Concept of Beauty of Keats
Concept of Beauty of Keats
Keats’s charming and everlasting poetry is the evidence that the beauty and Keats
are almost become synonym. Basically Keats poetry is summarized in beauty. We
can’t think beauty and Keats separately. If one of them is alienated then we can’t
fully understand the concept of beauty. Keats, who was the worshiper of beauty,
who considers the beauty his religion made beauty stupendous throughout his
life. He dedicated his whole life to express the beauty in flowers, rills, trees, and
other sort of natural things and he becomes the greatest poet of beauty. He is
well known for his famous quote which is “If poetry comes not as naturally as
leaves to a tree it had better not come at all”.
Our lives are full of tests and trails and we often found ourselves in the
midst of despair For Keats beautiful objects can help us to forget our
disappointments, hatred and despair. For instance, if a person dies, it does not
mean that all things never cease to exist, and gives happiness to the next
generation. Beautiful things are a joy forever. Keats says in his poem “Endymion:
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”
The concept of Keats beauty is different, he goes further beyond it. He sees the
beauty in ugly and tragic things as well as pleasant and fair things. Keats sees the
life as a whole. Keats did not like only those things that are beautiful according to
recognized standards. He knew that the cold wind and the hot sun were as
essential as the fresh blown rose. . He accepted life as in it joy and sorrow,
happiness and melancholy-both exist side by side. If there is discord in life it has
its music too. In his letter to Fanny Brawane (1820), Keats wrote: “I have loved
the principle of beauty in all things”
In words of Keats a true poet enjoys the light and shade, foul and fair with same
delight. Beauty encompasses the joy and sorrows, melancholy and happiness
which can’t be separated and that are the reality of life. Unlike mortal things
beautiful things have a sort of immortality that never dies. In his letter to Fanny
Brawane (1820), Keats wrote: “If I should die… I have left no immortal work
behind me – but I have lov’d the principle of beauty in all things, and if I had had
time I would have made myself remember’d.
Art is only thing to resist the decay brought by the time and death. Beauty is
eternal and immortal. Beauty comforts man’s sorrows. “Beauty lies in the eyes of
beholder”
In ode to Nightingale, Keats escaped from the harsh realities of world into realm
of imagination. Beauty that overwhelms his sorrow with joy and pleasure. The
beautiful Nightingale song hailed its ability to take the poet away from misery.
The bird is considered immortal, his realm is considered more peaceful with
respect to man’s realm. The joy and suffering in this poem are considered
transience. Nothing in this world lasts forever. Everything must have an end even
sorrows and joy. Even stages of human life form birth to death are transience.
But the beauty of natur does not betray to us in case of Permanance. The beauty
does not change. In Ode to Gracin Urn, the art is represented as Permanance. The
beauty in the urn that is permanent. The people who are depicted in the urn will
live forever for us and after us for next generation. The beauty is contrasted to
the realm of human world. Human world is always in change. A man varies from
one state to another. Life is always in flux and changing, not constant. But the
beauty shall remain unfading and that is truth. In simple words for Keats which is
beautiful that is truth and which is not beautiful that is not truth. We see the
bride in the urn that is still unravished. The picture of urn is permanent as
compared to man which born, grow, become old and die. The beauty and art
makes the urn eternal. But due to the urn is cold, inanimate, and it has no ability
to offer experience because Life is based on experience, Life is felt on pluses,
Keats dismissed the urn as well as the nightingale song. In a letter to Benjamin
Bailey (1817) Keats says: “O for a life of senses rather than of thoughts”
Both are not able to show the experiences. Keats hangs out between the world of
reality and imagination. Finally Keats rejected it and accepts the reality of life as a
whole. Keats comes towards the Ode to autumn which is considered his last work
of art. Keats sees the autumn, a season of mellow fruitfulness rather than fall .
Keats is ready to confront all the harsh realities of life. Keats accepts the life as
whole. Keats enjoys every moment of life including suffering and joy because
these are the parts of life. How an individual can realize about the joy without
grief? When he has not any realization to sorrow then how he can feel the joy of
delight? .So melancholy and happiness can’t be isolated. Both are very necessary
for human being. Even without autumn there is no spring. Basically it makes the
difference. It makes a person aware to feel the difference between joy and
happiness. Melancholy must not be forgotten in the time of joy. Acceptance of life
as a whole is a truth of life. Both melancholy and happiness exist side by side. We
find the idea of transience in Keats poetry that nothing last forever including
pleasant things and tragic things as I already mentioned above. But the truth is
that we accept the life as a whole and that is the beauty of life. Acceptance is the
permanence and every man must know about it. Last but not least when I heard
Keats’ lines I was over the moon;
Beauty is truth, truth beauty – that is all
Ye known on earth and all ye need to know”