John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn, is a ode where the author
is speaking about and describing the images depicted on a Grecian Urn. Both the
tone and language of the ode suggest the writer of this work to be somewhat
envious of the images before him, which makes sense once learning about Keats and
what he was going through during the time he comprised this poem. Therefore,
with extensive knowledge of Keats’ personal life, it would be reasonable to
conclude that he wrote this poem under the influence of his personal life and
own experiences. This paper is going to explore “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by
reviewing Keats’ background to help make connections to the poem itself, as
well as look at the poems language and identify the meaning behind the
particular words chosen.
Author’s own experiences influencing text, and for this
particular poem one can believe reviewing the author’s background to be
necessary. Obviously, if someone has come across any of Keats’ work before,
they would know many of them centered on death and despair, particularly
because of the incurable tuberculosis which he was suffering from. It is much
easier to see Keats’ implications in other works, when he writes about the fear
he has of parting this earth and then being forgotten. However, in “Ode on a
Grecian Urn”, the implications are far more subtle, and an examining of the
text is necessary in order to determine what Keats is indicating.
Each of the stanzas of the poem describes a specific picture
that is part of the Urn which is totally related to his life. For example in
the beginning of the poem in the second and third stanza the author describes
two young lovers laying beneath a tree, a young man playing a pipe and a young
woman with him. He tells the young man, that because the piper’s music is not
mortal, it is more beautiful. He continues that although the lovers cannot
share a kiss the piper should be happy because of the fact that the woman’s
beauty will never fade like that of a mortal.
Like most poems, “Ode on a Grecian Urn” contains many forms
of figurative language including alliteration and personification. Keats’ poem
is broken up into five stanzas, each one describing a different scene on the
urn.
Researching Keats’ life prior to analysing the poem made it
easier to understand, and therefore a more enjoyable read, and gave the poem
new meaning. Also, because this poem incorporates the usual characteristics
found in typical poetry, it is a great poem to use to practice those poetic
elements as well. The Grecian Urn and the images sculpted on it is a symbolic
representation of something Keats will never achieve because of his condition,
static immobility and immortality. Keats then comprised this poem when
fantasizing of a false reality, while his true feelings reflect sorrow and
regret. Therefore, until the reader has a sufficient amount of knowledge
regarding Keats and his life, they cannot fully appreciate it in the manner
that it was intended. For Keats, death was a relevant factor; death was coming
for him. There are so many things in this world that he has yet to achieve, yet
to see, because of this on setting illness. The Urn does not age and does not
die. In the imaginary life of the Grecian Urn life is still, and does not end.
Ultimately, there are strong implications that “Ode on a Grecian Urn” was a
reflection of the author John Keats’ attitude towards his thoughts on his own
death. If the reader of this poem is made aware of Keats’ ordeal involving his
fatal illness it is much easier to see beyond the poem itself and understand
where his jealousy of these characters on the Urn and longing to be like them
is coming from. Once the reader is knowledgeable of Keats and his life, the
vivid depictions used in this poem can be better examined along with the
figurative language used such as alliteration, metaphor and overall makeup of
the poem in order to explicate it properly. This in affect will help the reader
envision the Grecian Urn and enhance the reader’s interest and apprehension of
the poem.
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