An example of Keats’ work which features an abundance of contrasts is ‘The Eve of St Agnes’, a poem which conforms to many of Romanticism’s standards There are 42 Spenserian stanzas in the poem – each stanza contains eight lines written in Iambic Pentameter and the final line written in Iambic Hexameter. Each stanza follows the same rhyming scheme.
‘The Eve of St Agnes’ is a narrative poem with clear thematic links, it is based upon the myth of the ‘Eve of St Agnes’ and tells of the forbidden romance between Madeline and Porphyro. It is set in medieval times in a gothic castle, therefore incorporating the Romantic themes of Gothicism and also the common trait of setting poems in the past.
There are extensive contrasts between warmth and cold throughout the poem. Keats opens the first stanza with a description of how “cold” it is outside, there is a “bitter chill” in the air and the grass is “frozen”. Keats uses numerous descriptions in this stanza to emphasise this coldness, the hare is “trembling” and the even the owl with all its “feathers” is cold. In direct contrast with this, the castle where young Madeline rests is a warm, luxurious place, with “ashes” leftover from the hot fires. Madeline’s “jewels” are “warmed” by her body and Keats draws further reference to the contrast of warmth and cold when he uses the metaphor of Porphyro’s “heart” being on “fire” for Madeleine.
Also in the first stanza Keats introduces the comparison between sound and silence. He describes the flock of sheep outside as “silent” and then contrasts this image with the “golden tongue” of music inside the castle. As the frail Beadsman enters the castle, he hears the soft “prelude” of the “trumpets”; which is so beautiful it brings “tears” to his eyes. Madeline on the other hand is so intent on carrying out the ritual of St Agnes that she “scarcely” hears the “music”. Further to this illustration, Keats describes how silent Porphyro must be so as not to be discovered – he dare not even “whisper”.
A third contrast which Keats makes much reference to is that of youth and age. Through this contrast Keats also demonstrates the contrast between life and death. Keats uses four characters in the poem to exploit these differences. On one extreme of the scale are Angela and the Beadsman. Both are frail beings with little of “life” ahead of them, the Beadsman is “weak” and “ancient” and Angela is “slow” and “palsied” with old age. In contrast with these images of old age and illness; Keats portrays the youth of Madeline and Porphyro. Both are “young” and Madeline is like a “splendid angel”. The “lovers” have their whole lives ahead of them, unlike Angela and the Beadsman who are nearing the “end” of theirs.
Another contrast within ‘The Eve of St Agnes’ is between opulence and poverty. The “Beadsman” is depicted as poor – he walks “barefoot” outside despite the winter weather. In direct contrast to these images of the Beadsman, the castle is described as quite the opposite. On the Eve of St Agnes, it is filled with the “rich” as they enjoy the beautiful “music” of “silver” trumpets, luxurious “woven gold” décor and exquisite food. There is also the image of opulence amongst Porphyro and Madeline. Porphyro lays out a “feast” of “golden dishes” filled with “cates and dainties” for Madeline.
Keats appeals further to the reader’s senses with the sensual comparisons he makes between the spiritual and the physical world. The Beadsman is used again to enforce the contrast between materialistic possessions and having absolutely nothing in the world but God. Keats uses sensual descriptions of life inside the castle: Madeline’s hair is “wreathed” with “pearls” and her body adorned with “jewels”. Every description of the castle creates an image of physical wealth. Yet there is a very dreamy, thoughtful, more spiritualistic aspect to the poem. Madeline is oblivious to the goings on within the castle, she is “hoodwinked” by “faery fancy”; suggesting that she is deluded or maybe deceived by her dreams. Angela tells Porphyro to leave Madeline to her dreams with “good angels”. When Porphyro is led to Madeline’s room, Keats uses imagery of illusion and fantasy when he talks of “legioned faeries” and how Madeline appears enchanted in her “sleep”.
All these contrasts which Keats describes in the poem demonstrate the incredible power of his imagination and his ability to appeal to the reader’s senses; qualities which are truly typical of Romanticism.
In conclusion, Keats’ poems show that he is undoubtedly a Romantic poet. His use of sensual and evocative language throughout poems such as ‘To Autumn’ and ‘The Eve of St Agnes’ demonstrate his ability to express emotion to the reader. The themes he encompasses into his work are all closely linked with the trademark style of Romantic writing. In ‘To Autumn’, Keats chooses to describe autumn, an uncommon season for poets to write about, as most wrote poems about spring. This shows Keats’ originality in style and inspiration, and also demonstrates the extent to which he is driven by emotion not thought – he admires autumn and chooses to write about it; he does not care that is not typical to most poets’ choice. There are elements of Gothicism - a theme very popular amongst Romantic poets - in several of his poems, for example ‘The Eve of St Agnes’ and ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’. In all of his work the influence that Keats’ emotions and experiences have upon him are clearly seen. Death evidently became a large part of Keats’ life and his fixation with it is reflected in ‘La Dame Belle Sans Merci’, in which we also see Keats’ fear of unrequited love – his infatuation with Fanny Brawne is clear through his descriptions about the darker side of love. Keats’ use of contrast in his poems demonstrates a true ability to appeal to our senses and capture the intensity of a moment; an ability of all talented Romanticists. In ‘To Autumn’, Keats’ ability to do this is arguably at its best, he appeals to each of the senses – tactile, visual and auditory and by doing so enables the reader to really experience the emotions that inspired Keats to write this ode. So many aspects of his writing conform to the style of Romanticism that it leaves no doubt in any reader’s mind – Keats was a Romanticist who most definitely “felt before” he “thought”.
Keats’ language throughout the poem manages to create a picture with words. It is because of this that Keats was such an outstanding writer. Keats creates a romantic painting with the language that he uses, an example of this would be: 'with fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run; to bend with the moss'd cottage trees'. After reading this one gets the image of vines growing round the thatch-eaves, and that the trees are so full of ripe and plentiful fruit that the branches are bending. Keats’ use of rhyming pattern helps to emphasize the feel of the poem using rhyming couplets every other line with words such as 'fruitfulness' and 'bless'.
The general feel of the poem is a laid-back and relaxed atmosphere. Keats creates this atmosphere using words like careless, sleep and soft-dying. A phrase that would sum up this feeling would be 'thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours'. The repetition of hours conveys a feeling that there is plenty of time to be spared, also the onomatopoeic word 'oozings' adds to the effect.
Among the characteristic attitudes of Romanticism were the following: a deepened appreciation of the beauties of nature; a general exaltation of emotion over reason and of the senses over intellect; a turning in upon the self and a heightened examination of human personality and its moods and mental potentialities; a preoccupation with the genius, the hero, and the exceptional figure in general, and a focus on his passions and inner struggles; a new view of the artist as a supremely individual creator, whose creative spirit is more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures; an emphasis upon imagination as a gateway to transcendent experience and spiritual truth; an obsessive interest in folk culture, national and ethnic cultural origins, and the medieval era; and a predilection for the exotic, the remote, the mysterious, the weird, the occult, the monstrous, the diseased, and even the satanic.
Artistic and intellectual movement that originated in the late 18th century and stressed strong emotion, imagination, freedom from classical correctness in art forms, and rebellion against social conventions.
Romanticism, attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many works of literature, painting, music, architecture, criticism, and historiography in Western civilization over a period from the late 18th to the mid-19th century. Romanticism can be seen as a rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality that typified in general and late 18th-century Neoclassicism in particular. It was also to some extent a reaction against the Enlightenment and against 18th-century rationalism and physical materialism in general. Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental.
