🌹 Stanza 98 - Literary Analysis

Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis

📖 Original Stanza

‘Sweet boy,’ she says, ‘this night I’ll waste in sorrow,
For my sick heart commands mine eyes to watch.       
Tell me, Love’s master, shall we meet to-morrow
Say, shall we? shall we? wilt thou make the match?’
He tells her, no; to-morrow he intends
To hunt the boar with certain of his friends.

🔍 Line-by-Line Analysis

Line 1: ‘Sweet boy,’ she says, ‘this night I’ll waste in sorrow,

"Sweet boy": Venus's affectionate but also somewhat manipulative form of address to Adonis, emphasizing his youth and her attempt to charm or endear him to her.
"waste in sorrow": To spend the night consumed by grief, unfulfilled desire, or emotional distress. It highlights her dramatic portrayal of her deep emotional state and her unrequited longing.
Meaning: Venus addresses Adonis endearingly, stating that she will spend this night immersed in sadness.

Line 2: For my sick heart commands mine eyes to watch.

"sick heart": A heart troubled by unrequited love, intense desire, or emotional turmoil. It implies an almost physical ailment caused by her passionate and unfulfilled longing.
"commands mine eyes to watch": Her heart is so distressed that it takes control of her physical actions, specifically preventing her from sleeping and forcing her eyes to remain awake. This is a personification of her heart, acting as a sentient entity.
Meaning: Because her heart is troubled by her unrequited love, it dictates that her eyes must remain open and awake.

Line 3: Tell me, Love’s master, shall we meet to-morrow

"Love's master": This is an ironic or deeply pleading form of address. Venus, the goddess of love, refers to Adonis as if he holds power over love itself, or at least over her affections and fate. It's a flattery intended to persuade him, while also highlighting her vulnerable position.
"shall we meet to-morrow": A direct question that also functions as a hopeful, almost desperate plea for a future romantic or intimate encounter.
Meaning: Tell me, Adonis, you who seem to have such power over my affections, will we meet again tomorrow?

Line 4: Say, shall we? shall we? wilt thou make the match?’

"Say, shall we? shall we?": The repetition here conveys Venus's extreme eagerness, impatience, and almost nagging desperation. It underscores her persistent and intense plea for a positive response.
"wilt thou make the match": "Wilt thou" is an archaic form of "will you." "Match" in this context refers to an agreement, an arrangement, or specifically a romantic or sexual rendezvous. It's a direct request for him to consent to their intimate meeting.
Meaning: Please tell me, will we? Will we really? Will you agree to this rendezvous?

Line 5: He tells her, no; to-morrow he intends

"He tells her, no": This is a blunt, concise, and definitive rejection from Adonis. The brevity of his response sharply contrasts with Venus's lengthy, passionate, and pleading language, highlighting his coldness and complete lack of interest.
"he intends": This phrase emphasizes his firm decision and pre-existing plan, showing his resolute focus on his own desires and disinterest in Venus's proposals.
Meaning: He gives her a direct refusal; his plan for tomorrow is...

Line 6: To hunt the boar with certain of his friends.

"To hunt the boar": Adonis's stated priority and true passion. The wild boar is a symbol of danger, rugged masculinity, and a pursuit that contrasts sharply with Venus's world of love and sensuality. This also significantly foreshadows his ultimate fate.
"certain of his friends": This emphasizes his preference for male companionship and outdoor, strenuous activities over any romantic or sexual engagement with Venus. It highlights his detachment from her and his focus on his own world.
Meaning: ...to go hunting the wild boar with some of his male companions.

🎭 Literary Devices

Device	Example	Effect
Personification	"my sick heart commands mine eyes to watch"	Attributes human-like authority and agency to Venus's heart, emphasizing her overwhelming emotional distress that dictates her physical state.
Repetition	"Say, shall we? shall we?"	Underscores Venus's intense desperation, impatience, and almost pleading persistence, revealing the depth of her desire and her loss of composure.
Irony	"Love’s master"	Venus, the goddess of love, addresses a mortal boy as "Love's master," highlighting the reversal of typical power dynamics and her abject submission in her unrequited passion for him.
Juxtaposition	Venus's elaborate pleas vs. Adonis's "no"	Creates a stark contrast between Venus's passionate, verbose pursuit and Adonis's blunt, monosyllabic rejection, effectively portraying his coldness and disinterest against her overwhelming desire.
Foreshadowing	"To hunt the boar"	Directly hints at Adonis's eventual death, as he is killed by a boar later in the poem. This links his rejection of Venus's love with his fatal pursuit of a dangerous, masculine activity.
Alliteration	"waste in sorrow", "make the match"	Adds a subtle musicality and emphasis to the lines, drawing attention to these key phrases related to Venus's despair and her plea.

🎯 Overall Meaning & Significance in the Context of the Poem

This stanza is a pivotal moment that encapsulates the central conflict and the tragic irony of Venus and Adonis. It vividly portrays Venus's overwhelming and unrequited passion for the youthful Adonis, starkly contrasted with his absolute disinterest and aversion to her advances. Venus's language is one of desperate pleading, marked by flattery ("Sweet boy," "Love's master") and dramatic expressions of emotional suffering ("waste in sorrow," "sick heart"). Her repeated, insistent "Say, shall we? shall we? wilt thou make the match?" underscores her loss of dignity and relentless pursuit of her object of desire.

Adonis's response is the turning point: a blunt, monosyllabic "no." This rejection is devastating in its simplicity and directness, highlighting his youthful coldness, his immaturity regarding sexual love, and his firm preference for other pursuits. His stated intention "To hunt the boar with certain of his friends" solidifies his priorities. This declaration serves as profound foreshadowing, as the very activity he chooses over Venus's love will lead directly to his demise later in the poem.

The stanza reinforces several key themes of Venus and Adonis:

Unrequited Love and Power Imbalance: It powerfully illustrates the disempowerment of Venus, the goddess of love, when faced with a mortal's indifference. The traditional roles are subverted; the pursuer becomes the vulnerable one, and the pursued holds all the power.
The Nature of Desire: The stanza contrasts Venus's mature, insistent, and almost aggressive sexual desire with Adonis's youthful disinterest and his focus on the thrill of the hunt, symbolizing his preference for a more "chaste" or dangerous pursuit over carnal love. It questions whether true love can exist where one party actively resists.
Foreshadowing of Tragedy: Adonis's choice to hunt the boar directly sets the stage for the poem's tragic climax. His love for the hunt, his rejection of love, and his ultimate death are inextricably linked, suggesting a fatal consequence for those who shun love for dangerous or solitary pursuits.
Masculinity vs. Femininity: Adonis's pursuit of the boar with his "friends" underscores a preference for male companionship and traditionally masculine activities (hunting) over the emotional and physical intimacy offered by Venus, highlighting a clash of worlds and values.

In essence, this stanza is the critical moment where Adonis decisively rejects the goddess of love, sealing his fate and setting the narrative on its tragic course, all while illuminating the core conflicts and themes of the poem.