ABSTRACT: The present study aims to consider how examining a designated number of symbols and images can reveal the thematic unity of Shakespeare\'s narrative poem: Venus and Adonis. To that end, three central image groups, i.e. jennet-stallion, hunting and color imagery are selected and the significance of each has been discussed in the context of the poem. The study further shows the way the clusters in turn are related to each other and at the same time contribute to the totality of the work per se. Frequent references are also made to Shakespeare\'s other works revealing how the examined set of images can be employed to account for the inextricable thematic and symbolic interrelatedness of the poet\'s whole oeuvre. The study also elucidates how the fluid nature of symbols enriches their semantic scope of reference and establishes dynamic equilibrium between what at first sight might appear to be an amalgamation of discordant symbolic implications.

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