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1. Describe the stanza form in Venus and Adonis.

Each stanza consists of six lines of iambic pentameter, which make up a quatrain and a final couplet. The stanzas are rhymed ababcc.

2. Throughout the first 36 stanzas, how is Adonis depicted?

Adonis is depicted as young, somewhat feminine, and uninterested in romantic love. He is ashamed and embarrassed by Venus's overt sexual attention and reacts coldly to her.

3. How do Venus and Adonis end up on the ground together?

Venus pulls Adonis from his horse and then pushes him backward. When he falls to the ground, she lies down with him.

4. Explain the epic simile about an eagle in lines 55-60.

The poem's speaker compares Venus to a starving eagle and Adonis to her helpless prey. When she kisses Adonis over and over, it is like an eagle tearing at its prey again and again to satisfy its hunger.

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