Ode on a Grecian Urn - COMPLETE

Analysis

Context - personal

Emotional turmoil. Keats’ brother had died six months prior, and he had fallen in love with Fanny Brawne. Contrasting events, represented through contrast of lovers and the sacrifice. Inheritance withheld so he could not marry Brawne.

Context - personal

Keats wrote odes to explore his emotions.

Context - historical

Time where Greek archaeological finds were being discovered.

‘unravish’d bride of quietness’

The urn is an unravished bride, suggesting it is pure, but still retains all of the joy of a wedding. Could also suggest that the marriage will always be happy because the urn is frozen. Marriage therefore can not be ‘ravished’/ ruined.

‘foster-child’ ‘historian’

Indefinite role, ambiguity of art/flexibility of art. Humanised, as if the urn is telling the audience about the depictions. Makes depictions more human as well.

‘sweeter than our rhyme’

‘our’ creates a distance between the urn and humanity/the audience. Art is superior to humanity.

‘What men and gods?’ ‘What mad pursuits?’

Inspiration of art - reduces the speaker to excitement and wonder. philhellenism (love of Greek culture).

‘nor ever can those trees be bare’

eternal spring. associated with joy and happiness

‘never, never canst thou kiss’

always in the anticipatory moment before the kiss.

‘she cannot fade’

no death. utopian image created by artwork. brother died 6 months before poem was written

‘for ever wilt thou love’ ‘more happy, happy love!’

Fanny Brawne and his inheritance. Creating a utopian society for himself, we see in art what we want to. used poetry to express emotions.

‘for ever warm’ ‘breathing human.. high-sorrowful’

relationship will never ruin, unlike relationships of real people.

‘who are these coming to the sacrifice?’

volta. sacrifice. contrasts love, just like how he fell in love but also lost his brother, as well as being restricted from love.

‘green altar’

‘cold Pastoral!’

audience can learn from art. contrasts the bride and child role given at the start.

‘‘thou shalt remain’

art is eternal.

‘beauty is truth', truth beauty’

goes against popular sayingg that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. objective beauty.

‘all ye need to know’

optimistic importance placed on art. suggests art can solve all problems.