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(1) The theme of "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats, is the memory of a young woman who has died, and how that memory affects the entire town. The Grecian urn is the canvas on which Keats writes a testimony to her, yet it is unclear whether he himself is in love with
her.
(2) The setting for the poem is alluded to and directly described. It takes place on the morning of the woman's funeral as her body lies in state in a wooded place near a river town. He refers to the plush valleys of Tempe and Arcadia, as a similar type of location. The casket is placed on a green alter and the mourners have brushed aside branches and trampled the undergrowth just to get there.
(3) Several conflicts exists throughout the poem. The first of which is the woman herself. She is described by Keats as a virgin who never had a chance to bear children and was untouched by any man. However, he uses words that have definite sexual overtones such as "wild ecstasy", "mad pursuit", "sensual ear", "bliss" and "panting human passion".
(4) Another conflict is the real or perceived amount of sound throughout the piece. Keats describes the quiet and silence of the glade where she is honored. He uses the words "heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter", "ditties of no tone", "streets for evermore will silent be" and "silent form" to present the lack of noise in the entire community. Yet, when describing her life and its impact on those she touched, he talked about organs and drums playing while writing "heard melodies", "pipe to the spirit" and "piping songs".
(5) A third conflict is the life and death of the woman. The town will painfully miss her "heart sorrowed never more in their midst", as they contemplate a future without her. This is lessened by the memories that will stay with them as "a sweet flowery tale, an exaggerated legend" will stay in their minds.
(6) Keats has several religious references or symbols throughout "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and they parellel and strengthen the somber mood of the funeral day. The gods or "dieties" as well as men were impressed with the shape of this young woman. The "pious morn", "green alter" and "cold pastoral" all describe the attitude and the location of this event. He also pictured her looking down on the townsmen from heaven or "far above".
(7) Three important sections of the poem need to be paraphrased to capture Keat's meaning. The first is the general feeling of the community toward the woman. There was not a soul left at their homes during the funeral as "rivertown, mountain fortress empty of folk" clearly tells. The crowd was so large that it trampled the weeds, and broke branches on the way to the service almost as if a herd was moving through. This feeling would continue long after she was laid to rest as "streets for evermore will silent be", shows that the emptyness would stay with them well into the future.
(8) Another feeling of loss was specifically aimed at the young men of the area. These gentlemen never had a chance to plead for her heart, nor feel the passion and pleasure they desired. There was a physical pain for them as "heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd, a burning forehead, and a parching tongue" describes the heart-ache, fever and dry mouth that they felt.
(9) Perhaps the most important philosophy that she left with the town was expressed at the end of the poem in the words "beauty is truth, truth beauty". As beautiful as she was, she never used her physical attributes to her advantage, rather believing in the following: To the eye of the beholder, an honest person is the most beautiful, no matter what he or she looks like. Perhaps this is the final conflict of the poem, and why she will remain "forever young".
Outline (Forever Young) I. ThemeA. A young woman diesII. Settings |