Keats "Ode to a Grecian Urn"

Part I:
My initial reaction to John Keats’ Ode on a Grecian Urn was something along the lines of “huh?”. At first, I was not intrigued or entertained by Keats’ description of the urn, nor did I understand the message he was trying to send. I found the structure to be inconsistent and not necessarily enjoyable or beautiful to read as I believed an Ode would be. However, after deciding to tackle this poem over Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Kubla Kahn, I re-read the piece more closely and discovered I actually enjoyed the poem. In particular I like the turn the speaker makes in the piece. He switches from over-the-top cheesy “More happy love! more happy, happy love!” in line 25 to a more frantic comment about the “sacrifice” in line 30. Which I noticed cause me to subconsciously read more quickly feel more of an urgency.

Part II:
John Keats’ Ode on a Grecian Urn describes the scene painted onto an Grecian urn as noted by the speaker. The process in which this takes place is intriguing. The speaker does not summarize all the events of the scene as depicted on the urn. Nor does he leap into analyzing the metphoric significance of what is drawn. Instead, the reader can visualize the speaker as he slowly turns the urn in his hands, inspecting each character around the circumference. It could be said interpreted that he performs a “close reading” of the urn.

The first three stanzas of the poem adore the beauty of the urn. The “unravish’d bride of quietness”, although inanimate, has a story to tell. The speaker fantasizes about the epic tales of “mad pursuits” and the “wild ecstasy” of the life lived by the person, whether god or a “mortal”, whose ashes lie within the urn. The speaker idolizes the image of the romantic figures which “cannot fade”. Two lovers are in a moment of passion and yearning; on the verge of a kiss. Optimism overpowers these lines. Instead of dwelling on the everlasting yearning plaguing the two lovers, the speaker reassures the male companion that although their lips will never touch, he will forever be in love and his lover will be “fair” for eternity. Addtionally, the weather illustrated within the scene remains in the perfect spring season. Spring connotes new life, beauty, and budding romances, promoting the romanticism and hope of the scene.

Suddenly, in line 31, as the speaker turns the urn, the romanticized images move away, and so too does the optimism. Suddenly a scene of chaos dominates the imagery of the urn. A sacrificial cow stands waiting for its fate as all of the town citizens surround the animal. The glorious town that the speaker imagined is “emptied” and abandoned left to be overgrown by the ivy and branches which adorned the gods. In this change of attitude and events, as illustrated upon the piece of Grecian art, the speaker understands the mysteries of a higher power. He realizes that, although in the moment, life may appear to be perfection, there is no perfect. Only the higher powers, the “Cold Pastoral” understand events of life and why they occur. The only knowledge an ordinary person will ever comprehend “on earth” is that the truth about life, is beauty exists in it all. The speaker seems to be at peace with this conclusion. Neither bitter about the deception caused by the piece of art, nor hopeful about the unknown events to come.