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EN121
Natalya Din-Kariuki

Discuss the representations of femininity in Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis.

Within Shakespeare’s ‘Venus and Adonis’ Femininity is represented as being fluid, having

multiple definitions and representations of what it means to be feminine. These are then

taken and exaggerated as a comedic device as on one hand there is Venus the overly

masculine, sexually driven female character and on the other Adonis, a coy, feminised man.

This gender reversal highlights the fluidity of femininity and how it is not confined to one

specific gender domain and “the poetic conventions traditionally associated with an eager

appetitive male lover and reluctant, even adverse female beloved are not simply upended in

Venus and Adonis: their reassignment is comically hyperbolised” (Rambuss 242). The

hyperbolising of the role reversal arguably turns femininity into a comedic device and

despite the progressive attitudes that can be connoted from the gender reversal; feminity is

ultimately presented as inferior and a second to masculinity. Furthermore, the comic

aspects of Venus overpowering Adonis slowly become alarming and predatory and the

feminine allure of a sexually voracious woman becomes concerning. Female desire then

becomes something that is shown to be dangerous as Venus almost becomes a sexual

aggressor and predatory, preying upon Adonis, thus presenting femininity as dangerous.

Femininity is defined as being attributes and characteristics that are typically

associated with women and in ‘Venus and Adonis’, we see that these qualities are both

reinforced and subverted. Femininity is hence not clearly defined, and this is seen within the

character of Venus. She subverts stereotypical conventions of a woman through her sexually

voracious and almost predatory characteristics that are typically associated with a man
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rather than being timid and modest as a stereotypically conventional woman would be. She

overpowers Adonis and hence is able “to pluck him from his horse.” (Shakespeare, 30) By

masculinising Venus Shakespeare ‘accentuates the carnal, indeed bestial aspects of sexual

desire, even when it emanates from a divinity. In doing so, Shakespeare coarsens the image

of Venus as a bird of prey, figuratively metamorphosing her yet again, this time turning her

in the throes of her passion from a Jove-like eagle into a ravenous vulture and vampire.

Notably, the figuration remains distinctly female’ (Rambuss 246) Venus is portrayed to be

strong and powerful as suggested by the verb ‘pluck’ connoting it was an easy task for her,

thus subverting the stereotype that women are weak and fragile. Hence femininity is not

entirely defined by stereotypical ideologies and Shakespeare appears to provide an almost

proto-feminist and progressive viewpoint on what a woman should be like. However, this is

undercut as this representation of Venus as a strong woman is hyperbolic and instead of

appearing as a powerful, capable woman, she is seen as dangerous and predatory in her

advances- “She feedeth on the steam as on prey” (Shakespeare 63) and devours “all in

haste” (Shakespeare 57) This metamorphosing of her into animals presents her as

animalistic and bestial which subverts stereotypical representations of femininity. Hence

feminity and female sexual desire can be seen to be empowering but also terrifying and

threatening when it goes against the stereotypical notions of femininity, as she does not

present herself as chaste, innocent or fragile.

Furthermore, she fulfils the role of the male wooer trying to seduce a woman by

utilising the techniques of Petrarchan love rhetoric such as idolising Adonis and his beauty,

almost commodifying him as a man would typically to a woman. For example, she highlights

that by rejecting her he would be wasting his beauty, which is a typical argument used by

male speakers in love poetry. She compares him to flowers dying as “Fair flowers that are
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not gather’d in their prime/ Rot and consume themselves in little time.” (Shakepseare 131-

2) This technique of persuasion is taken from patriarchal language systems used to seduce

women and by her utilising it, she begins to break down the barriers between femininity and

masculinity. Thus, femininity is once again shown to be adaptable in its characteristics and

qualities. It is important to also take into account that Venus’ use of ‘the hyperbole,

imagery, diction, and allegory that male poet speakers use to praise and persuade their

resisting mistresses’ (Kahn 78) is her main form of power over Adonis. Her leverage is her

excessive and extravagant speech, as unlike God’s in Ovid’s poems, she cannot rape Adonis

or claim dominance over women as they do, as suggested by Bate who highlights

‘Shakespeare has some fun inverting the traditional power structure- Venus’s problem is

that she can’t actually rape Adonis.’ (Bate 92) Hence Venus is ironically ‘rendered powerless

by the very power-love-that she represents’ (Kahn 77) with language as her only real

advantage. As a woman she does not have much standing within society despite being a

goddess and hence has to use the little power she does have to her advantage and in doing

so utilises speech excessively to the point that it is comical. It also gives Shakespeare a

chance to show off his writing talent with long, descriptive and hyperbolic passages. Hence,

femininity in relation to a woman adopting masculine traits, is presented as a weakening

characteristic that can be ridiculed as it does not have much power in comparison to

masculinity from a man- femininity will always be second and inferior to masculinity. This

highlights the struggle of women attempting to find a place in a patriarchal society and

highlights how even when they have the tools necessary to be a part of it are still

segregated and viewed as inferior. Therefore, feminity and being feminine are equated with

being either extremely weak or extremely strong to the point that it cannot be taken

seriously and is seen as self-righteousness.

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However, Venus and hence femininity being perceived and presented as almost

dangerous and a form of having excessive pride is how Shakespeare’s contemporary readers

would be likely to view Venus and femininity. A more modern reader may view Venus as a

woman with power and agency over her own sexuality, who tries to pursue a man for her

own pleasure and take control of her own love life, as typically in love poetry the women

don’t really have a choice when being pursued by the male speakers of the poems. They will

meet their advances with an adverse response but eventually are essentially forced to

succumb to the persuasions of the male. Therefore, femininity is arguable represented as an

empowering quality that gives women agency over their own body and mind, allowing them

to choose what they do with it.

Furthermore, femininity can also be seen to be fluid in the fact that stereotypically

feminine qualities are applied to the character of Adonis. Adonis is described as being a

“stain to all nymphs, more lovely than a man,/ More white and red than doves or roses”

(Shakespeare 9-10) The conventional ‘whiteness’ and purity of the idealised woman is taken

and put upon Adonis who is made to be feminised and girlish to an extreme as seen in the

comparatives. He is compared to conventionally beautiful and perfect things such as

“nymphs” (Shakespeare 9) and “doves or roses” (Shakespeare 10) highlighting his

effeminate nature and looks. He fulfils the role of the traditional sonnet mistress who has

the perfect appearance yet is cold, indifferent and sexually fastidious. Moreover, Venus

despite having masculine qualities which appear to dominate her character also embodies

the idealised version of female beauty and is also aware of it and comments on her own

perfection. She highlights how “Tho canst not see one wrinkle in my brow; Mine eyes are

gray and bright and quick in turning: My beauty as the spring doth yearly grow”

(Shakespeare 140-2) She is not modest about her appearance and is aware of her own
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beauty and arguably this can be seen as a moment of empowerment and self-confidence for

her as a woman or to Shakespeare’s contemporaries a moment of excessive vanity, which

would be looked down upon as a woman should be typically be modest and reserved. Thus,

femininity is presented as something that is defined by beauty and appearance as seen in

both Venus and Adonis who embody idealistic traits of female and feminine beauty.

As previously mentioned, femininity is presented as being lesser than or second to

masculinity and a weakening quality. This can be seen in the reinforcement of stereotypical

representations of feminine qualities such as being governed and blinded by emotions and

feelings which present women as incapable and unable to control their emotions. Venus

due to her infatuation with Adonis is blinded by her lust and desire and hence “might not

Venus and Adonis be about, among other things, desire’s propensity to fashion its love

object as it would have it.” (Rambuss 244) As a result of this fashioning ‘Venus is able to

hear Adonis’ increasingly testy refusals as what she calls “Thy mermaid’s voice” (429),

recasting his chaste refusal as a winsome siren song of seduction.” (Rambuss 244) Arguably,

if Venus is fashioning Adonis as she sees fit and with the influences of her own desire, then

his effeminate characteristics may derive from her desire and lust, hence his feminine

qualities presented are an extension of her rather than coming from him. This may seem

plausible as throughout the poem Adonis is more concerned with the hunt and hence the

“depiction of Adonis as a passively female boy would first need to be complicated by his

ineradicable, almost mechanical drive toward the “hard hunt” of the wild boar,’ (Rambuss

243) His focus on the hunt in combination with his active resistance towards Venus’

advances places him in a more male than female domain and thus femininity may not be as

fluid as first suggested by the gender reversal within the poem. It is the feminine viewpoint

that skews the view of Adonis and makes him appear more feminine when in reality he is
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trying to exert his masculinity from the hunt. It is even described how “Hunting he loved,

but love he laugh’d to scorn.” (Shakespeare 4) He is uninterested in female love and wishes

to remain in the male domain of the hunt.

Feminity can hence also be seen as an opposition to masculinity and way to challenge it.

This is seen through the contrast between the characters of Venus and Adonis. The female

domain of amorous pleasure is constantly at odds and in opposition of the male domain of

the hunt. This underlying conflict helps play into the male fantasy of having an overly

empowered, sexually voracious woman throwing herself at a reluctant man. She attempts to

lure him into the female domain with a chance to prove his manhood through intimacy, but

he rejects it in favour of hunting, an arguably more masculine way to prove his manhood.

This highlights how femininity will always be inferior to masculinity and how ‘Here the wild

boar serves both as a foil to Venus and her designs on the boy, and as an eroticized

alternative to her for him. I foreground the masculine textures of Shakespeare’s poem – its

overtones of male friendship, male initiation or coming of age, male homoeroticism, and

hyper-masculinity – in view of, to some extent even against, prevailing readings of the poem

that principally turn on role reversal and gender inversion.’ (Rambuss 242). Therefore, the

role and gender reversal seen between both Venus and Adonis may not be how we should

view femininity but in fact view it in conjunction with the presentation of masculinity and

how it affects femininity as they are always at odds with one another. It appears that

femininity presents a threat to masculinity and is seen as dangerous from a masculine

viewpoint as ‘Shakespeare depicts not only a narcissistic character for whom Eros is a threat

to the self, but also a boy who regards women as a threat to his masculinity. But the real

threat is internal…Narcissism, then, is, is another aspect of destructive sexuality in Venus

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and Adonis.’ (Bate 89) Therefore, both male and female emotion and feelings can be seen

to be dangerous and destructive and not exclusively restricted to the female domain.

However, the fact that Venus has agency over her own sexuality is seen as threatening as

scary, as although she is the main speaker of the poem, the poem derives from the male

viewpoint of Shakespeare and the ideologies and expectations of women he was

surrounded by. Hence femininity is ambiguous and adaptable in its representations as it is

subjective as to what it actually means to be feminine.

Overall, despite connoting some progressive viewpoints of femininity, ultimately

women remain inferior even when they possess the same characteristics and power, or

even more, as a man. In Petrarchan sonnets women are viewed and presented as objects or

an asset and the love seen within them is superficial. In the same way Venus treats Adonis

as an object to catch but is not viewed in the same way as male poet speakers would be.

Despite being above him, Venus still loses in the end and is left with nothing and ultimately

the poem highlights the danger of excessive female desire as in the poem’s ‘delight in the

charm of androgyny, Shakespeare makes him poem into a celebration of sexuality even as it

is a disturbing exposure of the dark underside of desire’ (Bates 92). Hence, although the

poem embraces different types of femininity, it also turns it into a comedic device and the

definitions of what it means to be feminine become blurred and almost contradictory. There

is ultimately not set representation of femininity and can be interpreted in a multitude of

ways from Venus being perceived as a strong, independent woman with freedom over her

own body and sexuality, to an overly sexual, aggressive predator who is threatening and

dangerous.

Bibliography
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Bate, Jonathan. “Sexual Perversity in 'Venus and Adonis'.” The Yearbook of English Studies, vol.
23, 1993, pp. 80–92. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3507974. Accessed 21 Apr. 2021

Kahn, Coppèliaa. “Venus and Adoinis.” The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare's Poetry,
Edited by Patrick Cheney, Cambridge Univerisity Press, Cambridge, 2007, pp. 77-89.
Cambridge Companions to Literature

Rambuss, Richard. “What it feels like for a boy: Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis.” A
companion to Shakespeare’s works, volume 4, 2003, pp.240-256., https://0-onlinelibrary-
wiley-com.pugwash.lib.warwick.ac.uk/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/9780470996560

Shakespeare, William. Venus And Adonis, Infomotions, Inc., 2000. ProQuest Ebook Central,

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/warw/detail.action?docID=3314839.