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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. What does the speaker compare to caves?

2. When Venus shakes her head and then Adonis's hand, looks at him and then at the ground, what is it most reasonable to infer about her motivation?

3. Which is the best definition of "even" in Venus's question "What hour is this? or morn or weary even" (line 495)?

4. Which is the best characterization of the connotations of Venus's description of "fountains" (line 234) and "rising hillocks" in her description of the park (line 237)?

5. Which is the best interpretation of line 600, in which Venus is said "To clip Elysium and to lack her joy"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How does the mare react to the stallion at first, and how does her reaction change?

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

6. What happens when Adonis tries to get back on his horse and leave?

7. How does Adonis eventually end up kissing Venus?

8. What does Venus convey in the speech about her senses that begins in line 433, "Had I no eyes but ears"?

9. Describe the stanza form in Venus and Adonis.

10. What does Venus tell Adonis he can learn from his horse?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Did Shakespeare's gambit with Venus and Adonis work? Do some research into his career and the impact that the publication of Venus and Adonis had on it. Consider how the work was received and evidence of changes in Shakespeare's relationship with Henry Wriothesley following its publication. Then, write an essay in which you provide evidence from both the poem and its historical context to support the idea that one of Shakespeare's primary intentions in publishing Venus and Adonis was to court a more sophisticated audience. Offer a research-supported conclusion about whether this plan succeeded. Be sure to cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

How would you characterize the speaker of this poem? Is the speaker educated or uneducated? Confident or tentative? Emotional or reserved? Does the speaker seem to have kind intentions toward the characters, to identify with them, and express sincere sympathy--or does the speaker stand at a remove, passing judgment? How closely do you imagine this speaker's voice mimics the voice of the audience that Shakespeare is trying to reach with this poem? Write an essay in which you consider Shakespeare's purposes in writing Venus and Adonis and how these purposes might have influenced the voice of the poem's speaker. Support your arguments with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from throughout the poem, making sure to cite any quoted language and outside sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Of the several forms of figurative language Shakespeare employs in Venus and Adonis, metaphors and similes are by far the most frequent. What about this is typical of an epic? Why do epics use so many figures of comparison? Are Shakespeare's metaphors and similes employed in similar ways to those typically found in classical epics, or does he seem to have other purposes in mind? Write an essay that establishes how and why similes and metaphors are commonly used in epic poetry and then compares and contrasts the ways that these figures of comparison are used in Venus and Adonis. Support your arguments with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from throughout the poem, making sure to cite any quoted language in MLA format.

(see the answer keys)

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