Venus and Adonis

One of William Shakespeare's most famous and celebrated works is on stage at the Globe Arena, directed by Daniele Salvo. Composed in 1593 and dedicated to Henry Wriothesly, third earl of Southampton, Venus and Adonis is also one of the bard's longest poems, consisting of 1194 lines. During its composition, London was infested with the plague and all its theaters had to close their doors to avoid the spread of the epidemic.

The work, which is a pastoral poem, is inspired by the tenth book of Ovid's Metamorphoses and tells the myth of Venus, the goddess of Love and her unrequited love for Adonis, a beautiful young man, a lover of hunting. During a wild boar hunt, the animal bites him, causing a fatal wound to his groin and, when Venus comes running, it is too late: all she has to do is transform her beloved's blood into the red flowers of the anemone. In the poem we find erotic, comic and tragic inserts and also contains discourses on the nature of love, as well as observations on nature. The theme is also developed by Shakespeare in an original way, introducing for example Adonis' rejection of Venus's amorous advances.

Much appreciated among gentlemen and courtiers, the poem soon became the most popular of the Elizabethan age. In Daniele Salvo's show, the characters of Venus and Adonis become testimonies of a lost and forgotten world, a crystalline world, made of verses, true poetry and very high literature.

Characters and performers: Gianluigi Fogacci (William Shakespeare), Melania Giglio (Venus), Riccardo Parravicini (Adonis).

Photo credits: courtesy of the Globe Arena official site