Commentary on "Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art"
"Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art" is a sonnet by John Keats. Although this poem has the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet, it is also thematically divided into an octave followed by a sestet, like an Italian sonnet. In the first octave, imagery and figurative language are used to depict the persona's desire to be as eternal and steadfast as the star without being isolated and distant from the world. In the following sestet, the isolation yet permanence of nature is contrasted with the intimacy between the persona and his sleeping lover. Through the structure of the Italian sonnet, the steady rhythm of the Shakespearean sonnet and myriad literary techniques, Keats explores the internal conflict of the persona as he wishes to have the best of both worlds: the steadfastness of nature and the warmth and intimacy of being human.
In the first octave, figurative language is used to depict the persona's admiration of the star's steadfastness and illustrate the cold, isolated quality of the star and all of nature. This steadfastness is emphasized through the use of the iambic pentameter and the ABAB rhyme scheme, which gives the poem a slow, steady rhythm, just like the steadiness of the star. The persona's admiration of this steadfastness is shown through the first line, which is an example of an apostrophe as the persona addresses the star; this technique also initiates a contemplative mood through the use of the subjunctive "would". The personification of the star "gazing" and "watching, with eternal lids apart" makes the star seem like a lone contemplative being. The star's loneliness is emphasized as it is "hung aloft" in "lone splendor", giving the image of a star floating high above from earth. The fact that the star is "gazing on the new soft-fallen mask/of snow" also suggests its large distance from earth, as the star is unable to see the real earth, and is so far away that it can only see a "mask", a word which becomes emphasized when reading the poem due to the rhyme scheme. The mention of the snow also makes the tone seem cold and peaceful. The simile and allusion as the star is compared to a "patient, sleepless Eremite", which is a religious hermit, serves to further enhance our image of the star as an everlasting, steadfast creation patiently observing earth from high above. This role of the star is similar to the role of the persona in the final sestet as he quietly observes his sleeping "fair love", but the crucial difference is that while the persona is desirably close to his lover, the star is alone and "aloft", which is what the persona does not want to be.
"Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art" is a sonnet by John Keats. Although this poem has the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet, it is also thematically divided into an octave followed by a sestet, like an Italian sonnet. In the first octave, imagery and figurative language are used to depict the persona's desire to be as eternal and steadfast as the star without being isolated and distant from the world. In the following sestet, the isolation yet permanence of nature is contrasted with the intimacy between the persona and his sleeping lover. Through the structure of the Italian sonnet, the steady rhythm of the Shakespearean sonnet and myriad literary techniques, Keats explores the internal conflict of the persona as he wishes to have the best of both worlds: the steadfastness of nature and the warmth and intimacy of being human.
In the first octave, figurative language is used to depict the persona's admiration of the star's steadfastness and illustrate the cold, isolated quality of the star and all of nature. This steadfastness is emphasized through the use of the iambic pentameter and the ABAB rhyme scheme, which gives the poem a slow, steady rhythm, just like the steadiness of the star. The persona's admiration of this steadfastness is shown through the first line, which is an example of an apostrophe as the persona addresses the star; this technique also initiates a contemplative mood through the use of the subjunctive "would". The personification of the star "gazing" and "watching, with eternal lids apart" makes the star seem like a lone contemplative being. The star's loneliness is emphasized as it is "hung aloft" in "lone splendor", giving the image of a star floating high above from earth. The fact that the star is "gazing on the new soft-fallen mask/of snow" also suggests its large distance from earth, as the star is unable to see the real earth, and is so far away that it can only see a "mask", a word which becomes emphasized when reading the poem due to the rhyme scheme. The mention of the snow also makes the tone seem cold and peaceful. The simile and allusion as the star is compared to a "patient, sleepless Eremite", which is a religious hermit, serves to further enhance our image of the star as an everlasting, steadfast creation patiently observing earth from high above. This role of the star is similar to the role of the persona in the final sestet as he quietly observes his sleeping "fair love", but the crucial difference is that while the persona is desirably close to his lover, the star is alone and "aloft", which is what the persona does not want to be.
