John Keats as Romantic Poet

This blog is part of thinking activity given by Megha Ma'm Trivedi

 About john Keats :

John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculosis at the age of 25. They were indifferently received in his lifetime, but his fame grew rapidly after his death.By the end of the century, he was placed in the canon of English literature, strongly influencing many writers of the Pre - Raphaelite Brotherhood; the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1888 called one ode "one of the final masterpieces".

Keats as Romantic Poet 

John Keats belongs to the second generation of the romantic poets. His contemporary was

Shelley and Lord Byron. Keats is in many ways the most romantic of all romantic poets.

Romantic poetry aims at the complete expression of the individual as compared to classical

poetry, which aims at the expression of social experience. Other romantic poets have some

political or social comment in their poetry. Poetry of Keats is not a vehicle of any prophecy. It is

poetry for its own sake. It has no moral, no political or social significance.

He is best known  for his ODES, which are  Lyrical Poems  that express 

his  emotions and thoughts of various  subject , such as nature,

Art.,Love, Death and Beauty. Some of his famous ODEs are   “ODE TO A

GRECIAN URN”, “ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE”, “ODE ON A GRECIAN URN” AND

“ODE ON MELANCHOLY”. He also wrote a  long epic poel called 

ENDYMION, which tells the story of a SHEPHERD who falls in love with A MOON GODDESS.

Keats was influenced by the classical legends and myth of ancient 

GREECE AND ROME,  as well as by the work of othe poet such as 

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, EDMUND SPENSER and  JOHN MILTON. He had a philosophy of NEGATIVE CAPABILITY, which means being able to appreciate something without trying to explain it or understand it logically. He also believed in the power of imagination and creativity over reason and logic.keats is considered one of the  GREATEST  poet in ENGLISH LITERATURE

 And one of the most  INFLUENTIAL FIGURES of ROMANTICISM. His poems are admired for their RICH IMAGERY, SENSUOUS APPEAL, MUSICAL  language and emotional  depth. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMANTIC POETRY OF JOHN KEATS :

John Keats, a key figure in the Romantic movement, is renowned for his richly sensuous and imaginative poetry. Some key characteristics of his work include:

1. Sensuous Imagery

Keats’s poetry is filled with vivid descriptions that appeal to the senses, evoking rich images of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. This creates an immersive experience for the reader.

Example: In "Ode to a Nightingale", Keats describes the nightingale’s song as something that transcends reality:

"Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!

No hungry generations tread thee down;"

2. Romantic Themes

Keats explores themes like the transience of life, the beauty of nature, and the tension between idealism and reality. His work often reflects the Romantic focus on emotion, the sublime in nature, and the individual's inner world.

Example: In "Ode on a Grecian Urn", Keats muses on the contrast between the eternal beauty of the scenes depicted on the urn and the fleeting nature of human life:

"When old age shall this generation waste,

Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,

'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'"

3. Melancholy and Mortality

Keats often grapples with themes of mortality, melancholy, and the inevitability of death, though he does so with a sense of beauty and grace.

Example: In "When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be ", Keats reflects on his fear of dying young before achieving his poetic potential or experiencing love:

"When I have fears that I may cease to be

Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain,

Before high-piled books, in charactery,

Hold like rich garners the full ripen’d grain."

4. Negative Capability

Keats coined the term Negative Capability, which refers to the poet's ability to embrace uncertainty, doubt, and ambiguity without seeking clear answers. This concept allows for a more profound exploration of complex emotions.

Example: In "Ode to a Nightingale", the poet reflects on the mystery of death and the idea of an afterlife without coming to a definitive conclusion:

"Darkling I listen; and, for many a time

I have been half in love with easeful Death,

Call’d him soft names in many a mused rhyme,

To take into the air my quiet breath;"

5. Escapism

Keats often expresses a desire to escape from the harsh realities of life into a world of imagination, beauty, and art.

Example: In "Ode to a Nightingale", Keats yearns to escape into the timeless world of the nightingale’s song, away from the suffering and mortality of the human condition:

"Away! away! for I will fly to thee,

Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,

But on the viewless wings of Poesy,

Though the dull brain perplexes and retards."

These characteristics combined make Keats's poetry a deeply emotional, richly descriptive, and philosophically profound body of work that continues to resonate with readers.

Conclusion :

To conclude we can say the span of Keats’ life fell within, what is known as the age

of Romantic Revival in English literature, and Keats fully imbibed the spirit of his age. He

touched all the aspects of romantic poetry-love for beauty, love for nature, love for past,

supernaturalism, glow for emotions, and the power of imagination.