Giambattista Marino’s

can be characterized as a mythical poem. The well-known love story of Venus and Adonis, featured in Cantos III, VIII, XV, XVII, and XVIII of this poem of 20 cantos, is compounded by the retelling, brief or long, of other Greek and Roman myths, such as the account of the Judgment of Paris (Canto II), the Cupid and Psyche tale (Canto IV), and a series of mythical tragedies recounted by Mercury (Canto V) and other gods (Canto XIX) as they try to warn Adonis of danger or comfort the grieving Venus. The poem also includes many other embedded tales or detailed descriptions of mythological figures. Yet for all its undeniable wealth of mythical material, the poem strives to be more than a mythological poem, and it reflects Marino’s encyclopedic interest in the…

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Citation: Mussio, Thomas. "L'Adone". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 December 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=24889, accessed 13 December 2024.]