The Odes

The Odes

John Keat was a renowned poet during the 19th century Romanticism movement who wrote a total of six lyric odes. The two odes, which will be analyzed, are titled Ode on Melancholy and Ode on a Grecian Urn.

The Ode on Melancholy addresses the coping process of sadness. In this ode, Keat proposes the right and wrong way to cope with sadness. I believe Keat is proposing that coping rather than letting go is the best way to understand sadness. The first line of the poem is “No, no! go not to Lethe, neither twist Wolf’s bane.” Lethe, was the name of a Greek spirit of forgetfulness and oblivion. Keat is promoting to avoid the lethe and rather the sufferer should deal with the grief in order to best cope. If my interpretation is correct, I support the message Keat is portraying. Sadness and grief are dangerous waters. In order for someone to understand their sadness and overcome it, they must not ignore or forget but rather learn to acknowledge its presence. Keat proposes how one can begin to cope with sadness, which is acknowledging the beauty in the world. “Then glut thy sorrow on a morning rose, or on the rainbow of the salt sand-wave, or on the wealth of globed peonies.” Keat connects sadness with beauty proposing acknowledging beauty is a way to cope with sadness. I believe Keat thinks sadness is always present in human interaction and life but the presence of beauty can over shine sadness and bring joy.

In The Ode on a Grecian Urn, the poem begins with John Keat observations of an urn. He acknowledges its “unravish’d bride of quietness, thou foster-child of silence and slow time.” I found this ode much more difficult to understand the message and underlying theme. The structure of the ode is very rhythmic to a reader. It appears in each stanza, the author attempts to connect with the urn in a different way. With increasing attempts, the author develops a deeper understanding. This can be connected to a way a physician interacts with a patient. By...