Tragic Men in Keats' Poetry ♂️

Who are the male characters in Keats’ poems?

Hermes

Lycius

Apollonius

The Knight-in-arms

The ghostly kings and princes

Lorenzo

Isabella’s brothers

Prophyro

What roles do the men typically have in Keat’s poems?

Supporting characters (e.g. Lorenzo)

Antagonists (e.g. Apollonius)

What are the men victims of?

Women (Knight, Lycius), society (Lorenzo) or their own desires (Prophyro)

What are men in other tragedies typically?

Active, noble, dignified.

Before ‘Knight-at-arms’, what was the knight originally called?

a ‘wretched wight (man)’. This demonstrates that the role of the Knight as someone who is supposed to be noble is significant, as he appears alone and loitering.

How is the ‘Knight-at-arms’ a victim?

He is passive towards La Belle Dame. He is a victim of his own desires and his desires abandon him.

How is Prophyro a victim?

He is a victim of lust. Arguably one of the most antagonistic protagonists of Keats, as he deceives Madeline, he is still a victim of the dreamlike reality that gets undone.

What does Hermes represent in Lamia?

The capability for anyone to become predatory when faced with lust, foreshadowing Lamia’s indirect destruction of Lycius.

What is Lycius a victim of?

Lust and dreams. He immediately falls in love with Lamia which will bring his death. He is similar to the ‘Knight-at-arms’ in that he is lured and destroyed through lustful dreams.