We just finished up Venus and Adonis — one of Shakespeare’s epic poems. It’s based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Shakespeare changed the plot, however, when he wrote Adonis to be less responsive to Venus’ advances.
Though Adonis is a hunter, Venus is represented as a hunter, as well. She’s constantly trying to overpower Adonis to win his love. Many think that if the roles were reversed and Adonis overpowered Venus to win his love, it would be seen as sexist. In this context, however, it’s seen as somewhat comical. Her sexuality is dangerous, scary, and destructive — she even refers to herself as different predator animals. Again — if the roles were reversed, this would be seen as horribly sexist.
Considering Shakespeare was writing this play for patronage, it’s one of his richest pieces. The language is rich and flourishing and it jumps from genre to genre. Many people think this is Shakespeare at his best. It is, indeed, a beautiful poem.
