At first glance, it is not significant that Keats composed an ode which portrays a Grecian urn. But after some time, the reader might ask himself, why Keats has chosen an urn for his poem and what kind of urn he is talking about. It is not clear, whether Keats is writing about an urn which is used to contain the ashes of a dead body, if it is just a decorative element or if it contains something else. It is not even clear, whether he is talking about a real or an imagined object. This term paper therefore deals with the purpose of the urn in Keats' ode and answers the question what function this object occupies. Taking Keats' quote on Milton's "Paradise Lost" in account, it is to assume that Keats uses the urn as an ideal symbol for contrasting the real, transient world with an apparently perfect, imagined world. With the urn as a basis, Keats constructs a poem which portrays the variety of contrasts on three different levels, namely a conversation level between narrator and urn, a level with regard on the stories portrayed on the urn and a stylistic level of the poem itself. In the course of this paper, the contrasts in the conversation level are portrayed at first, followed by contrasts and oppositions in the stories on the urn pictured by the narrator and in a third section the contrasts on a stylistic level are illustrated.
John Keats was well aware that using contrasts was one of the criteria which caused a huge prestige to Milton's "Paradise Lost". But also in Keats' works, especially in his odes which he wrote in 1819, forms of oppositions and contrasts appear to play a major role in these poems. His odes deal with existence and imagination, while they often contrast transient life and eternal death. One of these odes which exemplifies this pattern is the "Ode on a Grecian Urn".
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2.1 Keats's contrary attitude towards the urn
2.2 The urn as an active speaker
2.3 The use of questions as communication instrument
3.1 The story of Daphne and Apollo as an image of contrasting feelings
3.2 The pursuit for counterparts
3.3 The desolate town as a contrast between eternity and remoteness
4.1 Paradoxes as an instrument of contrast between real and imagined world
4.2 Exaggerations to conceal the narrator's view
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines how John Keats utilizes the Grecian urn as a symbolic medium to articulate fundamental contrasts between the transient, real world and a static, idealized, and imagined reality within his famous ode.
- The function of the urn as an object of personification and dialogue.
- The identification and analysis of mythological narratives depicted on the urn.
- Stylistic techniques, including paradox and repetition, used to convey thematic tension.
- The intersection of existence, imagination, and the dichotomy between life and death.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 The story of Daphne and Apollo as an image of contrasting feelings
The stories on the urn which Keats describes in the course of the poem are full of oppositions. The first story that he mentions is the “leaf-fring’d legend” (5). In contrast to Walter Jackson Bate's claim that the described pictures cannot be identified (cf. 77), there are possibilities to identify what is actually portrayed on the urn. Keats gives several hints which indicate that he is talking about the myth of Apollo and Daphne.
To illustrate this assumption, it is necessary to render a short summary of the myth: Cupid, having been taunted by Apollo, prepares two divergent arrows, one of gold and one of lead. He shoots the golden arrow on Apollo, which makes him instantly fall in love with Daphne. Daphne on the other hand, is hit by the arrow of lead, which causes her to disapprove Apollo's love. Being then chased by Apollo, Daphne desperately begs her father, the river god Ladon, to help her. As a result, Ladon transforms her into a laurel tree to prevent her from Apollo’s kisses.
If the reader is acquainted with the myth, he will understand that Keats’s choice of words evokes the imagery of this legend. The first indicator is the phrase “leaf-fring’d” (5), which portrays Daphne being already transformed into a tree. In addition, the “leaf-fring’d legend haunts” (5), which evokes the image of Apollo hunting Daphne. With his question “[i]n Tempe or the dales of Arcady?” (7) the narrator again leads the reader to a very specific point, although he himself does not appear to know the exact place of action. Tempe is the location of where the myth of Apollo and Daphne took place.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter establishes the theoretical context of Keats's use of contrasts and defines the paper's goal of exploring the urn's function across three levels.
2.1 Keats's contrary attitude towards the urn: An analysis of how the narrator creates absurdity and tension by attributing human characteristics to a lifeless object.
2.2 The urn as an active speaker: Explores the ambiguity regarding who is uttering the final lines of the poem and the paradox of an inanimate object appearing to communicate.
2.3 The use of questions as a communication instrument: Discusses how the narrator's unanswered questions shift the focus from description to the reader's own imaginative construction.
3.1 The story of Daphne and Apollo as an image of contrasting feelings: Examines how the myth of Apollo and Daphne serves to illustrate the opposition between competing desires.
3.2 The pursuit for counterparts: Investigates the relationships between characters on the urn, specifically satyrs and nymphs, as symbolic representations of chase and resistance.
3.3 The desolate town as a contrast between eternity and remoteness: Analyzes the sacrificial scene and the tension between the town's eternal silence and its desolate abandonment.
4.1 Paradoxes as an instrument of contrast between real and imagined world: Explores how stylistic paradoxes bridge the gap between sensual experience and spiritual imagination.
4.2 Exaggerations to conceal the narrator's view: Details how the repetitive use of the word "happy" reveals the narrator's underlying ambiguity and potential satire.
5. Conclusion: Synthesizes the previous findings to confirm the urn as a multifaceted symbol for the oscillation between life, art, and death.
Keywords
John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn, contrast, paradox, imagination, mythology, Apollo and Daphne, personification, eternity, transience, literary analysis, imagery, narrative, silence, symbolism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores how John Keats employs "Ode on a Grecian Urn" as a medium to contrast the ephemeral nature of real human life with the eternal, yet silent and inanimate, world of art.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The central themes include the interplay between existence and imagination, the paradox of beauty and truth, the personification of objects, and the contrast between transient life and eternal death.
What is the core research objective of the study?
The goal is to determine the function of the urn within the poem and demonstrate how Keats utilizes it as an ideal symbol to explore various levels of opposition: conversational, narrative, and stylistic.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author utilizes literary analysis, examining both primary poetic text and critical scholarly perspectives to interpret the rhetorical and structural devices Keats employs.
What does the main body of the work address?
It covers the narrator's interaction with the urn, the specific mythological narratives depicted (like Apollo and Daphne), and the stylistic use of paradox and repetition to create an ambiguous, reflective tone.
How would you characterize the primary keywords of this work?
The work is defined by terms such as contrast, paradox, imagination, and personification, reflecting its deep dive into the formal and thematic properties of Romantic poetry.
Why does the author argue that the narrator's communication with the urn is "absurd"?
The author highlights the inherent contradiction in a human narrator attempting to engage in a logical dialogue with an object that is, by nature, lifeless, silent, and incapable of response.
How does the author interpret the frequent repetition of the word "happy"?
The paper suggests that the repetition of "happy" serves to conceal the narrator's true, more ambivalent view, eventually rendering the tone hollow and potentially satirical rather than genuinely celebratory.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2016, The Urn as a Perfect Symbol of Contrast in Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/501531
