Venus and Adonis
Pop quiz: think about every super dramatic love story you've ever read or seen.
Ready? What's on your list? Maybe some of these:
- Jake and Neytiri of Avatar
- Rose and Jack of Titanic
- Edward and Bella (and Jacob) of Twilight
- Romeo and Juliet
- Katniss and Peeta (and Gale) of The Hunger Games
Now, picture all of these stories pumped up on steroids – that's what "Venus and Adonis" is like. You've got the goddess of beauty, love, and (ahem) procreation, falling desperately in love with a guy who is literally the sexiest man on earth. What could possibly be a more love-y love story? We have no idea. So, if you're into romance, here you go – Shmoop delivers it to you in a heart-shaped box.
But maybe you aren't into romance. Maybe you'd prefer that Jake wasn't healed by a magic tree and turned into a Na'vi in Avatar. Maybe you wish Edward and Bella broke it off before they had a monster baby. Well, if you like to see love thwarted, this is definitely the story for you.
Shmoop Connections
- Check out Ovid's version of Venus and Adonis' love story in Book 10 of The Metamorphoses.
- The first piece of poetry published by Shakespeare was called Venus and Adonis. We wonder if the dirty jokes helped make the poem so popular?
- Deluded Willy Lowman calls his sons Adonises in Arthur Miller's play, Death of a Salesman.
