Ode on a Grecian Urn

After hearing the other students in the class speak of the infamous John Keats, my curiosity became sparked. I began to ponder how any man could possess such great writing talent that it had a whole spectrum of students perked by it. This spark of curiosity is what has “pushed” me to look deeper into John Keats’ writings. The following is a brief summary and analysis of John Keat’s Ode on a Grecian Urn.

The first stanza focuses on the speaker, who is standing before an ancient Grecian urn. The speaker, preoccupied with its depiction of frozen form in time, addresses the urn. He refers to the urn as a "foster-child of silence and slow time." and a "still unravished bride of quietness," He is also quoted refering to the urn as a "historian," which can (in itself) tell a story. He also thinks about the figures on the side of the urn. He ponders where they originate from and what legends they represent. He examines a picture that portrays a group of men seeking-out a group of women, and ponders their story: "What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? / What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?"

The second stanza focuses on the speaker who is looking at another depiction on the urn. This time the depiction is of a young lad

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

Each of "Grecian Urn's” five stanzas is ten lines long, metered in a very precise iambic pentameter, and divided into a two-part rhyme scheme; the last three lines are variable. He is quoted speaking to the youth that, although he can never kiss his lover due to his being stuck in time, he should not and will not grieve, because the beauty she posses will never fade.

Throughout the final stanza, the speaker presents the conclusions drawn from his three attempts to engage with the urn. It could be the speaker addressing the urn, and it could be the urn addressing mankind. And in the third stanza, the speaker leaves his own concerns behind and thinks of the urn on its own turf, thinking of the "little town" with a real and generous feeling. The speaker quotes that the “silent” melodies of the piper are sweeter than “aloud” melodies, due to their being not affected by time. Of course, the urn can never tell him the whos, whats, whens, and wheres of the stories it depicts, and the speaker is forced to abandon this line of questioning. He thinks that their love is highly superior to all other human passions and desires, which, in its sexual expression, leads to intensity: if passion is satisfied, all that remains is a physical aspect, a "burning forehead," and a "parching tongue. If it is the urn addressing mankind, then the phrase has the weight of an important lesson, as though beyond all the complications of human life, all human beings need to know on earth is that beauty and truth are one and the same. " He begins to think that when his generation is deceased, the urn will remain, telling future generations its lesson: "Beauty is truth, truth beauty. In essence he is communicating being happy both for the piper because his songs will be fresh forever and for the love of the two that will last forever. Is it impossible to learn from the urn the whos and wheres, the facts, of the "real story"?

It is true that the speaker progresses in engagement with the urn throughout the text. He reasons that if these people deserted their origin, they will not return to their previous locale. This depiction is of a group of villagers leading livestock to a sacrificial ceremony.

Approximate Word count = 1315
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.