Venus and Adonis

The goddess of love pursues a mortal boy. He wants to hunt. She wants to seduce. Nobody wins.

Shakespeare's first published work is an erotic narrative poem that became the sensation of the 1590s—a playful, passionate, and surprisingly tragic retelling of Ovid's myth.

Venus, the goddess of love, has fallen for Adonis, a beautiful young hunter who cares only for horses and boars. She corners him in a forest, kisses him, pleads with him, and tries to persuade him that love is better than glory. He resists. He is embarrassed. He wants to go home. When Venus faints, he panics and runs away. The next morning, Adonis ignores her warnings and hunts the wild boar, which kills him. A flower grows from his blood. Venus, heartbroken, returns to Cyprus, vowing that from now on, love will always be mixed with sorrow.

This is Shakespeare at his most young and exuberant: a poem about desire, rejection, and the terrible fact that the things we love most refuse to love us back. Venus and Adonis was Shakespeare's biggest commercial success in his lifetime—more popular than any of his plays.

• Published in 1593, dedicated to Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton (Shakespeare's patron)

• Written during the plague years, when London's theaters were closed

• One of the most frequently reprinted works of the Elizabethan era, going through at least 16 editions before 1640

Available in multiple formats:

• Paperback & Hardcover: Beautifully designed print editions presenting the complete, unabridged text made to last.

• Ebook: DRM-free EPUB compatible with Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, and all major e-readers.

• Audiobook: Professionally narrated, complete and unabridged, available on all major audiobook platforms.

A beautifully crafted edition for your shelf, your device, or your ears—or the perfect gift for anyone who knows that love is a hunter, and sometimes the prey escapes.

About the Author

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, he moved to London and became a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later the King's Men). Venus and Adonis was Shakespeare's first published work, appearing in 1593 when he was 29 years old. The poem was an enormous success, reprinted frequently and praised by everyone from students to courtiers. It established Shakespeare's reputation as a poet before he was fully known as a playwright. The poem draws on Ovid's Metamorphoses, but Shakespeare expands Venus's speeches into a playful, frustrated, and surprisingly philosophical meditation on the nature of desire. The poem's erotic content was controversial, but its popularity never waned. Shakespeare's other major works include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The Sonnets, and The Tempest. He died in 1616 at the age of 52 and is buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon.