John John KeatsKeats

(1795-1821)(1795-1821)

John Keats John Keats – Biographical Information -– Biographical Information -

““John Keats was an English John Keats was an English poet who became one of the poet who became one of the key poets of the English key poets of the English Romantic movement during Romantic movement during the early nineteenth century.” the early nineteenth century.”

(<www.wikipedia.org> accessed on 02/06/09)(<www.wikipedia.org> accessed on 02/06/09)

““In his brief creative career, In his brief creative career, brought to an end at twenty-brought to an end at twenty-five by his death from five by his death from tuberculosis, Keats produced tuberculosis, Keats produced some of the greatest and most some of the greatest and most enduring poems of the English enduring poems of the English language.”language.”

(York Notes Advanced)(York Notes Advanced)

Keats as a PrototypeKeats as a Prototype

Keats is considered as the original prototype Keats is considered as the original prototype of the tragic, idealised artist who lives a of the tragic, idealised artist who lives a short life and leaves behind a substantial short life and leaves behind a substantial and influential body of creative work.and influential body of creative work.

ACTIVITY 1:ACTIVITY 1:Pop-culture is full of these tragic geniuses, Pop-culture is full of these tragic geniuses,

make a list of at least five of these figures make a list of at least five of these figures drawn from the diverse worlds of music, art drawn from the diverse worlds of music, art and literature.and literature.

Central Ideas in Keats's Central Ideas in Keats's PoetryPoetry

INFLUENTIAL EVENTSINFLUENTIAL EVENTS ““Before he turned fifteen Keats has lost his Before he turned fifteen Keats has lost his

parents, an infant brother, an uncle and his parents, an infant brother, an uncle and his grandfather. His apprenticeship with a surgeon grandfather. His apprenticeship with a surgeon and his training at Guy’s Hospital exposed him to and his training at Guy’s Hospital exposed him to every kind of human suffering. He nursed his every kind of human suffering. He nursed his brother Tom until he died of tuberculosis, so was brother Tom until he died of tuberculosis, so was well aware of the implications of its symptoms well aware of the implications of its symptoms that he himself experienced in the following four that he himself experienced in the following four years which preceded his early death”.years which preceded his early death”.

(Byron, p. 67)(Byron, p. 67)

Central Ideas in Keats's Central Ideas in Keats's PoetryPoetry

PERMANENCE & MUTABILITY (TIME)PERMANENCE & MUTABILITY (TIME)

Therefore it is not surprising that Keats was Therefore it is not surprising that Keats was concerned with the paradox of concerned with the paradox of permanencepermanence and and mutability*mutability*. .

((mutability*mutability* – subject to change – subject to change))

At the centre of his vision “is the paradox that an At the centre of his vision “is the paradox that an awareness of mortality increases one’s sense of awareness of mortality increases one’s sense of beauty. Mortal life becomes more valued the beauty. Mortal life becomes more valued the more one experiences its fragility and transience.”more one experiences its fragility and transience.” (Byron, p. 67-8)(Byron, p. 67-8)

Central Ideas in Keats's Central Ideas in Keats's PoetryPoetry

IMAGINATION & TRANSCENDENCEIMAGINATION & TRANSCENDENCE

His concerns with permanence and mutability are His concerns with permanence and mutability are also inter-linked with his vision of the also inter-linked with his vision of the imagination. imagination.

Keats sees “[t]he imagination providing a link Keats sees “[t]he imagination providing a link between the real and the ideal. It allows us to between the real and the ideal. It allows us to transcend our ‘mortal bars’, to have a transcend our ‘mortal bars’, to have a transcendent vision of the joys of immortal transcendent vision of the joys of immortal existence.”existence.” (Byron, p. 68)(Byron, p. 68)

Reading Keats's Reading Keats's SonnetsSonnets

‘‘When I have fears that I may cease to When I have fears that I may cease to be’be’

When I have fears that I may cease to beWhen I have fears that I may cease to beBefore my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,

Before high piled Books, in charact’ry,Before high piled Books, in charact’ry,Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain;Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain;

When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,

And think that I may never live to traceAnd think that I may never live to traceTheir shadows, with the magic hand of Their shadows, with the magic hand of Chance;Chance;

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!

That I shall never look upon thee more,That I shall never look upon thee more,

Never have relish in the faery powerNever have relish in the faery powerOf unreflecting love! — then on the shoreOf unreflecting love! — then on the shore

Of the wide world I stand alone, and thinkOf the wide world I stand alone, and think

Till Love and Fame to Nothingness do sink.Till Love and Fame to Nothingness do sink.

‘‘Bright Star’Bright Star’

Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art—Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art—Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,

And watching, with eternal lids apart,And watching, with eternal lids apart,Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,

The moving waters at their priestlike taskThe moving waters at their priestlike taskOf pure ablution round earth's human shores,Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,

Or gazing on the new soft-fallen maskOr gazing on the new soft-fallen maskOf snow upon the mountains and the moors - Of snow upon the mountains and the moors -

No—yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,No—yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,

To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,

Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,

And so live ever—or else swoon to death -And so live ever—or else swoon to death -

Reading Keats's SonnetsReading Keats's Sonnets

ACTIVITY 2:ACTIVITY 2:1.1. What key ideas to What key ideas to

do you see as being do you see as being shared between shared between these two sonnets? these two sonnets? Find quotations to Find quotations to support your point support your point of view.of view.

2.2. Now, carefully Now, carefully annotate each annotate each poem using the 10 poem using the 10 Step Analysis Grid Step Analysis Grid as a source of as a source of direction.direction.

Have you considered these techniques as you read Keats’s sonnets? Subject Matter Key Ideas (purpose) Tone (emotion/ mood) Techniques Structure Sensory Appeal Language Imagery Rhythm (movement) Sounds

The Sonnet FormThe Sonnet Form

““A poem of 14 lines. Two earliest forms of the A poem of 14 lines. Two earliest forms of the sonnet are the Petrachan and the Elizabethan (as sonnet are the Petrachan and the Elizabethan (as used by Shakespeare and Donne)….Many sonnets used by Shakespeare and Donne)….Many sonnets have a volta (or turn of thought) at the end of line have a volta (or turn of thought) at the end of line 8. Some, for example, the Elizabethans, have a 8. Some, for example, the Elizabethans, have a rhyming couplet at the end”. (Page, p. 334)rhyming couplet at the end”. (Page, p. 334)

Keats’s sonnets are usually structured into 3 Keats’s sonnets are usually structured into 3 quatrains (of four lines each) followed by rhyming quatrains (of four lines each) followed by rhyming couplet. couplet.

The rhyme scheme of such a sonnet is The rhyme scheme of such a sonnet is abababab, , cdcdcdcd, , efefefef for the three quatrains and then for the three quatrains and then gggg for for the final couplet.the final couplet.

‘‘When I have fears that I may cease to When I have fears that I may cease to be’be’

When I have fears that I may cease to beWhen I have fears that I may cease to beBefore my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,

Before high piled Books, in charact’ry,Before high piled Books, in charact’ry,Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain;Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain;

When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,

And think that I may never live to traceAnd think that I may never live to traceTheir shadows, with the magic hand of Their shadows, with the magic hand of Chance;Chance;

And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!

That I shall never look upon thee more,That I shall never look upon thee more,

Never have relish in the faery powerNever have relish in the faery powerOf unreflecting love! — then on the shoreOf unreflecting love! — then on the shore

Of the wide world I stand alone, and thinkOf the wide world I stand alone, and think

Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

SUBJECT: The poet is expressing his fears that death will deny him fulfilment.

‘‘When I have fears that I may cease to be’When I have fears that I may cease to be’- Quatrain 1 -- Quatrain 1 -

When When I have fears that I may cease to beI have fears that I may cease to beBefore Before my pen has my pen has glean'dglean'd my my teemingteeming brain, brain,

Before high piled Books, in charact’ry*,Before high piled Books, in charact’ry*,Hold like rich garners the Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grainfull-ripen'd grain;;

SUBJECT: Keats instantly announces his concerns with the transient nature of his own life. He fears that he may die before he has written all the poems he wants too.

charact’ry* - writingcharact’ry* - writing

IMAGERY: Keats employs the imagery of farming corn to describe the act of writing. He is comparing it to reaping a rich harvest.

‘‘When I have fears that I may cease to When I have fears that I may cease to be’be’

- Quatrain 2 -- Quatrain 2 -

WhenWhen I behold, upon the night's starr'd face, I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,

AndAnd think that I may never live to trace think that I may never live to traceTheir shadows,Their shadows, with the magic hand of Chance;with the magic hand of Chance;

REPETITION: Throughout the poem, the words “When” and “And” are repeated in the quatrains linking each section of the poem and giving the sonnet a sense of continuity.

SUBJECT: In the second quatrain, Keats expands upon these fears with a specific reference that he may never trace all the “high romance” he sees symbolised in the heavens.

STRUCTURE: Keats’s use of the sonnet structure is very traditional in this poem. Each line is clearly end-stopped as it coincides with the end of an idea or clause.

‘‘When I have fears that I may cease to When I have fears that I may cease to be’be’

- Quatrain 3 -- Quatrain 3 -

And And when I feel, when I feel, fair creature of an hourfair creature of an hour!!

That I shall never look upon thee more,That I shall never look upon thee more,

Never have relish in the faery powerNever have relish in the faery powerOf unreflecting love! — Of unreflecting love! — then on the shorethen on the shore

SUBJECT: In the third quatrain he addresses a woman whom he met in a brief encounter to consider what he may also be prevented from ever experiencing love.

REPETITION: of “And” clearly links this quatrain to the one before.

TONE: is light.

IMAGERY: helps to create the final central image, and leads into the couplet.

‘‘When I have fears that I may cease to When I have fears that I may cease to be’be’

Final Rhyming CoupletFinal Rhyming Couplet

Of the wide world I stand alone, and thinkOf the wide world I stand alone, and think

Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.

SUBJECT: “The poet presents an image of himself standing alone on the shore of the wide world with a all personal ambitions and concerns erased from his mind by the immensity of what he contemplates.” (Byron, p. 18)

TONE: of these last two lines is much heavier then the lightness suggested by the “faery creature” earlier on.

KEY IDEAS: Keats is questioning the permanency of his own existence and whether his death will deny him fulfilment.

‘‘Bright Star’Bright Star’ This is a less conventional sonnet This is a less conventional sonnet

then ‘When I have fears that I then ‘When I have fears that I may cease to be’may cease to be’

Keats is addressing a star as a Keats is addressing a star as a symbol of the permanence he symbol of the permanence he desires. desires.

This sonnet is traditionally This sonnet is traditionally associated with Fanny Brawne, associated with Fanny Brawne, the great love of Keats’s life, who the great love of Keats’s life, who he was never able to marry due he was never able to marry due to his poor health. to his poor health.

The sonnet is a extended The sonnet is a extended sentence with a difficult syntax in sentence with a difficult syntax in which Keats explores the tension which Keats explores the tension between the cold, permanent star between the cold, permanent star and his mutable, but warm love.and his mutable, but warm love. Fanny Brawne

‘‘Bright Star’Bright Star’Octave (set of eight Octave (set of eight

lines)lines)

Bright star,Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art— would I were stedfast as thou art—Not in Not in lone lone splendour hung aloft the night,splendour hung aloft the night,

And And watchingwatching, with , with eternal lids aparteternal lids apart,,Like nature's patient, Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremitesleepless Eremite,,

The moving waters at their priestlike taskThe moving waters at their priestlike taskOf pure ablution round Of pure ablution round earth's human shoresearth's human shores,,

Or gazing on the new soft-fallen maskOr gazing on the new soft-fallen maskOf Of snowsnow upon the mountains and the moors - upon the mountains and the moors -

STRUCTURE/ IMAGERY: The octave focuses on the image of a bright star that is traditionally a symbol of permanence. The poet envies the star and its “steadfastness”. However the star is portrayed as a cold, remote observer of the “earth’s human shores”. The words highlighted in pink help create this impression.

This technique is called an APOSTROPHE (a figure of speech) in which a poet addresses an absent or inanimate sprit or force – in this case, a star.

‘‘Bright Star’Bright Star’Sestet (set of six lines)Sestet (set of six lines)

NoNo—yet —yet stillstill stedfast, stedfast, stillstill unchangeable, unchangeable,Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,

To To ffeel eel ffor ever its or ever its ssoft oft ffallall and and sswellwell,,Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,

StillStill, , still still to hear her tender-taken to hear her tender-taken breathbreath,,

And so live ever—or else swoon to And so live ever—or else swoon to deathdeath - -

STRUCTURE/ SUBJECT: The beginning of this sestet in the second half of the sonnet is a classic VOLTA (turn of thought). Keats signals this change through the choice of ‘No’. Keats is rejecting the permanency of the cold, aloof star for his “fair love”.

SOUND/ TONE: The alliteration and assonance of this lines adds to the tone of tenderness.

REPETITION: of “still” links the beginning of the sestet with final rhyming couplet.

This RHYMING COUPLET is particularly effective due to the striking contrast between “breath” and “death”.

KEY IDEAS: In this final sestet, the paradox of the permanent, beautiful star compared to the transient, living beauty of his fair love is exposed. For the poet to continue experiencing his love he must be “awake for ever in sweet unrest…or else swoon to death” and permanency.

REFERENCESREFERENCES

Page, Geoff. Page, Geoff. 80 Great Poems: From 80 Great Poems: From Chaucer to NowChaucer to Now. UNSW Press, 2006.. UNSW Press, 2006.

Byron, Glennis. Byron, Glennis. John Keats – Selected John Keats – Selected PoemsPoems. (York Notes Advanced), CUP, 2006. (York Notes Advanced), CUP, 2006