How does Keats present women in his poetry?
"Towards women I feel a Gordian complication of feelings"- How does Keats present women in his poetry?
Within Keats' poetry there are some repeating themes, with some poems being constructed around certain ideas. One such is women, and how Keats feels towards them. His poetry reflects different periods of his live, when he feels a certain way about them. Generally, there is a sense of ambiguity about his feelings towards women, as said in the title, he felt a "Gordian complication"- a knot that could not be undone- of feelings, and usually just as a reader feels they begin to know his opinions, the poem seems to move in a contradictory way.
In both 'Lamia' and 'The Eve of St Agnes' Keats draws our attention to the fragility of the moment. In both of these narrative poems, he points out how nothing is forever, whatever feelings we have for another are destined to die, either through our own mortality "There they reposed,|Where use had made it sweet...came a thrill|Of trumpets - Lycius started", or through time "And they are gone - ay, ages long ago". Although it is unknown if Keats ever had sex, his writing shows his high thoughts about it-"Into her dream he melted, as the rose|Blendeth its odour with the violet"- and this is one of his contradictory thoughts. Although he likes the idea of making love and the perfection of the moment, he understands that it does not, indeed can not last, due to human nature. Love, like the post-coital euphoria, can be broken, and as both are linked with women this is a contradiction, as both states do not really allow for thoughts of ending the situation. Within this idea is another of the questions that Keats asked himself and that are shown in his work- "Oh for a life of sensation rather than thought"- is it best to forsake the mind for the body, and live a life of pleasure, or should we think and postulate new ideas? He believed that one could not be attained with the other, as a life of pleasure, i.e. with a woman, would be too distracting and may even taint his thoughts.
Within Keats' poetry there are some repeating themes, with some poems being constructed around certain ideas. One such is women, and how Keats feels towards them. His poetry reflects different periods of his live, when he feels a certain way about them. Generally, there is a sense of ambiguity about his feelings towards women, as said in the title, he felt a "Gordian complication"- a knot that could not be undone- of feelings, and usually just as a reader feels they begin to know his opinions, the poem seems to move in a contradictory way.
In both 'Lamia' and 'The Eve of St Agnes' Keats draws our attention to the fragility of the moment. In both of these narrative poems, he points out how nothing is forever, whatever feelings we have for another are destined to die, either through our own mortality "There they reposed,|Where use had made it sweet...came a thrill|Of trumpets - Lycius started", or through time "And they are gone - ay, ages long ago". Although it is unknown if Keats ever had sex, his writing shows his high thoughts about it-"Into her dream he melted, as the rose|Blendeth its odour with the violet"- and this is one of his contradictory thoughts. Although he likes the idea of making love and the perfection of the moment, he understands that it does not, indeed can not last, due to human nature. Love, like the post-coital euphoria, can be broken, and as both are linked with women this is a contradiction, as both states do not really allow for thoughts of ending the situation. Within this idea is another of the questions that Keats asked himself and that are shown in his work- "Oh for a life of sensation rather than thought"- is it best to forsake the mind for the body, and live a life of pleasure, or should we think and postulate new ideas? He believed that one could not be attained with the other, as a life of pleasure, i.e. with a woman, would be too distracting and may even taint his thoughts.
