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Act 5, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Mars and Venus:
In the beginning of Act 5, both Arcite and Palamon select and pray to a god from classical mythology. Their choices reflect their differing temperaments and help to establish their role as foil to each other in the play. Arcite chooses to dedicate himself to Mars, the god of war:
You know my prize
Must be dragged out of blood; force and great feat
Must put my garland on, where she sticks,
The queen of flowers. Our intercession, then,
Must be to him that makes the camp a cistern
Brimmed with the blood of men. Give me your aid,
And bend your spirits towards him.
Arcite prays for superior strength and combat abilities, and his selection of Mars as his patron reflects these priorities. His prize, by which he means the hand of Emilia in marriage, is one that must be gained “by blood” and his prayer is a bloody one. Conversely, Palamon chooses to pray to Venus, the goddess of love:
Our argument is love,
Which, if the goddess of it grant, she gives
Victory too. Then blend your spirits with mine,
You whose free nobleness do make my cause
Your personal hazard. To the goddess Venus
Commend we our proceeding, and implore
Her power unto our party.
Rather than emphasizing physical strength or battle-readiness, he interprets the conflict as a fight for the heart of Emilia. His prayer to Venus foregrounds love as his central priority. This is one of many points in the play when the differences between Arcite and Palamon are made clear.
Related Themes:
