Greek and Roman Myths in the Poetry of William Shakespeare

Abstract

This paper explores Greek and Roman myths in the poetry focusing upon Venus and Adonis and The Sonnets of William Shakespeare, doubtlessly the greatest poet-playwright of all ages. For his Renaissance ideas of love, beauty, sexuality, death, and immortality, Shakespeare employs or alludes to Greek and Roman myths including: primordial deity Gaia; the Titans Hyperion, Cronos or Saturn; major gods, Apollo, Venus, Mars, Diana or Cynthia; minor deities, Echo, Cupid, Mors, Muse, and Nymphs; mythological figures, Adonis, Narcissus, Tantalus, Myrrha, Helen, and Philomel; legendary creatures, Phoenix and Siren; mythological places, Parnassus, Elysium, and Paphos. The technique of employing Greek and Roman myths in the poetry of Shakespeare underlies his complicated intentions, deepening his poetic symbolism, and broadening his literary perspective.