The Narrative Poems

by William Shakespeare

I feel that I have spent half my career with one or another Pelican Shakespeare in my back pocket. Convenience, however, is the least important aspect of the new Pelican Shakespeare series. Here is an elegant and clear text for either the study or the rehearsal room, notes where you need them and the distinguished scholarship of the general editors, Stephen Orgel and A. R. Braunmuller who understand that these are plays for performance as well as great texts for contemplation. (Patrick Stewart) The distinguished Pelican Shakespeare series, which has sold more than four million copies, is now completely revised and repackaged. Each volume features:
* Authoritative, reliable texts
* High quality introductions and notes
* New, more readable trade trim size
* An essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare and essays on Shakespeare's life and the selection of texts

Genres: Poetry, Shakespeare, Classics, Classic Literature, Literature

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1968

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[Kate♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5stars

Venus and Adonis is gr8

[Darwin8u · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shakespeare's narrative poems, for me, fit in a valley between his most lyrical plays (Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Richard II) and his sonnets. They are great, just not as good as either. They seem almost to be aborted efforts at plays. Perhaps, Shakespeare realized while working on Venus and Adonis that it wasn't going to really work as a play, but hell, since he'd already written a couple hundred lines of iambic poetry, he might as well keep going and finish it. It is a shame really (from the perspective of his lyrical poems) that he was so brilliant at his plays and sonnets. These seem almost to be after thoughts. Hell, they WERE after thoughts. I read all of his plays and his sonnets and figured I was done, but remembered there was something else. They REALLY do deserve more attention than they got from me and from the world.

[leynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, Willie, what do I do with you? I haven't been particularly keen on checking out Shakespeare's Narrative Poems, since I was left rather underwhelmed by his Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint. We all know that Shakespeare is capable of beautiful lyricism and the blank verse of most of his plays is impeccable, but the poetry in itself is a bit ... disappointing. There were certainly some gems in this collection but there were also heaps of garbage.

Venus and Adonis - 1 star
Oh boy, this was by far the worst poem of this collection. Spanning 35 pages of complete fuckery, Willie tells his own version of the story of the Goddess of Love and the extremely handsome Adonis. It's a mess. It was (apparently) published in 1593 and Shakespeare referred to it as "the first heir of my invention," which basically means that he is shitting on his own plays published prior to that, not even deigning them as true art. What a mood!

The poem in itself is absolutely creepy. Venus looks like a thot who can't take no from an answer. I don't know why Shakespeare diverted so far from Ovid's original, but apparently, the Bard was more interested in seeing Venus run around naked and trying to keep Adonis from hunting by desperately trying (and failing at the same time) to seduce him. Eeehh. No, thank you. Venus is constantly offering her body to Adonis in graphic terms and all I could think was ENOUGH ALREADY.

The Rape of Lucrece - 5 stars
I told ya'll this would be a rollercoaster of emotions (and ratings)... Willie really isn't a consistent queen. From the first page, I knew I would adore this particular narrative poem. I am a sucker for Roman legends and I also find it interesting how poetry is a genre through which you can tell epic tales (unless the bullshit that Venus and Adonis were up to).

The premise of this poem is a hot mess: One evening, after a battle, Collatine describes his wife, Lucrece, as the most beautiful woman to other Roman soldiers. Not shortly afterwards, Tarquin decides that he has to have Lucrece for himself. He is overcome by lust, steals into her chamber and rapes her. The rape is described in vivid scenes and sometimes quite hard to stomach, but Shakespeare really managed to capture Lucrece's horror and desperation. However, he's still a misogynist, so don't get your hopes up too much. Lucrece says herself that she has to die because she is no longer "pure" and "chaste"... Cannot fucking relate.

Before her suicide (since we all know Roman culture is stabbing yourself to prove a point), she confides into her husband. He vows to avenge her. Along with his friend Brutus, they carry Lucrece's body through the streets of Rome. The angered citizens banish Tarquin and his family. So ... happy end, right?? (Ugh.)

So, this poem is hella messy and displays some very questionable values. Nonetheless, I adored it since Shakespeare's writing reaches his height here. Just for the aesthetic reason alone, I had to give it 5 stars.

The Phoenix and Turtle - 3.5 stars
Only two pages long but utterly confusing. This is the poem that keeps scholars up at night. It's that obscure. In it, Willie describes a funeral arranged for the deceased Phoenix and Turtledove, respectively emblems of perfection and of devoted love (probably). Some birds are invited, but others excluded. It goes on to state that the love of the birds created a perfect unity which transcended all logic and material fact. So, Willie is basically trying to say that LOVE IS DEAD. Or... is he? There are so many different interpretations of these two fucking pages out there, my head is spinning. I can't keep up.

The Passionate Pilgrim - 1 star
Ugh, this one was bad. It was originally published in 1599 as an anthology of 20 poems. Two of which would later turn into sonnets and three of which were extracted from Love's Labour's Lost. Ehh. I wasn't impressed with this at all. Some of these poems have been contributed to other writers and a part of me really wants to believe that ... because they're just sooo bad. Whiny love poetry that no one needs in their life.

Shall I Die? - 2 stars
Not sure what the purpose of this is. This nine-verse love lyric was ascribed to Shakespeare in a manuscript collection of verses probably written in the late 1630s. However, his authorship cannot be regarded as certain. I thought it was super cheesy but not as bad as The Passionate Pilgrim.

The Epitaphs - 2.5 stars
These were wild. I didn't know that you were allowed to write such sarcastic and dark epitaphs for your friends. Willie and I seem to have a similar sense of humour. LOL. For example, the epitaph for Combe makes a satirical comment on Combe's money-lending at 10 per cent interest. The verse says that he lent money at one-in-ten, and it's ten-to-one he'll end up in hell. Like, what a mood.

An anecdote recorded in the mid-17th century has Jonson beginning an epitaph to himself with the conventional "Here lies Ben Jonson ...", and Shakespeare completing it with the words "... who while he lived was a slow thing / And now being dead is no thing." RUDE. ;)

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time and a changing language make these poems (the Rape of Lucrece & Venus and Adonis) less powerful and more uneven reading than they must have been to their original readers. But the brilliance still shines through - even if I only caught it intermittently. The structure of each poem is interesting, and the sometimes odd choices made more sense through the topical interpretation given by Clare Asquith in Shakespeare and the Resistance, which I read concurrently.

Those who doubt that Shakespeare wrote with a topical, allegorical or concealed significance would do well to consider The Phoenix and Turtle - the third and by far the shortest poem included in my edition - which has force and beauty, but clearly refer to a real-world pair of lovers, whose characteristics are sometimes obliquely described but remain mysterious, and whose identities must have been known to (at least some) of Shakespeare's audience.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

While William Shakespeare is overwhelmingly known as a playwright who also wrote a collection of sonnets, back in his day some of his poetic stories were quite well-received. This volume collects the five narrative poems that Shakespeare is believed to have authored (or partially authored.)

-“Venus and Adonis”: This is one of the two long-form narrative poems of Shakespeare. It tells the tale of the goddess Venus’s obsession with Adonis, her many attempts to woo the hunky lad, and the tragedy that befalls him, breaking her heart. It’s written in six-line stanzas of iambic pentameter with a quatrain of alternating line rhymes and an end couplet of a third rhyme.

-“The Rape of Lucrece”: This is the other long narrative poem of Shakespeare. Lucrece’s husband, Collatine, is off on campaign and brags about how perfect is his wife, Lucrece. The “gentleman” he is telling this to is Tarquin, and the high-praise of Lucrece sets the seed of obsession in Tarquin’s mind. When he then finds himself in Collatine’s neighborhood (with Collatine still off to war,) he pays Lucrece a visit and is invited to stay over. That night he breaks into her bedchambers and – after threatening to kill her and a random male servant whose corpse he’ll shove into bed with her – Tarquin rapes her. After mulling over her options, Lucrece calls for Collatine’s return and after getting the promise of Collantine and his fellow soldiers to have revenge for her, she tells them who raped her immediately before ending her own life by dagger.

It’s written in the rhyme royal seven-line stanzas of iambic pentameter made famous by Chaucer.

-“The Phoenix and the Turtle”: This is a very different poem from the others. In terms of format, it abandons iambic pentameter in favor of shorter, punchier lines. Stylistically, it’s a bit more obscure and allegorical than most Shakespearean poetry.

The gist of the tale is the description of a funeral for the perfect couple. [I guess that an important thing to know is that “Turtle” is used as short for turtledove, and so it’s not a tale of bestial interspecies lovin’.] Besides the lines being shorter, the entire poem is short and sweet, ending with a philosophical lament about truth and beauty.

-“The Passionate Pilgrim”: While we’re back to iambic pentameter (and mostly sonnets) this work is a departure other ways. First, rather than being a narrative poem proper, this is really a love poetry collection. Second, while the collection consists of twenty poems, Shakespeare is believed to have only written five of them (I, II, III, V, and XVI.) Of those, the first four are sonnets, and the last is an eighteen-line poem. Third, this is not new or exclusive material. The first two sonnets came to be included in the 154-sonnet collection of Shakespeare (138 and 144,) and the other verse is from “Love’s Labour’s Lost.”

-“A Lover’s Complaint”: The weeping of a maiden attracts the attention of a passerby, who she tells her tale of woe, having been wooed by a young man who got his milk and high-tailed it before he was forced to buy the cow. Besides being a woman’s tale of woe, it also shares with “The Rape of Lucrece” the fact that it is written in rhyme royal. It’s much shorter than “The Rape of Lucrece.”

I would highly recommend poetry readers dig into these lesser know Shakespearean works.

[Hallie Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

Venus and Adonis (1593) by William Shakespeare

Easily my favourite of the five. A great introduction to long-form poetry for me and it's a shame that none of the others even began to match it. Intriguing back-and-forth between the characters, a fun little setting, and loads of great imagery and wordplay. All-in-all fab stuff.

Lucrece (1594) by William Shakespeare

While reading it I found it to be very arduous, but after reading the Introduction for it and the comparisons with Venus and Adonis I've gained a more heightened appreciation for what it's doing. I may re-read it sometime in the future, or perhaps listen to an audiobook version of it.

The Phoenix and the Turtle (1601) by William Shakespeare

A fair bit too allegorical for my taste but maybe it'll grow on me. I like the ideas in it though.

The Passionate Pilgrim (1599) by William Shakespeare

Feels like a rather hodge-podge anthology without a lot of structure. I like the Venus and Adonis ones and a couple others here and there, but for the most part it doesn't do a lot for me. Being one of the two minor and "dubious" poems in the collection, I don't feel like I'm missing out on a lot by not really feeling this one. Hopefully The Sonnets are a great improvement on something with this kind of format.

A Lover's Complaint (1609) by William Shakespeare

Better for me than most, and would also probably warrant a re-read, but again it just doesn't really do a lot for me.

[Stuart Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two narrative poems. "Venus and Adonis" follows the goddess of love as she seduces an underage boy who just wants to go hunting with his pals. She plies him with her feminine wiles, offers great pleasures, and everything that comes with a night of passion with a goddess. He wants to go hunting. She spends twenty pages seducing him, and then things go wrong.

"The Rape of Lucrece" is a historical poem. The prince of Rome hears that Lucrece is the most lovely and virtuous women in all of Italy, and he decides he must have her. He spends twenty pages arguing with himself over what he is about to do. This reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe, as a disturbed man fights with his inner demons. Afterward, Lucrece spends twenty pages cursing him and the world in general, and decides that there is only one answer to regain her honor.

There are also some other poems at the end, and since I have no ear for poetry I cannot speak to them. "The Rape of Lucrece" is very good, featuring two tortured souls reconciling their predicaments.

[amax · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Venus and Adonis"
In which Venus is a thirsty cougar who pursues a young boy. Adonis would rather die than be anywhere near her, so he runs off in the dead of night on a hunt, and ends up getting killed by a boar.

"The Rape of Lucrece"
In which Tarquin spends half the poem rationalizing his decision to rape his friend's wife, and Lucrece spends the other half plotting her own death and linking her misery to the fall of Troy.

"The Phoenix and the Turtle"
In which two birds, a phoenix and a turtle (dove), fall in love and die.

"The Passionate Pilgrim"
In which Shakespeare rewrites a few sonnets, summarizes "Venus and Adonis," and talks about an English lady.

"A Lover's Complaint"
In which a lover complains a lot, using 'O's to convey his feelings.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the narrative poems don't rank among Shakespeare's very best work, there is still a lot to absorb in these pages, particularly with Venus and Adonis, which has a manic sense of humor woven throughout the Bard's fresh take on a tragic tale from classical mythology.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an appropriate coincidence! I finished this slim volume of poems on the anniversary of Shakespeare's death. April 23, 1616. 406 years, and the work is still readable and enjoyable!

The 17th Century's admiration of the classics shines through here. Venus and Adonis is, of course, based on an old legend, recounted in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Lucrece (also known as The Rape of Lucrece) is sourced in Livy's History of Rome from the Foundation of the City. Did Shakespeare read Ovid and Livy in the Latin, or were they available in translation at the time? These two long poems are the meat of this book, and are solid members of the canons of classic literature.

The Phoenix and the Turtle, The Passionate Pilgrim, and A Lover's Complaint are lesser works, but they contain many interesting metaphors, similes, and turns of phrase. The Passionate Pilgrim is a collection of poems many of them sonnet length, and some of them very good.

Still, it blows my mind that a person would take an old story of outrage from Livy's History, and turn it into a 72-page-long poem, in a strict, consistent meter.

Enjoy!

[Stuart Aken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always feel nervous commenting on the works of the Bard. After all, as England’s foremost dramatist, he has one hell of a reputation. Part of my anxiety stems from simple ignorance: a lack of knowledge of the times in which he wrote, and large holes in my understanding of the vocabulary he used. It is easy to misunderstand or misinterpret his work.
All the same, as a modern reader of a classic work, I have a voice and an opinion. I hope readers of my reviews understand that they are personal and only as informed as those of most readers who also write.

So, to The Narrative Poems: this volume contains, Venus and Adonis, The Rape of Lucrece, and The Phoenix and Turtle. I read the Penguin Shakespeare edition, so there are some notes, an introduction and an epilogue to guide readers.

There is no doubt that Shakespeare was a superb poet. But these are works very much of their time, in spite of their reputation as classics. Classics, because they use language in an evocative and engaging way. Of their time, because they are rather more wordy than a modern reader would generally prefer. Although it takes the author several verses to say what modern writers would say in one, the manner of the exposition is so brilliant that wordiness is more easily forgiven. That said, there were short passages I skipped because they seemed superfluous.

Venus and Adonis retells an ancient myth in the typical style of the poet and does so very well, of course. The Rape of Lucrece again tackles an old story, but what is most noticeable about this one is its extremely moral stance. At the time of the Bard, women were routinely ‘owned’ and abused, yet the language of this work expresses such disgust over the actions of the rapist, Tarquin, and such empathy with the victim, Lucrece, that it might have been written by a modern man. The Phoenix and Turtle, however, is all but incomprehensible without a translation or some reference to the original work from which it is undoubtedly derived.

Did I enjoy the read? Yes. Was some of it hard work? Yes. Did it put me off reading more of Shakespeare? No. Scholars and those acquainted with his works, will need no input from me. Those less familiar with the work of the Bard should find this slim volume worth their time. I suggest you have a read.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Shakespeare's plays. However, I never read his poetry. And yes, this is the last book I read for my class. The particular poem of "Venus and Adonis" portrays many Petrarchan symbols and reversals. With all the classical texts I have been reading, I can now see who influenced Shakespeare. Also, I now find it funny when i see Shakespeare plays done where the genders of the characters are switched. For example, Julius Caesar being played by a woman. It's not that I find it funny that a woman is playing Caesar, but that this has already been done several years ago. In fact, in "Venus and Adonis", Venus is portrayed as the masculine female hunting after the feminine, male beloved. With this, I found that i was quite fond of Shakespeare's poems almost as much as his plays.

[Matt Morris]

Read my review of this & other books at http://miscmss.blogspot.com/2017/06/b...