s pure blush and honour’s wrack."

• "shame’s pure blush": "Blush" is the physical sign of embarrassment, modesty, or humility, a natural reaction to inappropriate behavior. "Pure" emphasizes that a sense of shame is a natural, healthy, and morally appropriate response to transgression. By "forgetting" it, Venus loses a vital human quality that signals moral awareness and modesty. Shakespeare highlights the loss of an innate moral compass.
• "honour’s wrack": "Honour" refers to integrity, moral uprightness, or reputation. "Wrack" (often spelled 'wreck') means ruin, destruction, or damage. So, "honour's wrack" means the destruction or ruination of her reputation and moral standing. This suggests she is not only ignoring shame but also actively embracing actions that will destroy her honor, implying a total moral collapse due to her unchecked lust.
• Meaning: "Completely disregarding the natural feeling of shame and the destruction of her own honor and reputation."

🎭 Literary Devices

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza offers a stark and powerful portrayal of Venus's complete surrender to her overwhelming sexual desire for Adonis. It depicts lust as a destructive, blinding, and dehumanizing force. Having experienced a momentary, self-perceived "sweetness" from her aggressive advances (stanza 92 describes her forcing a kiss on Adonis), Venus becomes even more consumed by her passion. The language emphasizes her profound loss of control, reason, and moral compass. She is depicted as an almost primal, animalistic force ("forage," "blindfold fury"), driven by an intense internal heat that manifests physically ("reek and smoke," "blood doth boil").

Her "careless lust" overrides any sense of shame or honor, reducing her to a state where she actively suppresses reason and embraces "oblivion" regarding the morality and consequences of her actions. This total abandonment of self-restraint underscores the poem's central theme of the corrupting power of unchecked desire. Venus, the goddess of love, ironically embodies the destructive and aggressive aspects of desire when it is unreciprocated and unconstrained by reason or consent.

This stanza is crucial as it escalates the tension between Venus's aggressive pursuit and Adonis's persistent rejection. It highlights the poem's broader exploration of desire, consent, and the contrasting forces of passionate, often destructive, Eros (represented by Venus) versus chaste love, reason, and natural order (often associated with Adonis's preference for hunting and youthful innocence). Her moral degradation here sets the stage for the escalating conflict and foreshadows the tragic outcome, emphasizing that unbridled passion can lead to moral ruin and destructive consequences.