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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Adonis tells Venus "Remove your siege from my unyielding heart," what metaphor used earlier in the poem does this recall (line 423)?

2. What motif recurs throughout the description of the horse's courage and desire?

3. Which of the poem's motifs is most clearly illustrated by line 41, "Backward she push’d him, as she would be thrust"?

4. What does the speaker compare to caves?

5. What does Adonis mean when he tells Venus that she can stop her tears and flattery, because in his heart, "they make no batt’ry" (line 426).

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the comparison made between Adonis's mouth and a "red morn" (line 453).

2. In lines 131 and 132, what does Venus mean when she tells Adonis that "Fair flowers that are not gather’d in their prime/ Rot, and consume themselves in little time"?

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

4. As Adonis vacillates "’Twixt crimson shame and anger ashy pale" (line 76), what is the speaker saying Venus feels in lines 77 and 78, "Being red she loves him best, and being white, / Her best is better’d with a more delight"?

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

6. How does Adonis eventually end up kissing Venus?

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

8. What does Venus tell Adonis would happen if their positions were reversed?

9. What is Venus's purpose in talking about her relationship with the god of war?

10. Explain the conceit that Venus uses when she compares herself to a park.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A year after he published Venus and Adonis, Shakespeare published his only other epyllion, The Rape of Lucrece. Does this poem seem as heavily influenced by drama as Venus and Adonis? Read enough of this second epyllion to have a sense of its style. Then, write an essay that compares and contrasts these two mini-epics, focusing your analysis on the extent to which the poems emphasize dialogue and immediate action. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from both poems, and cite any quoted language in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Shakespeare, like many Elizabethans, was very interested in the issue of the "natural" versus the "unnatural." How does his use of hunting symbolism in Venus and Adonis explore this issue? Is hunting presented as a natural or unnatural activity? For whom? How do his treatment of Artemis and his use of the stallion as a foil for Adonis support his perspective on who should engage in hunting? Why does Shakespeare omit the role of Cupid in Venus's desire for Adonis? Where are Cupid and his arrows actually mentioned in the poem, and how does Cupid's role as "hunter" figure into the poem's meaning? What does Adonis's manner of death communicate about hunting? Write an essay in which you analyze the messages about natural and unnatural behavior conveyed by the poem's hunting symbolism. Support your analysis with evidence from the poem, citing any quoted material in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Venus and Adonis is notable for its reliance on dialogue, especially long monologues by Venus. Choose one of Venus's monologues to analyze. Write an essay in which you first explicate the meaning of the monologue--including the ideas conveyed in any figurative language--and then contextualize the monologue by analyzing its place in the overall poem. Discuss what this monologue conveys about Venus's character, the relationship between her and Adonis, and the values the poem either endorses or condemns. Support your explication and analysis with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from your chosen monologue. Be sure to cite any quoted material in MLA format.

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