🌹 Stanza 95 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

What wax so frozen but dissolves with tempering,
And yields at last to every light impression?
Things out of hope are compass’d oft with venturing,
Chiefly in love, whose leave exceeds commission:    
Affection faints not like a pale-fac’d coward,
But then woos best when most his choice is froward.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: "What wax so frozen but dissolves with tempering,"

"What wax so frozen": Rhetorical question asking what wax exists that is so solidly frozen. Wax, when cold, becomes hard and unyielding.
"but dissolves with tempering": "But" means "that does not" - even the most frozen wax will melt when properly warmed or worked ("tempered"). "Tempering" means applying the right amount of heat or manipulation.
Meaning: "What wax is so frozen that it won't melt when properly warmed?"

Line 2: "And yields at last to every light impression?"

"And yields at last": Once softened, it eventually gives in or becomes pliable.
"to every light impression": To even the slightest touch or influence. Once wax is warmed, it becomes moldable with minimal pressure.
Meaning: "And eventually gives in to even the lightest touch?"

Line 3: "Things out of hope are compass’d oft with venturing,"

"Things out of hope": Situations that seem hopeless or impossible to achieve.
"are compass'd oft": Are often achieved or accomplished. "Compass'd" means "brought about" or "achieved."
"with venturing": Through taking risks, making bold attempts, or daring to try despite the odds.
Meaning: "Hopeless things are often achieved through taking risks."

Line 4: "Chiefly in love, whose leave exceeds commission:"

"Chiefly in love": This is especially true in matters of love.
"whose leave exceeds commission": Love's permission or license goes beyond what is officially authorized. "Leave" means permission; "commission" means official authority. Love takes liberties beyond what is formally allowed.
Meaning: "Especially in love, which takes more liberties than it's officially given permission to take."

Line 5: "Affection faints not like a pale-fac’d coward,"

"Affection faints not": True love/desire doesn't give up or lose courage.
"like a pale-fac'd coward": Unlike a coward who turns pale with fear and retreats. The pale face shows visible fear and lack of courage.
Meaning: "Love doesn't give up like a pale-faced coward."

Line 6: "But then woos best when most his choice is froward."

"But then woos best": Instead, love pursues most effectively.
"when most his choice is froward": When the object of desire is most contrary, stubborn, or unwilling. "Froward" means perverse, difficult, or rebellious.
Meaning: "But pursues most effectively when the beloved is most unwilling."

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Extended Metaphor	Wax metaphor (lines 1-2)	Compares resistance to frozen wax that inevitably melts, suggesting all resistance can be overcome
Rhetorical Question	"What wax so frozen..."	Engages reader and implies the obvious answer - all resistance eventually yields
Paradox	"woos best when most his choice is froward"	Contradictory idea that love succeeds most when faced with greatest opposition
Personification	"Affection faints not"	Gives love human qualities of courage and determination
Metaphor	"pale-fac'd coward"	Compares giving up in love to cowardly retreat in battle
Antithesis	Coward vs. persistent lover	Contrasts weakness with strength, giving up with persistence
Alliteration	"froward," "faints," "fac'd"	Creates rhythmic emphasis on key concepts

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza represents Venus's philosophical justification for her persistent pursuit of the reluctant Adonis. Coming near the middle of the poem, it serves as Venus's theoretical defense of her aggressive courtship strategy. She argues that persistence in love is not only natural but most effective when facing the greatest resistance.

The wax metaphor is particularly significant - it suggests that no matter how cold or unresponsive someone appears, the right kind of persistent "tempering" will eventually soften them. This reveals Venus's belief that Adonis's resistance is temporary and surmountable, not a fundamental rejection of her.

The stanza also explores the paradoxical nature of desire - that love often intensifies when faced with obstacles rather than diminishing. Venus argues that true affection doesn't retreat like a coward but becomes more determined when challenged. This psychological insight anticipates modern understanding of how obstacles can intensify romantic pursuit.

However, there's a darker undertone: Venus's philosophy could justify unwanted pursuit and harassment. Her belief that "froward" (unwilling) targets are the best ones to pursue reflects a problematic view that resistance should be ignored rather than respected. Shakespeare may be critiquing this aggressive approach to love through Venus's ultimate failure.

The stanza is crucial for understanding Venus's mindset and the poem's exploration of consent, persistence, and the ethics of pursuit in love. It shows how philosophical arguments can be used to justify behavior that may be fundamentally wrong, making this both a sophisticated analysis of desire and a subtle critique of aggressive courtship.