Red, White and Purple in Venus and Adonis

Red and White: “more red and white than doves and roses” [7-12]; “being red, she loves him best; and being white, her best is better’d with a more delight” [77-78]. Of the boar: “Whose frothy mouth, bepainted all with red, like milk and blood being mingled both togeher,” [900-901]; “And in his blood that on the ground lay spill’d a purple flower sprung up, check’red with white, resembling well his pale cheeks and the blood which in round drops upon their whiteness stood,” [1167-1170].

Red and Pale: making lips pale with “fresh variety” [21]; “But now her cheek was pale, and by and by/ it flashed forth fire, as lightning from the sky” [347-348]; “The silly boy, believing she is dead, claps her pale cheek, till clapping makes it red,” [467-468].

Pale and Crimson: “twixt crimson shame and anger ashy-pale” [76].

Red (alone): “she red and hot for as coals of glowing fire, he red for shame but frosty in desire” [35-36]; “scorning his churlish drum and ensign red,” [107]; “red morn” [453]; “wax-red lips” [516]; “Heavy heart’s lead, melt at mine eyes’ red fire! So shall I die by drops of hot desire” [1079-1080]; “ripe-red cherries” [1103].

White (alone): “so white a friend engirts so white a foe,” [361-364]; “teaching the sheets a whiter hue than white” [398]; “lily white” [1054];

Pale (alone): “within the circuit of this ivory pale, I’ll be a park and thou shalt be my deer” [231-232]; “pale-fac’d coward” [569]; with rose mention [589-592]. Her heart ‘Who, overcome by doubt and bloodless fear, with cold-pale weakness numbs each feeling part” [891-892]; “she looks upon his lips, and they are pale; she takes him by the hand, and that is cold” [1123-1124].

Crimson (alone): “Long may they kiss each other, for this cure! O, never let their crimson liveries wear!” [505-506];

Other colors: Purple [1, 1055, 1167]; Silver [728, 959, 1193…]; Black [920, 1020,…]; Green [146, 527, 806, 1176]…; Blue [125…]; Golden [1100…];


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