Speaker/Summary
From reading the poem, I could not glean any specific details about the speaker. Although, the speaker uses many upper-level language that I would not expect from any normal child, so the age seems to be around the mid-20s and above. The sex of the speaker is ambiguous as well, but because of the references to mistress and the fallen man who served as Melancholy's trophy, and the lack of further hints of the sex, I assume the speaker is male. I think that there are more men who believe that Melancholy hides within the shrine of happiness [suggesting slyness] than women. It seemed to me like Melancholy strikes men more, and the speaker is warning his fellow men of this. The speaker seems like he is talking from experience, or giving advice to someone who is depressed, or to anyone who may feel like they are about to enter depression. His values and sensibilities could possibly be health, life, facing things and situations instead of forgetting, having hope, nature, and realism - there are always at least two sides to everything, even happiness. These lines provide support for my guesses:
'No, no, go not to Lethe, neither twistHe seems to have been able to survive the grasps of Melancholy, the goddess of gloom and sadness. The speaker uses a lot of reference to people, places, and things in Greek mythology and symbols representing death.
Wolfsbane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine'
'Then glut thy sorrow on a morning rose,
Or on the rainbow of the salt sand-wave'
'Aye, in the very temple of Delight
Veiled Melancholy has her sov'reign shrine'
Poetic Elements - Imagery
I believe that the images he has chosen does advance his meaning, but not in direct ways. For instance, when asked about his values and sensibilities, it was those descriptive lines that led me to my assumptions. However, it did not make me feel any more persuaded to heed his suggestions. I believe that for the most part, it was purely decorative. He made it very simple to imagine what he was saying. For example:
'But when the melancholy fit shall fall
Sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud'
'Or if thy mistress some rich anger shows,
Imprison her soft hand, and let her rave,
And feed deep, deep upon her peerless eyes.'
Because he uses these symbols that have been accepted across generations (ie yew-berries, beetles, moths, owls as representatives of death), these images that he paints is very prevalent. In this line,
'Nor suffer thy pale forehead to be kissed
By nightshade, ruby grape of Proserpine'
we can relate, because the phrase, "kiss of death," is how we translate it in modern terms.
The images are very connected, Wolfsbane is poisonous, and so is nightshade, which are weapons of the Queen of Hades. Then the speaker refers to Psyche, goddess of the soul, and escaping from us as moths. In the next stanza, he compares melancholy to nature, as a 'weeping cloud.' He describes how it makes flowers' heads droop, and covers the hills in a fog or mist, and then suggests taking out our sorrow and enjoying the beauty of nature. From this, he speaks of Melancholy as a goddess, and she lives with Beauty, 'Beauty that must die.' He goes on to speak of the finer feelings in life, like Joy and Pleasure, and write about how Joy is always ready to leave, while Pleasure aches with pain. As I have mentioned before, he also says that Melancholy reigns in the 'temple of Delight.' Finally, once Joy has been burst, Melancholy is at her strongest, and overcomes those who no longer have happiness.
Initial Reactions
When I first read the poem, I thoroughly enjoyed the images he was presenting, especially with the allusions to Greek mythology, one of my favorite topics. The lines that struck me most, perhaps because I don't really understand it, is
'For shade to shade will come too drowsily,
And drown the wakeful anguish of the soul.'
I also like how he tells us to turn to the simplicity of nature to heal our sufferings. I think it is a sweetly written poem, an attempt to help those who desperately need it.
~Kim
Status: Graded on September 19, 2007 2:26 PM (Attempt #1)
Grade: 10 out of 10
Most Recent Comment:
This is a very polished, well-thought piece of writing here. you have really captured Keats' use of lush images and Allusions to Myth, whether you think it is window-dressing or for some deeper purpose. I a dmire the extent to which you've examined this poem, breathed it in, as it were. You might think about a paper topic that deals with two poems that are heavily reliant on the use of Allusions (if you could find a suitable companion poem for this piece). you could incorporate much of your ideas here, it seems to me.
Great work!
