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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. According to the speaker, what is the one thing that the horse lacks?

3. What technique is used in lines 254 and 255, "Her words are done, her woes the more increasing;/ The time is spent, her object will away"?

4. What event causes the speaker to say that "The night of sorrow now is turn’d to day" (line 481)?

5. What is Venus referring to when she tells Adonis that "The tender spring upon thy tempting lip/ Shows thee unripe" (lines 127-128)?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Adonis eventually end up kissing Venus?

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

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

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

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

6. Why does the speaker compare Venus's eyes to "the moon in water seen by night" (line 492)?

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

8. Explain the comparison the speaker makes between Adonis's horse and one created by an artist.

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Venus and Adonis ironically dismisses many of the religious values of Ancient Greece and Rome. But does it express the Christian worldview of Renaissance England in other ways, as well? What values and beliefs does the poem seem to endorse--either explicitly or implicitly? Does the poem contain any religious symbolism, allusions, metaphors, or similes? Write an essay in which you analyze the extent to which Venus and Adonis actively promotes the Christian worldview, as opposed to simply denying the Classical worldview. Support your arguments with evidence from throughout the poem, making sure to cite any quoted language and outside 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

What is the theme of Venus and Adonis? What is the poem saying about lust, love, power, virtue, and mortality? Consider symbolism, the speaker's tone, the characterizations of both Venus and Adonis, the action of the poem, and the choices Shakespeare made in adapting the original story to his own uses as you craft your position on the meaning of this poem. Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the theme of Venus and Adonis. Support your arguments with both quoted and paraphrased evidence drawn from throughout the poem, and be sure to cite any quoted language in MLA format.

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