Neptune mounted up, intending to have kissd him. This is a direct reference to the boar attempting to kiss Adonis in V&A. Another reference to a theme in V&A occurs fourteen lines before the digression in Hero & Leander: But love resisted once, grows more passionate. In the digression in V&A, the stallion grows more passionate when he is rejected by the jennet, just as Venus grows more passionate when rejected by Adonis. The stallion in V&A can also be directly compared to Neptune in Hero & Leander. Both are angered at the rejection of their love. The stallion, stamps, and bites the poor flies in his fume/ he was enragd (Shakespeare 316-317). When Neptune is rejected he sends out his mace to kill Leander for his offense. Both were also assuaged by a gentle response from the object of their affection. The actions of the jennet can also be compared to the actions of Leander in the Hero & Leander digression. The jennet teases the stallion with her lusty gaze. Similarly, Leander teases Neptune by jumping into the water naked. In addition to this, both Leander and the jennet are moved to kindness by anger and pain. When the stallion becomes angered, the jennet grew kinder and his fury was assuagd (318). Leander also responds with pity after Neptunes rage. This causes the god to believe himself to be beloved by Leander (Marlowe 220).The two gods in these works can also be compared. Both Venus, in V&A, and Neptune, in the Hero & Leander digression, are lusty and passionate. Both gods are rejected and angered by the object of their affection. In addition to this, both Shakespeare and Marlowe refer to the immortal in their respective works as a murderous creature. In V&A, Venus murders Adonis rejection with a kiss (Shakespeare 54). In Hero & Leander, Neptune almost kills Leander twice, once by accident and once in anger. The similarities and the parallelism between the two works indicate Shakespeares influence on Marlowes writing, particularl...
