In Venus And Adonis Love Is Purely Irrational

In Venus and Adonis love is purely irrational

Venus and Adonis is a poem focused on love and desire this essay is interested in the concept that love within the narrative is purely irrational. Specifically, it will focus on how: love of the body and love of the mind, love in relation to nature and the human condition, love depicted as lust

This essay is interested in the relationship between love of the body and love of the mind, and if it has an effect on the rationality of love. For love to be rational we must conclude that there must be some level of conscious reasoning. Freud stated that attraction stemmed from the ID in the human mind, only concerned with pleasure, it seeks out pleasure regardless of consequences or rationality. Therefore, we can suggest that love of the body is irrational, as there is no conscious thought concerning arousal or attraction As Venus is lives in human form, it makes logical sense to suggest that she is subject to this principal. It can also be eluded that her love is irrational as she never admits to loving Adonis in a non-sexual manner. When attempting to seduce him she does not demonstrate any restraint, even when he appears unresponsive, ‘Backward she push’d him, as she would be thrust,’ which suggests that she is aroused and forceful, thus implying that she is simply aroused and not in love with Adonis. Even after Adonis’ death Venus can only see the physical change in him, and mourns the loss of his attractive appearance, ‘Seeing his beautie, thou shouldst strike at it,’ Her irrationality is also apparent when she attempts to entice Adonis to bed with her, as she appears almost oblivious to what her supposed lover wants.

As the structure of the poem is strict and regimented, the use of iambic pentameter gives the impression of structure and discipline, which contrasts heavily with the content of Venus’ rambling speech. Thus, giving the impression that her mental love for Adonis is not thought out eloquently. This is supported by Sheidley whom states that this use of fragmented rhetoric and disciplined structure to mock Ovid’s original work and appear satirical ‘Both the bold and delightful comedy of Venus’ growing frustration and her complete and wide-ranging discourses’[1]. However, after Adonis is killed by the boar, Venus’ language becomes far more coherent. When she describes the way the death has affected her perception of the world, though her speech is affected by her grief, it is clear that her train of thought is long and thoughtful. In this case, lines 1141-1164 are the perfect example of this, Venus curses herself and the new world without Adonis, this implies that Venus did love Adonis for more than just his body, but it only becomes apparent to her and to the reader once he is dead. Conversely, Adonis, though a mortal, displays rational thought when rejecting Venus: ‘For all my mind, my thought, my busy care,’ when describing why he has to leave Venus, he also informs the narrative that he is interested in love of the mind, and from that he will find love of the body. This suggests that love in the case of Adonis is rational, however, Venus, though the Goddess of love displays irrational love throughout the narrative. Therefore, to some extent love within Venus and Adonis is irrational.

This essay is also interested in the concept that love in Venus and Adonis is a product of nature, and how that effects the rationality of love within Venus and Adonis. Kahn, Coppélia argues that ‘sexual desire amounts to a basic law of human existence:’[2] As Adonis is a mortal, we can assume that this principals can be applied to Venus and Adonis, as on half of the relationship is subject to these natural laws. Furthermore, Sheidley argues that Adonis was killed because he did not procreate with Venus[3]: ‘Fie, no more of love!’ This suggests that Adonis rejecting Venus, represents a rejection of natural law, therefore, Adonis is killed by nature as punishment for not fulfilling his purpose. However, it can also be argued that Adonis would have died even if he had slept with Venus, as his purpose would have been fulfilled. From this we can assume that love is rational, provided that love is a device to aid natural law. Therefore we can assume that love within Venus and Adonis is only rational when controlled by natural law.

Furthermore, Venus is represented in a far more animalistic manner, than the far more timid and thoughtful Adonis. Venus’ frustration and ill thought out seduction of Adonis, gives the impression that Venus is more animalistic than Adonis. Venus also refers to herself as a predator: ‘Till either gorge be stuff’d or prey be gone,’ implying that love, is no more than a primal need to survive and procreate. This is furthered by Rebhorn, whom states that ‘Pain [turns to] beauty’ and in the end a corpse becomes a flower[4], suggesting that Adonis has created new life in his death, and therefore fulfilled his natural purpose.

In Venus and Adonis it can be implied that love is portrayed as lust lust is an uncontrollable and natural phenomena. To portray love and lust as one and the same, we can assume that love is just as irrational as the latter. The narrator states “she cannot choose but love” Venus depicts love in an offhanded manner in an attempt to seduce Adonis, referring to sexual intercourse as “play”. Suggesting that they are the same in Venus’ perception. Furthermore, as Venus refers to sex and therefore, love and play, she is suggesting that love is thoughtless and rash as opposed to Ovid’s Idealised version of love, which is: rational, divine and delicate. From this we can interpret that love within Venus and Adonis is purely irrational.

However, as it has been established that love and nature are strongly connected, it can be interpreted that love is clever and therefore rational. Adonis clearly demonstrates elements of self-love. Respecting himself enough to not allow Venus to profane him. Though this leads to him acting irrationally when acting against Venus’ advice, when she implores him not to hunt the boar self-love itself is not irrational, it can lead to irrational perceptions of the self, and therefore, irrational actions. Adonis demonstrates this self-love with his final words “in sadness, now I will away” which portrays Adonis’ need for self-preservation and survival. Adonis is self-love is supported by Dobler, who states that “Adonis, who loves no one but possibly himself.”[5] This strongly implies that Adonis has an abundance of self-love, but he also implies that Venus and Adonis share a certain amount of platonic love, as he states that the only love Adonis feels is for himself, this love is by definition and application platonic. This self-love is rational as it, derives from the universal need to survive. Therefore, it is possible that self-love is rational and romantic love is irrational thus distinguishing a difference between different forms of love and how rational those forms may be.

It becomes obvious that self-love is not only evident in Adonis, but also within Venus herself as the goddess of love she personifies all forms of love. However, irrationality and her lack of self-love in Adonis’s presence, suggested when she is willing to give herself to him despite his feelings of disdain towards her. Thus, we can infer that all forms of love are affected by the other forms, from this we can only conclude that: romantic love is irrational, self-love is rational but not in the case where romantic love is present in Venus and Adonis. Therefore, in Venus and Adonis, Adonis’s relationship with love is rational, as it is a natural life preserver. However, Venus’s relationship with love is incredibly unstable, as we understand that different forms of love affect each other and that Venus embodies all forms of love, we must conclude that Venus’ perception and relationship with love is almost entirely irrational.

As we have previously discussed, Venus embodies all forms of love. However, as the Goddess of love, she also controls them. As Venus is delusional for the majority of the narrative, we can assume that love is not rational as it is controlled by an irrational and delusional mind. We can assume that Venus is delusional as her depiction is far less calculating and clear that Adonis’. In the case of Adonis he rarely mentions romantic love, and when he does, he is rejecting Venus.

Venus however makes continuous references to romantic love throughout the narrative, this repetition implies a certain madness and lack of clear thought and direction. Her perception of the mortal world appears distant and out of focus. This is displayed through her continuous references to nature ‘red-rose chain’, ‘blue-vein’d violets’ and ‘Fair flowers that are not gathered in the prime,’ which implies not only a one track mind, but an unhealthy fixation with her natural need to reproduce. This further supports the argument that a natural need to reproduce, has caused her to have irrational delusions of love, and believing that love is lust. These delusions are explained in line 581 ‘by Cupid’s bow she doth protest,’ which states that Venus is under the control of erotic love, caused by Cupid the God of desire. This not only suggests that Venus in Venus and Adonis represents lust, but also that she is subject to delusions of love. With Venus’ loss of control interpreted that she has, in turn lost control of love, when love is out-of-control and the goddess meant to control love is delusional and senseless the only conclusion we can draw is that love is either irrational in Venus and Adonis, due to: Cupid the God of desire, causing lust to appear as love, when lust is by nature irrational, or the product of Venus is delusional mind, under the power of lust and desire, meaning any and all of her actions are subject to her irrational force.

Venus and Adonis contains many forms and depths of love which affects their own rationality. When combining all these factors together. We can therefore assume that love is mostly irrational. As Venus was under the power of an irrational force, natural law and the limitations of her own intelligence and delusions, we can assume that love within Venus and Adonis appears to be out-of-control. As the goddess of love should have full control over all forms of love in the mortal world. However all the evidence indicates that Venus and all who come into contact with her, are going to fall victim to divine folly and irrational love. The only form of love which appears to be rational is love caused by nature, as it forces humans to reason with what should be done to give the best chance of survival, either through offspring or self-love. Therefore, love within Venus and Adonis is mostly irrational, as it is either: not reasoned, reasoned through and imperfect mind (a mortal mind) or a delusional mind. Love within nature is planned and divine, above all beings’ understanding, thus, by both definition and reasoning is rational. Irrefutably, love within Venus and Adonis is to the greater extent irrational, but to suggest that all love in the narrative is purely irrational, is to ignore the immense complexity and intelligence of nature.

Bibliography

Coppelia, Kahn, ‘Venus and Adonis’ in, The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare’s Poetry’, ed. Cheney, Patrick (New York, Cambridge University Press, 2007), pp. 72-89.

Dobler, John, ‘The Many faces of Love: Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis’, Annual bibliography of English Language and Literature (1983), 16.

Freud, Sigmund, On Metapsychology: The theory of psychoanalysis: ‘Beyond the Pleasure Principal’ ‘The Ego and the id’ and Other Works. (Penguin, Hamondsworth, 1984)

Kiernan, Pauline, ‘Death of the Rhetorical Trope: Poetry Metamorphosed in Venus and Adonis and the Sonnets’, (1995), 46.184, The Review of English Studies.

Rebhorn, Wayne A., ‘Mother Venus: Temptation in Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis’, (1978), 11.1, Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature.

Sheildley, William E., ‘“Unless it be a boar” Love and Wisdom in Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis’, (1974), 35. 1, Annual bibliography of English Language and Literature.

[1] Sheildley, William E., ‘“Unless it be a boar” Love and Wisdom in Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis’, (1974), 35. 1, Annual bibliography of English Language and Literature. p.4

[2] Coppelia, Kahn, ‘Venus and Adonis’ in, The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare’s Poetry’, ed. Cheney, Patrick (New York, Cambridge University Press, 2007), pp. 72-89. P. 5

[3] Sheildley, William E., ‘“Unless it be a boar” Love and Wisdom in Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis’, (1974), 35. 1, Annual bibliography of English Language and Literature. P.5.

[4] Rebhorn, Wayne A., ‘Mother Venus: Temptation in Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis’, (1978), 11.1, Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature. P.7

[5] Dobler, John, ‘The Many faces of Love: Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis’, Annual bibliography of English Language and Literature (1983), 16. P.34.