Keats - form and structure notes Flashcards
(14 cards)
chapmans homer
form and structure
- Petrarchan sonnet formed of an octave/two quatrains, then followed by a final sestet (six lines)
- Use of enclosed rhyme scheme as typical to Petrarchan sonnet in the first 8 lines, then alternating rhyme scheme for last 6
how this links to themes
- Enclosed rhyme in the first section creates a sense of monotonous repetition, enhanced by the elongated rhyming vowel sounds of ‘gold’ + ‘hold’ and ‘seen’ + ‘been’ -> re-enforces the presentation of previous translations of Homer as faded and less impactful than that of Chapman, and thus critiques the established literary tradition in line with romantic beliefs + dissent against the Augustan poetry of his era – idea of romantic revival of renaissance works such as Chapman
- Use of sonnet form – the use of volta (key feature of sonnet form) to highlight the juxtaposing impacts of contemporary literature + translation to that of Chapman – rhetorical elevation and freedom created through the alternating rhyme scheme
- Uses the octave to construct two distinctive metaphors for the profound impact the art has upon the speaker – trochee on silent = renders the shock and awe that this work has created
- Movement from passivity and established facades to exploration in the second section = illustrates further the impact of this work
when i have fears
form and structure
- Use of Shakespearean sonnet form – three quatrains then a final rhyming couplet to give a sense of closure to the thematic exploration of the quatrains
how this links to themes
- Repetition of harsh consonant ‘k’ sound in the final feet of the rhyming couplet renders the finality of death which the speaker contemplates throughout the poem
- The final line of the third quatrain – Keats uses enjambement between this final quatrain and the rhyming couplet to create a sense of urgency, syntactically mirroring the fear the speaker feels about the finality of death – sense of urgently creating the lines before the end of the poem mirrors the urgently creating art before death
- Each of the three quatrains uses an ABAB alternative rhyming scheme – creates a sense of unity between their contemplations on the theme of death and mortality, and therefore links the various facets of the introspection, rendering the impact of death all the more profound
king lear
form and structure
- Use of Petrarchan sonnet form – 8-line octave rhymed ABBAABBA, then sestet rhymed CDCDEE
- Use of a trochee in the final line ‘give me new phoenix wings’ + addition of an extra poetic foot = iambic hexameter in the final line rather than pentameter as throughout the poem
how this links to themes
- Two-part structure of Petrarchan sonnets suits the exploration of romance literature compared to Shakespeare’s renaissance work
- The enclosed ABBA rhyme scheme of the octave gives a sense of monotony associated with the speakers feelings towards the failures of romance poetry – exclamative phrases and blunt rejection ‘be mute’ = sense that the speaker feels trapped and enclosed by the idealism and vapidness of the ‘golden tonged’ tale, compared to the breaking of the iambic pentameter rhythm and varied rhyme scheme of the sestet = representative of how Shakespeare’s work inspires the speaker to transcend these established poetic boundaries to earn artistic renewal and immortality (image of the phoenix)
oh solitude
form and structure
- Petrarchan sonnet form with octave then sestet
- Octave – ABBAABBA rhyme scheme
- Sestet – CDDCDC
how this links to themes
- Two-part structure enables Keats to effectively explore not just his desire for solitude in nature, but also his desire for ‘kindred’ companionship which he yearns for
- The repetition of the enclosed ABBA rhyme scheme within the octave enables Keats to illustrate the juxtaposing impacts of being in an urban space, compared to dwelling in nature, on the speakers spirit – context of poem written whilst studying in Southwark, a crowded and unsanitary urban sprawl, romantic/ Wordsworthian presentation of nature as a profoundly healing force for people is further emphasised through this comparison
- Apostrophe to Solitude, and its continued personification throughout the sonnet = personified as a godlike being, and therefore creates a sense of paradox between the idea of solitude as aloneness, and solitude as a revered being with which the speaker desires to spend time – subverts traditional notions of solitude to emphasise romantic ideals of spending time in poetic introspection
on the sea
form and structure
- Petrarchan sonnet with octave, then sestet
- Octave – ABBAABBA – repeated enclosed rhyme scheme
- Sestet - ADEDEC
how this links to themes
- Two-part structure of the poem creates a sense of building in the final sestet from the idea introduced in the original octave
- Here this takes the form of a rhetorical address to the reader – apostrophe of ‘Oh ye!’ – transition from the previous meditative portrait of the sea as a complex, mysterious and sublime entity, to an invitation/ summon to anyone fatigued or overwhelmed by modern life to come to the sea, and be imbibed with its healing power, and to through the power of nature, transcend to a state of peace and renewal – Wordsworthian idea of nature as explored in ‘Tintern Abbey’
to sleep
form and structure
- Hybrid sonnet constructed of an octave and a concluding sestet similar to the Petrarchan sonnet, however the octave follows an English rhyme scheme (ABAB CDCD), and the final sestet subverts both sonnet traditions (BCEFEF)
how this links to themes
- Use of apostrophe to sleep links to his current experimentation with the ode form
- Continuation of the octaves rhyme scheme into the first two lines of the following sestet – the continuation replicates the speakers fear of the continuation of conscious worries should sleep not come, and the sense of monotony created through the repetition of rhyme patterns prolongs the resolution of the poem = implores sleep to bring this to an end
bright star
form and structure
- Shakespearean sonnet form – three quatrains of ABAB rhyme scheme, ended with final rhyming couplet to give closure to the developed explanation
how this links to themes
- Use of fricative ending for the rhyming couplet illuminates the image of ‘tender taken breath’, to be ended by ‘death’ – fricative, onomatopoeic sound imbibes the image with the mortal reality faced by the speaker, compared to the ‘steadfastness’ of the eternal star – re-enforces the speakers conclusion that mortality is intrinsic to sensuality, and that these two aspects are inextricably linked
ode to psyche
form and structure
- Ode form = apostrophe to something, public praise
- Originates from classical literature – public praise given to a goddess/ thing
how this links to themes
- The poems form as an ode – through apostrophising Psyche in this way, the speaker subverts the fact that his goddess has been overlooked and overshadowed by other mythical figures, such as ‘cupid’ (‘the winged boy I knew’)
- Elongation of the stanza length as the ode progresses = mirrors movement of the speaker from observation, to heightened introspection inspired by the goddess
- Metric variations from iambic pentameter to shorter lines, with iambic trimeter/ dimeter = re-enforce the speakers sense of surprise and enchantment with the unknown and unworshipped goddess
- Use of varied rhyme scheme + lines which do not rhyme with others in the stanza, but occasionally rhyme with anterior lines = replicates and enhances the images of ‘cool rooted flowers’ and the growth of foliage – changing rhyme scheme to match what is being illustrated links to romantic notions of gaining internal inspiration from external world and nature
ode on a grecian urn
form and structure
- Ekphrastic poem = rendering a physical object of great beauty or importance through poetry, using language to translate its beauty to the readers, and transcend physical barriers
how this links to themes
- Ode – praises the object, however Keats somewhat subverts this, as the poem is more so a philosophical dialogue with the ode, rather than just a praise
- Form as an ekphrastic poem links to the exploration in which the speaker engages of the power of art to transcend reality and boundaries, however there is also a recognition that both the urn, and the poem itself, and historians are limited in their ability to fully render the awe and complexity of experiencing human existence
- The carefully constructed iambic pentameter, and even, 10 line stanzas mirror the refinement and craftsmanship of the urn the speaker contemplates
- Stanza one and five share the same rhyme scheme – cyclical nature of the speakers inquiry and continuation of the mystery, lack of conclusion and ambiguity of the final statement
ode on melancholy
form and structure
- Ode form as a direct address/ appraisal of something – somewhat subverted through didactic tone imploring reader to embrace melancholy, rather than a direct praise of melancholy, addressed to melancholy
how this links to themes
- Didactic tone of ode constructed through use of direct address to reader, frequent use of imperatives in the first stanza, and the offering/ recommendations of solutions in the subsequent stanzas, before reaching a final conclusion/ explanation on the previous exploration of themes of nature/ mortality/ death from the previous stanzas
- Continuation of rhyme scheme from final line of second stanza, to first line of third stanza, enhances the rhetorical elevation/ exploration of these themes, and the first lines of the final stanza essentially summarise the periphrastic/ metaphorical explanation of the final judgement on these themes/ contemplations
ode on a nightingale
form and structure
- Eight, 10-line stanzas
how this links to themes
- Melancholic tone of the one somewhat subverts the forms origins as a celebration of something – even though the speaker does praise the song of the nightingale for not just its beauty, but also its ability to aid him in transcending his pain in a more meaningful way than giving into suicidal oblivion (‘away, away for I will fly to thee/ not charioted by Bacchus and his pards/ But on the viewless wings of Poesy’)
- The length of the poem enables Keats to create a developed journey, and he then ends this with two rhetorical questions, as opposed to a certain statement – cyclical structure leads to doubt as to what has happened, informed by his theory of negative capability
- General regularity of the iambic pentameter rhythm creates a hypnotic effect – mirrors the hypnotism of the nightingales song experienced by the speaker
- Ornate, sustained and skillful rhymescheme – attempting to replicate the pure beauty of the nightingale’s song
to autumn
form and structure
- Formed of three, 11-line stanzas
- Subversion of typical ode form
- Three stanza structure adheres to the classical ode form – strophe, antistrophe, and epode
how this links to themes
- Each of the three stanzas focuses on a different aspect of autumn and its presence in the agrarian/ natural world
o Links to Greek form – one perspective of life (growth and abundance), another of death (harvest), and a final conclusion (the interconnectedness of the two)
- Movement through the senses from the voluptuous sensuousness of the first stanza, focus on sight and observation in the second, and finally description of the sounds at the end of the season and the arrival of winter signified by the ‘mournful choir’ and ‘gathering swallows twitter’
- This movement acts as an constant undercurrent to the poems exploration of the beauty and importance of the present moment, as the source of autumns beauty is presented as intrinsically linked to its transience, and its representation of change from the ‘clammy cells’ of summer, and change into the ‘soft dying day’ of winter
- Subversion of the classical ode form – no apostrophe to a Hellenistic goddess, rather a tentative rendering of the paganistic deity who dwells in the freezeframes of everyday life which Keats constructs – links to the idea of great poetry has no imposed person etc.
in drear nighted december
form and structure
- 3, 8-line stanzas/ octaves
- Written in iambic trimeter
- Frequent use of feminine endings (extra syllable)
- ABABCCCD rhyme scheme
how this links to themes
- Split between the rhythmic and song-like ABAB section, and the insistent CCCD
o mirrors the conflict experienced by the speaker in their longing for numbness, but recognition that only without numbness can joy and love be fully experienced
- the strict and repetitive rhyme scheme makes the poem akin to a folk song, and turns the exploration of pain and longing for peace into a ubiquitous experience – reenforces the final message that pain is a necessary part of human love
- use of feminine endings makes the meter seem browbeaten, and creates a sinking and melancholic rhythm, rendering the sense of emotional pain described
eve of st agnes
Form and structure
- modelled on the renaissance work of Spenser’s ‘Faerie Queen’
- epic verse romance
- Spenserian stanza form – nine-line stanza formed of 8 lines of iambic pentameter, then one line of iambic hexameter (alexandrine)
How this links to themes
- Form of an epic romance – enhances the narrative of the quest for love and sensuality on which Madeline and Porphyro embark – enhanced by unfolding sense of Spenserian stanza
- Pays tribute to the romance genre and renaissance themes of love, tensions etc.
- Steady and hypnotic pace created through the iambs enhances the themes of dreams/ love
