to the ground, she tells him at
length how lucky he should feel to
be desired by one who was wooed
by so great a figure as the god
Mars. But Adonis, complaining that
he’s getting burned by the midday
sun, with much difficulty shakes
her off: “Away he springs, and
hasteth to his horse” (l.258).
Tempted by a passing mare,
however, the horse breaks away
and dashes into a wood with his
mate. Venus renews her advances
and takes Adonis by the hand,
“A lily prisoned in a jail of snow”
(l.362), saying that Adonis should
take a lesson from his horse:
“O, learn to love! The lesson is but
plain, / And, once made perfect,
never lost again” (ll.407–408).Hunter hunted
She pretends to collapse before
him. Guiltily he tries to bring her
around and gives her a farewell
kiss, which inflames her again, but
he says he is unripe for love: “Before
I know myself, seek not to knowTHE FREELANCE WRITER 75
Some scholars have speculated that
Shakespeare may have seen a copy of
Titian’s painting Venus and Adonis
(1554), in which the young hero seems
to spurn the overeager Venus.
me” (l. 525). His unwise offer of a
kiss inflames her again. He tells her
that he plans to go boar hunting,
which causes her such pain that:
“She sinketh down, still hanging
by his neck. / He on her belly falls,
she on her back” (ll.593–594).
Horrified that he may be killed,
she advises him to hunt harmless
animals such as hares. Adonis
rebukes her for succumbing to lust:
“Love comforteth, like sunshine
after rain, / But lust’s effect is
tempest after sun” (ll.799–800).
At last he escapes, leaving her to
bemoan her fate. The next morning,
hearing sounds of hunting, she ❯❯