Poet’s Philosophy:
In this great ode, Keats presents an ideal philosophy of beauty based on truth. The urn represents it. The urn has a Grecian shape. It attracts the poet very much. It presents two lively pictures engraved on the urn. The pictures have the blessing of eternity. Nothing engraved in the pictures is subject to change. It reflects the basic instincts of mankind. The man's instinct to enjoy the beauty and love of a woman by force and sacrifice of the humble and innocent ones in the name of religion without understanding what true religion is. The urn is a cold pastoral for it is silent. Its pictures have a natural background. Time or old age decays everything but it has spared the urn. The poet believes the urn will always exist to inspire the mankind to understand truth, true beauty and true joy. The urn will always convey the universal message that “beauty is truth and truth beauty”. If truth is ugly it is false and if beauty is not true is it ugly. In human life beauty and truth can never be separated. If a man understands this idea, his mind will never be confused. He will never be attracted by falsehood and ugliness. He will be able to distinguish between true beauty and apparent beauty as well real truth and apparent truth.
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| Ode on A Grecian Urn—Keats’ Philosophy and Medievalism |
"cold Pastoral!
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou sayst,
'Beauty is truth, truth beauty’—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
Keats opposes evil traditions. He does not like unjust traditions and superstitious. In “Ode on a Grecian Urn” he opposes the tradition of Sacrifice. He calls the priest mysterious for he is going to commit an unholy deed. A priest ought to be noble and merciful by nature but this priest has no mercy for the young innocent calf. The poet condemns those people also who support the priest and declares that a curse will fall on the town it will always remain desolate. In this poem he breaks the traditional admiration for fulfilled love. He proves that unfulfilled love is a blessing. In music he prefers songs of no tune which may not be heard for heard songs lose the sweet freshness.
“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter; therefore, Ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but more endear’d,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone.”
Traditionally that love in regarded as fortunate in which the lover is united with the beloved. But Keats regards that love as blessed in which the lover fails in kissing his beloved for this love, according to the poet, will always remain warm young, beautiful and enjoyable.
Poet’s Medievalism:
Keats was a great lover of the Middle Ages. He responded more than any other poet to the spell of medieval romance. He was not interested in the political or social conditions of his age nor did he dream of the Golden Age of man. He was a more or less a poet of escape, an idealist. The Middle Ages have always exercised a special charm on poets by virtue of their chivalry, romance, knight-errantry, supernatural beliefs, etc. Keats, who was chiefly a poet of pure imagination without much contact with reality, was naturally fascinated by the charm of the Middle Ages. Coleridge, Scott and Keats tried to capture the spirit of the life of the Middle Ages. During those days the church and the Castle were the centres of activity. The Baron ruled from his Castle and the people were religious - minded. The Romantics did not care much for medieval faith but they were attracted by its colourful life. The romance of Chivalry and love was dear to the romantic poets and so were superstitions and legends with a lot of superstitions in them. Ghosts, vampires and witchcraft were common features in medieval life. Knights wandered everywhere and extended a helping hand to “damsels in distress”. The romance of love and the romance of war went hand in hand. The feudal lords were mostly at war and the quarrels were quite often carried over to the children. Sports and tournaments were dear to the people.
In Ode on A Grecian Urn, he draws a lively picture of medieval traditions If for sacrifice.
“Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies
And all her silken flanks with garland drest?”
Throughout the poem such references are made that the atmosphere of the Middle Ages is created. The lover is trying to kiss the beloved against her wish, and therefore, she is avoiding the kiss. The musician is piping under a tree. People are living in towns developed in citadel
