Keats' Odes and the themes of life and death

John Keats (1795-1821) is widely perceived as one of the best poets from the Romantic era. As in most Romantic work, the emphasis is placed on beauty. This beauty is then most often expressed in mythology, nature and personal emotion. Keats presents images clearly and simplistically with a definite sense of joy and pain and an ever-present infinite pathos and tenderness (Downer 1969: 7-8).

Of his vast collection of poetic work, Keats’ odes are often argued to be his best work in which he creates “… a new class of lyrical poetry” (Downer 1969: 12). It is clear that the odes were composed in a state of deep reflection and depending on the mood or theme of the poem, they vary from pensive to felicitous. At the same time the odes are “… always self-contained and natural” (Downer 1969:12). The central and most obvious elements of Keats’ work in general – Nature, Hellenism and Romance – are also found in his odes, but there is also another significant element present -...