Ode on a Grecian Urn Explication
In the poem Ode on a Grecian Urn, John Keats uses imagery, symbolism, and tone to advance the theme of forbidden love. An assemblage of vigorous passion is compellingly portrayed on cold, motionless stone numerous times throughout the poem. Keats used the urn as a colorful pallet in which to paint a tragic love saga. The wistful scenery and naïve undertone do not prepare the reader for the terror and wild sexuality unleashed in this poem. One method Keats highly developed the premise of illicit love was to use intense forms of imagery. As the narrator discovers the urn, it is described in full detail what he sees. “What men or gods are these? What maidens loath? What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?” (lns 8-10). With this, the reader is almost brought into the ode, viewing the urn with the narrator. It is soon brought into a sharp, detailed focus that the urn depicts two young lovers. “Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave. Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare” (lns 15-6). These lines even further illustrate this non-visibl . . .
“When old age shall this generation waste, thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st, ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty,’ – that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know” (lns 46-50). “What little town by river or sea shore, or mountain-built with peaceful citadel, is emptied of this folk, this pious morn? And, little town, thy streets forevermore will silent be and not a soul to tell why thou art desolate, can e’er return” (lns 35-40). These lines show that the viewer not only understood what the two young lovers where going through, but could actually feel the bliss inside their own body. To discover the harsh reality of life and the price of love is, and always will be unspeakable. The barren town symbolizes not only the discovery of the young lover’s forbidden romance by the town-folk, but also the emptiness the grieving young lovers felt, now knowing that their harmonious romance was at an end. The narrator portrays the ideal life on the urn as one without disenchantment and suffering with the use of pipes being played, possibly by one of the young lovers. The viewer was given one blissful moment while viewing the urn to realize that out of tragedy will always come hope. The image of the silent, desolate town exemplifies both pain and sorrow. Upon further inspection of the urn, a new understanding of love thrilled the viewer, and how joyous love can be. The most significant symbol however, was the urn itself. Upon first discovering the urn, the narrator lets his curiosity get the best of him, by asking numerous questions, as stated earlier. As the poem states, “Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought as doth eternity: Cold Pastoral! ” (lns 44-5), the urn proves to be the fait of what happened to either one of the young lovers, death. Proving that while love is a vital part of life, there is always a negative aspect to it as well.
Common topics in this essay:
John Keats, Cold Pastoral, happy love, urn narrator, , happy happy, tragic love saga, viewing urn, little town, pipes played, love saga, tragic love, true love, |
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