Venus Anadyomene (1520) painted by Titian
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Character Analysis: Venus
Character Analysis: Venus
The goddess of love, known as Aphrodite in Greek mythology, is a goddess that is known for her beauty and sexuality. Her manipulation of Adonis makes one wonder if there isn't a dangerous vixen laying underneath the beautiful surface.
What does Venus look like?
What does Venus look like?
The simplest way to describe Venus is nude. In countless paintings, sculptures, and writing, "Venus, due to her natural beauty and sexual nature, was often depicted nude" (Garcia). Venus, as a goddess, is ageless and considered to be a beautiful woman in her adult years. She is often followed around by Cupid.
What is Venus' personality?
What is Venus' personality?
Like most gods, Venus is very self-absorbed and often does not see past her own nose. She is used to getting what she wants, when she wants and does not like being told "no" - so Adonis' rejection is a whole new situation for her.
Venus is extremely passionate, mainly what she is known for being the goddess of love and sex, and is presented this way in Venus and Adonis. Her passion makes her a "ultimately dangerous figure" in the narrative poem as she stops at nothing in her pursuit of Adonis' love (Venus and Adonis (Shakespeare poem) Characters).
But perhaps her "most prominent trait is her sexual aggression, a fairly unique feature among romantic heroines even in modern times" (Venus and Adonis: Characters). This, combined with her depictions being mostly nude, makes one of the most temptuous characters to this day.
Venus with a Mirror (1555) painted by Titian
"Graze on my lips, and if those hills be dry,
"Graze on my lips, and if those hills be dry,
Stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie" (Lines 233-234)
Stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie" (Lines 233-234)
The Birth of Venus (1485-1486) painted by Sandro Botticelli
How could one describe the life of Venus?
How could one describe the life of Venus?
The life of Venus is one of luxury and every whim met.
As part of the 12 Roman Gods, also known as the 12 Olympians in Greek mythology, Venus (Aphrodite in Greek) is the goddess of love, beauty, sex, and fertility (or procreation). Venus was considered the most beautiful amongst the gods and was usually followed by Cupid (Eros), her son (Chaliakopoulos).
Venus' most famous affairs are those among the Olympians. Venus was married to Vulcan (or Hephaestus) the god of fire and blacksmithing, but held a long-term affair with Mars (Ares), the god of war and spirit of battle. "Nevertheless, none of these love-stories surpassed the intensity with which Venus loved Adonis" (Chaliakopoulos).
The birth of Venus is a story that has forever been memorialized in the paint strokes of Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. As the myth goes, "Venus was born as a fully-grown woman. She was conceived when the Titan Cronus castrated his father, the god Uranus. The severed genitals fell into the sea, fertilising it" (Burdis).
What is Venus' relationship with the other characters?
What is Venus' relationship with the other characters?
Venus' relationship with Adonis is one that is fraught with complications and frustration.
She believes that what she feels with Adonis is love at first sight, causing her to come down to earth so that she can meet the man of her dreams. "Venus tries to interest him using her charms, but then resorts to manipulation, hoping that her entreaties will wear him down" (Venus and Adonis Characters). They do not. Venus' aggression only pushes Adonis away as he feels the Venus is feeling lust rather than love.
Adonis becomes irritated with Venus, yet she continues being forward "in suggesting that they take their encounter to a more sexual level. Every action she takes proves Adonis' point about lust; she simply cannot contain herself around him" (Venus and Adonis Characters). Adonis frustration with Venus is seen in his comments about her and her strategies as seen in Line 789,
"I hate not love, but your device in love"
Venus' "relationship" with Adonis pushes and pushes Adonis until he cannot stand her.
Even after Adonis is found dead, Venus continues her manipulation and makes his death about her: her loss, her missed opportunity, and her dead love.
Venus de Milo (between 150 and 125 BC) by Alexandros of Antioch
"But he is dead, and never did he bless
"But he is dead, and never did he bless
My youth with his. The more I am accursed!" (Lines 1119-1120)
My youth with his. The more I am accursed!" (Lines 1119-1120)
What type of character is Venus?
What type of character is Venus?
When looking into the types of characters in literature, I feel that Venus best represents The Creator and well as a symbolic character.
According to MasterClass, The Creator is one whose "strengths include creativity, willpower, and conviction. Their weaknesses include self-involvement, single-mindedness, and lack of practical skills" (MasterClass Staff). I find that this description fits Venus because of her selfishness presented in the narrative poem (self-involvement), including her initial reaction to Adonis' death, which was her self-pity that they never had sex. and well as her inability to believe that Adonis could deny or not want her love or sex (single-mindedness) and her continued pursuit of him despite his rejections (conviction). Something that I found interesting in the definition of The Creator is that MasterClass uses Zeus, Venus' Greek-counterpart father, as an example of this type of character.
In Venus and Adonis, Venus serves as a symbol to the various types of love, such as love-at-first-sight, erotic love, and the negative obsessive love.
2017 Puppetry Production of Venus and Adonis
What is Venus' role in the poem?
What is Venus' role in the poem?
Venus' role in Venus and Adonis is one of temptation and testing for Adonis. Venus' beauty and manipulative tactics push Adonis to his limits and ultimately leads to his death and transformation.
Additionally, Venus' role in the poem includes warning Adonis of his death after her premonition.
"I prophesy thy death, my living sorrow,
"I prophesy thy death, my living sorrow,
If thou encounter with the boar tomorrow" (Lines 671-672)
If thou encounter with the boar tomorrow" (Lines 671-672)
What major conflicts does Venus have?
What major conflicts does Venus have?
There are 3 major conflicts that Venus experiences during the story of Venus and Adonis.
The first conflict is Venus' conflict comes with herself. For the first time in her life, Venus is experiencing unrequited love and she does not know how to react or accept fact. She struggles with how Adonis could reject her, the goddess of love, and even claims that he is so modest he makes Diana, the goddess of virginity, look promiscuous,
"so do thy lips
Make modest Dian cloudy and forlorn," (724-725).
The second conflict Venus struggles with is the conflict between her and Adonis, more specifically about the nature of her feelings for him. Adonis frequently mentions his belief that "she is in lust with him rather than in love and is therefore attempting to get away from her" (Venus and Adonis Literary Elements). Adonis continues to pull away from all of Venus' seductions and manipulative tactics, thus frustrating the goddess.
This conflict with Adonis ultimately leads to his death as "She visualizes him being killed by the boar that he is hunting; unfortunately when she tells him he thinks that it is just another ploy to keep him from the hunt and back with her" (Venus and Adonis Characters). This premonition and her failure to stop it also contributes to her conflict with herself as she despises that she was unable to stop the death of the man she so cared for.
The final conflict Venus struggles with is that of which she reigns over: love. Her obsessive love of Adonis pushes him away, leading him to the ill-fated boar, and her discovery of his cold body is one that pushes the goddess over the edge. In her despair, Venus places a curse on love and declares it to be a terrible thing.
How does Venus change overall?
How does Venus change overall?
Overall, Venus' change throughout the poem comes in her viewpoint of love.
When she finds that her vision of Adonis' death has come true, she is devastated, and realizes that love is not all happiness and rainbows, despite her wish for it to be. With Adonis' corpse in her lap, she places a curse on love, decreeing it to be "cause for war and dire events," (Line 1159). After she completes her curse, that covers several stanzas, Venus' tears mix with Adonis' blood and change him into a flower that can still be found today.
"'It shall be fickle, false, and full of fraud," (Line 1141)
"'It shall be fickle, false, and full of fraud," (Line 1141)
The Death of Adonis (1700-1710) by Giuseppe Mazzuoli
"'Since thou art dead, lo, her I prophesy
"'Since thou art dead, lo, her I prophesy
Sorrow on love hereafter shall attend;
Sorrow on love hereafter shall attend;
It shall be waited on with jealousy," (Lines 1135-1138)
It shall be waited on with jealousy," (Lines 1135-1138)
Works Cited
Works Cited
Burdis, Shauna. “Beauty and Myth: The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli.” HeadStuff, 5 June 2019, headstuff.org/culture/visual-arts/the-birth-of-venus-botticelli/.
Chaliakopoulos, Antonis. “The Myth of Venus and Adonis: From Incest to Beauty.” TheCollector, 27 Mar. 2021, www.thecollector.com/venus-adonis/.
Garcia, Brittany. “Venus.” World History Encyclopedia, World History Encyclopedia, 27 Aug. 2013, www.worldhistory.org/venus/.
MasterClass Staff. “Writing 101: All the Different Types of Characters in Literature - 2021.” MasterClass, 2 Sept. 2021, www.masterclass.com/articles/guide-to-all-the-types-of-characters-in-literature#5-character-types-that-appear-in-fiction.
“Venus and Adonis (Shakespeare Poem) Characters.” BookRags, BookRags, www.bookrags.com/studyguide-venus-and-adonis-shakespeare-poem/characters.html#gsc.tab=0.
“Venus and Adonis Characters.” GradeSaver, www.gradesaver.com/venus-and-adonis/study-guide/character-list.
“Venus and Adonis Literary Elements.” GradeSaver, www.gradesaver.com/venus-and-adonis/study-guide/literary-elements.
“Venus and Adonis: Characters.” Encyclopedia.com, Encyclopedia.com, 25 Oct. 2021, www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/venus-and-adonis#Characters.
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