ode on a grecian urn
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
Ode on a Grecian Urn
The title of John Keats poem, 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' gives the reader an instant indication as
to what the poem is about, and of the style of language that may be used, as it is an ode. These
are usually presented to a serious subject matter, and therefore prepares the reader for a more
formal style of language. This first indication towards the use of formal language is continued
with the use of the words 'Grecian Urn' in the title, which are more formal and hold more impact
than, say, Greek pot.
Each of the five stanzas are ten lines long and are metered in a fairly accurate iambic
pentameter. They are divided into a two part rhyming scheme with the first seven lines following
an ABABCDE rhyme scheme, however the second part of the rhyme scheme is altered slightly
in each stanza. Stanza one follows as DCE; stanza two as CED, stanza three as CDE, stanza four
as CDE and stanza five as DCE. This two-part rhyme scheme helps to create a sense of structure
as the fist part of the structure identifies the subject of the stanza and the second part develops it.
The first stanza opens by personifying the vase through the use of metaphor,
'Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,'.
This instantly adds meaning to the poem and stresses that the speaker sees this urn as conveying
life and yet is itself lifeless and timeless.
The speaker argues in this stanza that the urn acts as an historian, portraying through its
decoration an historical story in away that a poem cannot...