Venus and Adonis (Shakespeare poem) Summary
William Shakespeare

Venus and Adonis (Shakespeare poem) Overview

Shakespeare's minor epic, "Venus and Adonis," was published in 1593. It is a narrative poem retelling a story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The poem depicts an encounter between Venus, the goddess of love, and Adonis, a beautiful mortal boy. It was likely Shakespeare's first public work, dedicated to the Earl of Southampton, and published at a time when the theaters were closed due to plague.