Explore how Keats’ paganistic sensibilities are shown in the poem “On the Sea” Notes
Download 16.54 Kb.
|
|
Explore how Keats’ paganistic sensibilities are shown in the poem “On the Sea” Notes Seemin Hasan’s The use of mythology in the poetry of Keats Mention the powers of “Heaven” and “Hecate” that work on the ocean, illustrating the idea of nature being mystical, powerful Personification of the sea being able to “whisper” around the “desolate shores”. Solemn mood is also set through the adjective “desolate” Keats attempts to draw attention to both and different moods of the ocean; the contrast between “such gentle temper” and its “twice ten thousand Caverns” Sea provides healing energy to those who are suffering from the “uproar rude” of the outside world, of industrialisation (“Feast them upon the wideness of the Sea”) John Keats’ ‘On the Sea’ illustrates the sea as the embodiment of nature, which issues freedom to mankind and suggests the destruction of human refrain due to the rejection of nature. Keats’ upbringing highly influenced his paganistic view of the world as he grew up in the bosom of an emerging utilitarianism and materialism in England, causing his interests of love and radical politics to be suffocated by the occurrences of his day. It goes without saying that Keats’ poems, including ‘On the Sea’ are a window into the genius of the Romantics. Love for mythology and a passionate pagan ideology is explicitly emphasised in this poem through the immediate and initial personification of the sea as “it keeps eternal whisperings around desolate shores”. There is a somniferous mood that is established through the verb ‘whisperings’, alluding to the calmness and peacefulness that it transmits; in the first two lines, Keats chooses to give the sea the human ability to speak, setting out a solemn mood and demonstrating Keats’ idea of the sea as mystical, powerful, captivating. In a similar vein, in this Petrarchan sonnet, John Keats provides readers with the knowledge of the contrasted ambience of the sea “…the spell of Hecate leaves them in such gentle temper found… when last the winds of Heaven were unbound.” (l.4-8) “Hecate”, the Greek goddess who often is presented as a witch, is introduced, her connection to the sea being the capacity to influence the moon and therefore, the tides. Keats demonstrates the fact that at times the sea is gentle and still in which “the very smallest shell be moved for days from where it sometime fell” just before the volta happens, in which “the winds of Heaven” take place, causing much destruction. This juxtaposition of the various aspects of the sea serves as an emphasis for its flexible and varying nature. In addition, the oxymoron of “gentle” and “temper” highlights the sea’s dual nature while the association of Heaven highlights the ‘God-power’ of the sea and Romantic connection of nature being God itself, which takes readers straight towards Keats’ paganistic sensibilities. Ironically, Keats notes Heaven’s winds to be dangerous and destructive even though it is supposed to be God’s dwelling place in the biblical tradition and a place of love, peace and worship, whilst Hecate’s spell is viewed as an association with calmness and tranquillity, taking into consideration that she is linked with creatures of the night such as hellhounds and ghosts. The transcendence of the sea into a majestical force is revealed. Instead of being a human ruled benefits such as travel or leisure, it is a God-like power with the ability to show its sublime nature which becomes a source of rest, healing and restoration. After the volta, the sestet marks a shift in the matter of the poem to the impact of the sea on humans. “Oh ye! Who have your eyeballs vexed and tired… whose ears are dinned with uproar rude” Here, Keats intends to prescribe the antidote to industrialisation; nature is revealed to be nurturing, just as the common paganistic view of nature to be deemed as ‘Mother Earth, yet restricted and misunderstood due to technology and urbanisation. The endless demands of life have caused individuals to be energetically drained and according to Keats, “the wideness of the Sea” is the best cure there is. As John Keats advises humans to “feast” their eyes on nature, on the sea, the metaphorical interpretation of the sea being something to consume underlines its nourishing essence to the human body and illustrates it to be a source of regeneration. 'On the Sea' overall portrays the strength and age of the sea. The poem might be seen as indicating that the city life, where people are cut off from nature, a spiritual power, results in sorrow. John Keats asserts the therapeutic value of nature and the rejuvenating effects of re-establishing a connection to the sea. Download 16.54 Kb. Share with your friends:
|