Compare how Keats uses silence and stillness in 'Ode to a nightingale' and 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' - Romantic Poetry
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Course
Unit 3 - Poetry
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
Keats poetry - Romantic Poetry
'Ode to a Nightingale' and 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' comparison essay on silence and stillness.
A/B high achieving student.
Compare how Keats uses silence and stllness in ‘Ode to a Nightngalee and ‘Ode on a
Grecian Urne
‘Ode to a Nightngalee and Ode on a Grecian Urne were a part of a set of six odes writen bby Keats in
1819, which have become some of his more critcallby acclaimed poems. Both ‘Ode to a Nightngalee
and ‘Ode on a Grecian Urne powerfullby suggest that silence and stllness are forms of beautby and
wonder, partcularlby how he illustrates both the bird and the urn as something that can live for
eternitby and ‘cannot fadee, with a similar structure of ten lines in each stanza and both writen as
odes also suggestng their similarites; however there are keby diferences within each poem that
gives evidence into what Keats believes and refects what he was experiencing at the tme of writng
each ode, for example Keats addresses and almost envies the Nightngale for being able to be free
and fby awaby whenever it pleases, whilst Keats is describing a scene on the urn where love will staby
stll and ‘for ever byounge but will not ever be consummated, which could be him contemplatng his
love for Fannby Brawne, and how his love for her will staby unconsummated but wonet die or fade.
In ‘Ode to a Nightngalee Keats uses predominantlby stllness but also with a hint of silence - to
explain how he wants to ‘leave the world unseene and gives the impression that he is not happby with
his life, or rather would be happier beside the Nightngale who can ‘quite forget what thou among
the leaves hast never knowne. This suggests that stllness is actuallby a negatve idea, as it implies that
Keats cannot leave the problems he has behind, and is trapped in his state of being, which at the
tme of writng these odes was most likelby during the first stages of his illness therefore to not be
able to leave the pain and sufering made ‘[his] heart ache[s]e. The use of the word ‘achese also
implies that it is a dull and prolonged pain that contnues at all tmes which he cannot get awaby
from, as opposed to sharp bursts of pain. Furthermore he contnues to state his want of joining the
bird in fight, but resorts to ‘the viewless wings of poesbye instead as his means of escape from the
world that he implies he doesnet want to live in. In comparison, Keats uses the Urn to implby that
stllness is a happier alternatve to the movement the Nightngale possesses; one scene on the Urn
depicts two byoung lovers ‘beneath the treese about to kiss, ‘though winning near the goal byete as
theby cannot move. From the lines ‘do not grieve; she cannot fadee and ‘for ever wilt thou love, and
she be fair!e byou can infer that Keats believes this to be a happier alternatve, as the byouths love
wonet fade, and theby will staby forever beautful, ‘for ever pantng, and for ever byounge. This is
perhaps seen as what he portrabys his love for Fannby to be: whilst he is close to marrbying her, and is
verby much in love with her, Keats is unable to marrby her and live a full life with her due to a lack of
moneby and lack of health. This could be a refecton upon the line ‘Where Beautby cannot keep her
lustrous ebyes, or new love pine at them bebyond to-morrowe which could be interpreted as tme
moving too quicklby for love, and the human bodby dies quicklby much like Keats himself, along with his
familby who also died shortlby before him. This line personifies beautby, describing her as someone who
moves quicklby from person to person this could again be an interpretaton of Keats possiblby
wantng to become stll, imitatng the urn, or perhaps be like Beautby herself, and be able to move
awaby quicklby. Much like the urn, both the Nightngale and Beautby are eternal, and all have passion
far superior to that of mortal human love, furthering his want of stllness.
Keatse use of silence is more prominent in ‘Ode on a Grecian Urne where there is no music being
plabyed to his ear, or no people around him talking, and no Nightngale to plaby ‘some melodious plote
to him whilst he contemplates ‘what fowers are at [his] feete. Much like stllness in ‘Ode on a
Grecian Urne, he portrabys silence in a positve light, sabying how ‘those unheard melodies are
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