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“Venus of the sky”
Cultural Context
Act 3,
Scene 2

An explanation of Oberon’s reference to Venus in Act 3, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

Before the invention of artificial lighting, people were very familiar with the nighttime sky; everyone in Shakespeare's audience would have known that the planet Venus is brighter than any of the stars. (Venus is also the goddess of beauty.)

The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli, c. 1484-1486