Literature Network » John Keats

Keats's 'Ode on Melancholy.' (John Keats)

Content courtesy of

From: The Explicator
Date: 19940922
Author:Gaillard, Theodore L., Jr.

Keats' 'Ode on Melancholy' was published in 1819 as a three-stanza piece. Most critics agree on this point but various interpretations as to the significance of the discarded first stanza abound. It is posited that the poem was originally a four-stanza poem and that to discard the original first stanza would be to misread the entire piece. The inclusion of this stanza is discussed in terms of structure, theme and imagery of the piece as a whole.

Though you should build a bark of dead men's bones, And rear a phantom gibbet for a mast. Stitch creeds together for a sail, with groans To fill ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.



Other Articles on John Keats

  • Clare and the ghost of Keats.
  • Keats's On First Looking into Chapman's Homer.(John Keats)
  • Platonism in Keats's 'Ode on a Grecian Urn.'
  • Keats, John
  • Keats's "Outlawry" in "Robin Hood." (poet John Keats)
  • Keats's 'Ode to a Nightingale.' (John Keats)
  • KEATS, JOHN (1795-1821)
  • Poetry Of John Keats: Early Life And Schooling
  • John Keats
  • Poetry Of John Keats: 'Ode To A Nightingale,' Introduction
  • Find More Articles

    • About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.



    - 1G1-16531264
    Art of Worldly Wisdom Daily
    In the 1600s, Balthasar Gracian, a jesuit priest wrote 300 aphorisms on living life called "The Art of Worldly Wisdom." Join our newsletter below and read them all, one at a time.
    Email:
    		Sonnet-a-Day Newsletter
    Shakespeare wrote over 150 sonnets! Join our Sonnet-A-Day Newsletter and read them all, one at a time.
    Email: