John Keats was a famous poet of the second generation romantics of British literature. I feel his upbringing influenced the way he wrote and what he wrote about. How did his past reflect in his writing and why did he allow it to reflect on his personal life?
Keats parents weren't upper class. His father was a stable keeper who married the owners daughter, however they were able to send Keats to a good boys school. His father died when he was only nine. Quickly after his mother remarried and ran off with her husband for the next four or five years, leaving Keats and his siblings to live with their grandparents. Despite his mothers neglect, Keats adored her. On her return due to sickness he cared for her until she died when he was fourteen. He was trained as a apothecary but eventually fell into the favor with some well known poets who encouraged his writing to the point that he is now famous for. He died very young at the age of 25 from tuberculosis, the same disease that took his mother. With his medical training there is not doubt he saw the signs of his approaching death.
In Keats poem "Ode to the Grecian Urn" he is admiring how the pictorial story on the urn will always be the same. The people on the urn will always be together and the moments they're in will be constant. But he also realizes that even though they will be together forever, they won't have the opportunity to enjoy life. The men chasing the women will never catch her. The couple will never be able to finally kiss. All because they're frozen in those moments. It seems as if Keats is mourning the quickly approaching end of his own life and wishes he could freeze or cherish moments in his own life. But at the same time he is grateful he at least got to experience the moments in reality.
In his poem "Ode to Psyche" Keats tells a story of the mythological Psyche. She was the most beautiful women and bragged about it to the point where Venus sent her son Cupid to punish her. Cupid immediately fell in love with Psyche and her with him. However Cupid would only come to her at night and wouldn't let her see him. One night she lit a torch and greatly angered Cupid who cast her out of his favor. To get back to his love Psyche had to complete a number of tasks. She eventually did achieve them and won back not only the love of Cupid but won over his mothers favor who promoted Psyche to a goddess. Keats seems to stubble upon Cupid and Psyche and falls in love with her. He is so enamored by her his decided to build a temple for her to out do all her past lovers. However this temple his in his mind where they can meet when ever he likes. Perhaps Keats had to build a temple for his mother in his mind in a sense. When she disappeared after his fathers death when he needed her most he needed to cope. He may have done it by overly-building her up in his mind rather than focusing on the betrayal.
It seems to me that Keats past is reflected very often in his poems. Perhaps it was just an accidental mental reflection, perhaps it was purposeful to get a point across, whether is be to get his feelings out or to show people they're not alone in what they go through. Whatever his cause, I like how Keats incorporates his past in his poetry. It makes it all the more dimensional.
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