Works of John Keats

On 2nd September 2023, I got the opportunity, thanks to Megha Ma’am, to present life and works of John Keats along with my friend Pallavi Parmar. I dealt with the works of John Keats. In here I shall present them in detail. You can check out my blog on life on John Keats here. 

You can check out my presentation below. 

John Keats by Bhumi Gohil

John Keats was called, “The Poet of Beauty”. This is because many of his works use Beauty as a prominent theme. Here I shall discuss his some of his works. 

Imitation Of Spencer 

Published in 1813, this work was inspired by Edmund Spencer’s “Faerie Queene”. The poem is written in Spenserian stanzas, a nine-line stanza with a complex rhyme scheme. It also uses Spenserian imagery. 

The poem begins with a description of a beautiful morning landscape, with the sun rising over a hill. The speaker then describes a lake, surrounded by flowers and trees. The speaker then imagines an island in the lake, with a palace made of gold and precious stones. The palace is inhabited by a beautiful woman, who is surrounded by nymphs and satyrs. The poem ends with the speaker sad as he cannot visit the enchanted island. 

The poem is a celebration of beauty and imagination. It is a reflection on the power of art. The speaker cannot actually visit the enchanted Island, but he can create it in his imagination through the power of poetry. This suggest that art can provide us with a way to escape from the harsh realities of the world and to find beauty and meaning.

“Imitation of Spencer” is an important early work of Keats. It shows his early interest in Spencerian poetry and his ability to create beautiful and imaginative verse.

Poems 

This is John Keats first poetry collection, which contains 38 poems. It was published in 1817 when Keats was just 21 years old. Some of his most famous works like, “Ode to Nightingale”, “Sleep and Poetry”, and “To Autumn”. 

The poems in this collection reflect Keats early poetic development. They are influenced by the poetry of Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, and Percy Bysshe Shelley. The poems also reflect Keats's own personal experiences and thoughts, such as his love of nature, his interest in mythology, and his struggle with illness.

“Poems”, was not a commercial success, but it was well-received by critics. This collection helped to establish Keats as a major new voice in English poetry.

Endymion

Endymion is a complex and challenging long poem, consisting of 4 books. It is a re-telling of Greek Legends. 

It is a story of a young shepherd named Endymion who falls in love with the moon goddess, Selene. The poem follows Endymion's journey to the moon, where he undergoes a series of trials and transformations.

“A thing of Beauty is a joy forever: 

It’s loveliness increases; it will never 

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep 

A bower quite for us, and a sleep 

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quite breathing.”

These famous lines by Keats are from this work where he describes the importance of beauty. 

It explores the themes of love, beauty and imagination. It is also a coming of age story that charts the development of the protagonist. This poem is also written in Spenserian stanzas. It is full of beautiful imagery and ornate language. 

Endymion was not a commercial success when it was first published. However, it has since been recognised as one of Keats’s most important work. 

Isabella 

Published in 1818 is the narrative poem, Isabella. Another name for this poem is Pot of basil. It is based on a story in Boccaccio's Decameron and written in Chaucerian style. The language is rich and evocative. The imagery is often blush and sensual.

The poem tells the tale of a young woman named Isabella who falls in love with Lorenzo, one of her brothers' employees. When her brothers discover their love, they murder Lorenzo and bury his body. Isabella finds the body and cuts off his head, which she buries in a pot of basil. She tends to the basil with her tears, and it grows into a beautiful plant. 

It is a tragic tale that explores themes of love, loss and revenge. It is also a meditation on the power of the human imagination. The basil plant becomes a symbol of Isabella‘s love for Lorenzo. It represents her grief and her need for revenge.

Isabella is a complex and challenging poem but it is also a beautiful and moving work of art. It is a classic example of Keats’s early poetic style.

Hyperion 

Written in 1818 to 1819, Hyperion, is an unfinished epic poem based on the Greek myth of battle between Titans and Olympian gods. It uses Miltonic style and reminds of “Paradise Lost”. The poem tells the story of the fall of the Titans, led by Hyperion, at the hands of their children, the Olympians.

The poem is written in blank verse, and it is full of beautiful imagery and powerful language. In here, Keats captures the grandeur of Titans and their despair. The poem explores the themes of change, loss and the nature of power.

Hyperion was left unfinished by Keats, who abandoned it in the spring of 1819. However, it is considered to be one of his major works and it has been praised by critics for its beauty and its ambition.

Lamia 

Lamia is a narrative poem that explores themes of love, beauty, and the nature of reality. It was published in 1819. It was inspired from John Dryden’s “Fables”. It is considered to be one of Keats's most mature works.

The poem begins with a description of Lamia, who is a beautiful serpent-woman. She is trapped in her serpent form by a spell, and she longs to be free. She meets Lycius, a young man who is entranced by her beauty. They fall in love, and Lamia is able to break the spell and take human form. 

However, their happiness is short-lived. Apollonius, a philosopher, sees Lamia and realises that she is not human. He tells Lycius that she is a serpent, and Lycius is horrified. He rejects Lamia, and she dies of heartbreak.

The poem ends with a meditation on the power of art and imagination. Keats suggests that art can create a world of beauty and illusion, but it cannot protect us from the harsh realities of life. The poem has been interpreted in many different ways. Some critics see it as a cautionary tale about the dangers of love, while others see it as a celebration of the power of art and imagination.

Famous Poems of Keats

Bright Star Would I…

This is a sonnet which is the passionate declaration of undying and constant love. In here, the poet wants to be as steady as a star but not as distant as them. Themes of Love and Steadiness are explored here. You can read the entire poem here.

To Autumn

This is an Ode dedicated to Autumn season. In here, we find praise of Autumn, description of its abundance, harvest and transition into winter. Themes of beauty and death are explored. To read the poem, click here.

Ode To Nightingale

This is the longest ode written by John Keats. In here, speaker is standing in a forest, listening to a beautiful song of a Nightingale. Then meditations on Death, Time and Isolation are presented. Check out the poem here.

Ode to Melancholy

In here, Keats tells the readers how to and how not to deal with deep sadness. Themes of beauty, impermanence, intoxication and Melancholy are presented. You can find the entire poem here.

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

This is a ballad which tells the story of a Medieval Knight who meets a fairy woman. However, all is not as it seems for the pretty woman has no mercy. Themes of love, obsession and death are portrayed here skilfully. You can check out the poem here.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for your time.