The Influence of Greek Mythology on Keats’s poetry

1. The Influence of Greek
Mythology on Keats’
poetry
Paper 103: Literature of the Romantics
Presented at: Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi,
Department of English MKBU,Bhavnagar.

2. Presented by: Yashrajsinh Sodha
Enrollment Number: 5108230043
Email: yashrajsinhsodha0000@gmail.com
Batch: 2023-2025
Date: 01 November, 2023
Subject Code: 22394
Roll No: 50
Personal Information

3. John Keats
● Born: October 31, 1795, London,
England
● Died: February 23, 1821, Rome,
Papal States (aged 25)
● Period: Romantic Period
● Notable Works: “Endymion”,
“Hyperion”, “La Belle Dame sams
Mercy”, “Ode to Psyche”
● Movement: Romanticism (Hough)

4. Greek Mythology
• Greek Mythology was used as a means to
explain the environment in which humankind
lived, the natural phenomena they witnessed
and the passing of time through the days,
months, and seasons.
• Greek myths gave faces and characters to the
gods of the Greek religion but they also gave
people helpful practical advice on the best
way to lead a happy life. (Cartwright and Carpenter)

5. Keats' Connection to Greek
Mythology
• Keats had an inborn love for Greek impetus their
religion of joy.
• As a student he composed a prose translation of Virgil's
work 'Aeneid', a little latter he read Homer's great epic '
Iliad 'and was thrilled by its beauty.
• His passion and excitement are expressed deeply in his
sonnet 'On first looking into Chapman's Homer'.
• Three books which Keats possessed as a student and
enjoyed a lot deeply are: Tooke's 'Pantheon', Lempira's
'Classical Dictionary' and great Spence's 'Polymeric'
which provided him with further insights into classical
art and literature. (Chaprasi)

6. Ode to Psyche
● In the opening stanza, Keats invokes the
Greek goddess Psyche, addressing her as
a divine presence.
● He acknowledges the audacity of singing
about her secrets to her own ears.
● This reflects the reverence and
fascination that Keats has for the
mythological character.
● Opening stanza of the poem:
“O Goddess! hear these tuneless numbers,
wrung
By sweet enforcement and remembrance
dear,
And pardon that thy secrets should be sung
Even into thine own soft-conched ear”
(Keats)

7. Ode on a Grecian Urn
● The poem is centered around an ancient
Grecian urn, which is described as a
piece of art adorned with various scenes
and figures.
● Keats explores the idea of idealized
beauty, which is a concept often
associated with ancient Greek art and
philosophy.
● The poem references Greek mythology,
with allusions to the god of love, Eros,
and the Greek town of Arcadia.
“Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our
rhyme:
What leaf-fring'd legend haunts about thy
shape
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these? What maidens
loth?” (Keats)

8. ● The title comes from a classical Greek myth
about the moon goddess, Selene, who falls in
love with a young, handsome Aeolian shepherd
and king of Olympia named Endymion.
● Keats uses vivid and sensual imagery throughout
the poem, reminiscent of the rich descriptions
found in classical Greek poetry.
Endymion
“Therefore, 'tis with full happiness that I
Will trace the story of Endymion.
The very music of the name has gone
Into my being, and each pleasant scene
Is growing fresh before me as the green
Of our own valleys: so I will begin”
(keats)
From Endymion book-1

9. Conclusion
● The perfection of form, the beauty of shape, the purity and preciseness of outline, a
restraint and reserve associated with Greek are found in Keats's poetry.
● Keats has dealt with themes, subjects and situations related to ancient Greek mythology
and literature. The whole universe of classical Greece has become more alive, animated
and vivid in his poems.
● His art, his poetry is for the sake of poetry and nothing else. He is, in no doubt,
envisaged as an 'English Greek' in all age.
● Keats was, no doubt, Greek in spirit but surely has the romantic exuberance. In his
poetry we find a rare combination of classicism with romanticism.

10. References
Cartwright, Mark, and Thomas H. Carpenter. “Greek Mythology.” World History Encyclopedia, 29 July
2012, https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Mythology/. Accessed 1 November 2023.
Chaprasi, Arif Mahammad, editor. The Concept of Hellenism: An Assessment of Keats’ Poetry (A
Critical Review). vol. 8, Bolpur, West Bengal, International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts,
2020, https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2008076.pdf. Accessed 8 October 2023.
Hough, Graham Goulder. "John Keats". Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2023,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Keats. Accessed 1 November 2023.
Keats, John. “Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats.” Poetry Foundation,
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44477/ode-on-a-grecian-urn. Accessed 1 November 2023.

11. Keats, John. “Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats.” Poetry Foundation,
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44477/ode-on-a-grecian-urn. Accessed 1 November 2023.
Keats, John. “Ode to Psyche by John Keats.” Poetry Foundation,
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44480/ode-to-psyche. Accessed 1 November 2023.
Keats, John, and Benjamin Voigt. “from Endymion by John Keats.” Poetry Foundation,
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44469/endymion-56d2239287ca5. Accessed 1
November 2023.

12. Thank You