ODE ON A GRECIAN URN – JOHN KEATS

ODE ON A GRECIAN URN – JOHN KEATS

·         John keats is the last born and the first to die poet.

·         Keats volume of poems dedicated to Leigh Hunt.

·         Negative capability is wisely used by him.

·         In 1819, he composed six odes they are united and ordered. The first five poems were written during the spring. “Ode on a Grecian urn”, Ode on Melancholy, ode to a Nightingale, and Ode to Psyche.

·         To Autumn was composed in autumn.

·         He was inspired to write the poem after reading two articles by English artist and writer Benjamin Haydon.

·         He believed that classical Greek art was idealistic and captured Greek virtues, which forms the basis of the poem.

·         The poem were transcribed by Brown, who provided copies to publisher Richard Woodhouse.

·         Rhyme scheme begins with Shakespeare quatrain ABAB and ending with a Miltonic sestet CDECED.

·         The story takes place in Tempe or Arcady.

·         The inspiration of the ode was derived from Marble urn of Lord Holand.

·         There are two sources for this poem: 1. A Greek verse  2. An altar

·         The poem is the poet’s matures, almost final word, on his vision of Hellas.

·         Hellas means Greek life.

·         “The poem is a drama of the symbols” – Earl Wasser Man.

·         The ode opens with invocation.

·         It describes a procession leading a heifer to an altar.

·         Ode on a Grecian Urn is a lyric poet with five stanzas containing 10 lines each.

·         Ode on a Grecian Urn focuses on representational art.

·         The difference between life and art is the central idea of the poem.

·         The Grecian Urn is kept in the palace of Lord Holland.

·         The urn is wedded to quietness.

·         The urn tells the story of Greek.

·         Urn is a foster child of silence, sylvian historian, bride of quietness and it is a symbol of calm repose and timelessness.

·         The image of mysterious priest, bold lover and happy melodist can be found in this poem.

·         The theme of Keats’ ode on a Grecian urn is Permanence of beauty.

·         The poet doubts whether chiseled in the urn is man or gods.

·         Heard by imagination is sweeter than heard by ear.

·         The music of imagination is sweeter because it is permanent and it directly appeals to the soul.

·         In the 2^nd stanza, words emphasize the letters ‘p’, ‘b’ and ‘v’ uses syzygy.

·         The youth depicts in the urn is playing on the pipe.

·         The trees will never shed the leaves.

·         Lover is trying to kiss.

·         Art confers immortality on love and beauty.

·         Border of leaves curved on urn.

·         The maidens are probably the nymphs of classical mythology.

·         Truth and beauty are identical.

·         Understanding the principle of truth and beauty is sufficient for man during his earthly existence.

·         In his letter of November 22, 1817, to Benjamin Bailey, he mentioned “another favorite speculation of mine, that we shall enjoy ourselves hereafter by having what we called happiness on Earth repeated in a finer tone and so repeated”.