Summary of John Keats Poem "Ode to a Nightingale"

 "Ode to a Nightingale" Themes

In the early months of 1819, Keats was living with his friend Brown at Wentworth place Hampstead. In April a nightingale built her nest in the garden. Keats felt a tranquil and continual joy in its plum tree, he composed a poem containing his poetic feeling about the song of the nightingale. This ode was first published in July, 1819.

 

The main theme of the poem dismisses the optimistic quest for joy found inside Keats' prior verse and, all things being equal, investigates the subjects of nature, fleetingness and mortality, the last being especially applicable to Keats. The nightingale described experiences a sort of death however doesn't really die.  

 

Summary of the Poem ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’

  ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ Summary:

To every romantic poet nature and the aspects of nature are a great source of inspiration. John Keats was not an exception. Once he visited the British museum and there he came across the Grecian Urn which had been preserved for a long period of time. The paintings depicted on the external surface of the Grecian Urn inflamed the poet's poetic spirit. His creative faculty became agitated and consequently he composed the poem 'Ode on a Grecian Urn'.

 

 

Discuss Keats as a Romantic Poet

Keats as a Romantic Poet:

 

John Keats is in many ways the most romantic of all romantic poets. Romantic poetry aims at the complete expression of the individual as compared to classical poetry, which aims at the expression of social experience. Other romantic poets have some political or social comment in their poetry. But the poetry of Keats is not a vehicle of any prophecy or any message. It is poetry for its own sake. It has no moral, no political or social significance. It is therefore the purest poetry.

 

 

Show how Keats Contrasts the World of the Nightingale with the World of Man in 'Ode to a Nightingale'

  Keats Contrasts the World of the Nightingale with the World of Man in 'Ode to a Nightingale':

 

Ode to a Nightingale is a great product of the fertile imagination of John Keats. It is mainly a poem of contrast, contrast between the world of man and that of the nightingale, between the world of reality and that of unreality, between impermanence and permanence. The poet represents the reality, impermanence and the nightingale represents the ideal, and impermanence.

 

Keats is a Poet of both Sensuousness and Thoughts. Discuss

Keats' as a Poet of Sensuousness and Thoughts in his Odes:

 

Sensuousness is that quality in poetry which is derived from and affects the sense of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Sensuous poetry would have an appeal to our eyes by presenting beautiful word- pictures, to our ear by its metrical music, to our nose by arousing our sense of smell, and so on.