Commentary on "On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again" by John Keats

The poem "On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again" by John Keats is a sonnet about Keats' relationship with the drama that became his idea of tragic perfection, and how it relates to his own struggle with the issues of short life and premature death. Keats uses the occasion of the rereading this play to explore his seduction by it and its influence on himself and his ways of looking at himself and his situation in spite of his negative capability.

This poem begins with the speaker leaving his group of friends (who have been discussing sexual liaisons) for a drunken walk in St. James’s Park, to “cool my head, and fire my heart” (8), whereupon he encounters his lover Corinna being led away by three “knights.” She looks at him disdainfully. His anger towards

Gascoigne utilized assonance and alliteration in lines such as, “hold my louring head so low” to prove the speaker’s tone of affliction and grief (2). In the poem the character of the lover is only portrayed through the eyes of the speaker. Deceitful diction expressed in words such as “trustless”, “mishap”, “deceit” and “bale” confirm that his lover is a Lilith archetype. She manipulated him into falling in love with her and then deceived him. Now being independent, the women only increases the speaker’s longing and state of

George Gascoigne’s sonnet, “For That He Looked Not upon Her,” portrays a sullen man, hurt by the woman he loved. Through the uses of form, diction, and imagery, the sonnet evokes a complex attitude in each quatrain elaborating on the stages of torment the speaker receives from his ex-lover. By using these literary devices, the speaker portrays the dangers of desire and the conflicts that arise from within it. Gascoigne conveys a solemn and melancholy complex attitude developed throughout the use of such literary devices. The attitude of the speaker, expressed through the form of the sonnet, explains the dangers of gazing at the woman who burned him.

The attitude of heartbreak and betrayal of the speaker caused by the woman is used to contrast the connotations of the words chosen to build on the irony. He describes the situation as "trustless"(6) and "grievous"(11) due to the anguish this woman causes. The speaker employs such words to make clear the influence that she has over his emotional state. The undertone of the poem, created by rhetoric, is pessimistic as well as resentful which contributes to the speaker's attitude towards the woman. The negative emotions of the how he feels contrasts to the emotions that this woman causes by describing "the gleams which on your face do grow" (4) and her "blazing eyes"(14). Through the use of positively connotated rhetoric when describing the physical beauty of the woman, the attitude of the speaker is established to indicate his conflicting mental state. The speaker creates images through the use of emotionally charged words to compare himself and how he feels about the woman to visual images of his

She seduces him so much so that he is convinced he loves her and that the feeling is requited. However, he is warned about the ‘faery’s child’ by those who have been seduced previously. The title of the poem roughly translates as; ‘the beautiful lady without mercy’, introducing the enchanting but cruel lady in the poem and this helps to form an ominous tone right from the very beginning because this stands out to the reader due to the poem dissuading from the traditional ballad. Keats uses emotive language to give a depiction of the ‘haggard’ and ‘woe-begotten’ knight which shows the reader how drawn and deathly the knight must look after his experience with the magical woman. However, the knight later describes how he is totally enthralled by the beautiful lady, so much that he ‘nothing else saw all day long’.

Complementary to the structure of the poems, the imagery evoked by the passages further exemplifies Wealhtheow’s more restrictive power in comparison with that of the Lady. The image induced of

Often times we take our eye sight for granted. We never think about what would happen if we could not see and believe our eyes. There is an old saying that says, “Seeing is believing;” however, what we see is not always the truth. As we read King Lear it becomes clear that people can physically see events, believe that what is being seen is the truth, and be totally blinded to the truth. We choose to see what we want to believe because that is what we want to happen. Many times our emotions take over and what is right in front of our face is blinded by what we want the truth to be. There are several characters in King Lear who are blind to the truth, not because their eye sight is impaired but because they have selective sight and only see what they want to see. Sight or lack thereof, has many literary facets beyond the obvious physical meaning, as intricately portrayed in Shakespeare’s King Lear; where the ability to see the truth is clouded by mental blindness, love, greed, and ambition until a transformation occurs and the characters can truly see the truth.

The poem opens with the speaker explaining the siren song as “the song that is irresistible” and makes men leap overboard. Sirens were half mythical bird, half woman. From the first line, the reader can already assume the song is a deception, but we all desire to learn it. The sense to continue onto the next line or stanza indicates that the classical myth is not average. The colons in lines 2-3 also specify the sense of anticipation and suspense that will build up.

The Conqueror Worm Overall, just like its meaning, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Conquer Worm” possesses a manic enthusiasm due to the Narrator’s amusement in the horrifying events that happen in the poem. The poem starts off as a sonorous declaration. The first lines of “Lo! ‘t is a gala night With the lonesome latter years!

The structure and tone of the poem enhance the conflict and hopelessness the speaker is feeling towards the woman he loves and desires. For the first twelve lines of the poem there is an “abab” rhyming pattern. This ties into the despairing and desirable tone and how the rhyming scheme can be an example of the speaker constantly going back and forth between emotions for this women. For example, “And that mine eyes take no delight to range About the gleams which on your face do grow.” (Gascoigne 3-4) are two phrases that contradict the speakers feelings. Stating that his eyes take no delight in range can refer to the speaker finding no use or happiness in looking at the woman. Although, he then mentions the gleams upon her face growing, giving the audience the idea that even though the speakers love for the woman causes him deep despair, he still desires her enough to describe her features in attentive detail; in this example the gleams on her face. This shows the back and forth pattern and the speakers struggle when it comes

King Lear is another of one of the classic tragic plays written by Shakespeare, and it explores the relationships between the royal families, including the family of the titular protagonist King Lear. He’s the King of England and a father to three daughters, but whether he acts like the king or a father Lear is arrogant and prideful. Eventually after Lear is forced to go through many brutal circumstances he makes painful discoveries about his daughter’s views on him and how he has affected his family. The Elizabethan era had put a lot of emphasis on the importance of family and to always honor, love and obey the parents. In modern times family relationships are still heavily regarded as one of the most important things in life. One of the lessons this play teaches is the importance of family relationships and how much they can affect an entire family unit. Shakespeare demonstrates this lesson by creating a parallel structure between the Lear and Gloucester family and focusing on their interactions with their family members to show how a family, including a royal family can easily fall apart.

William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 19” and John Keats’s “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be” are British sonnets reflecting on Shakespeare’s and Keats’s beliefs of what is to become of their fame and their work when they die. Shakespeare believes that after he dies he shall live forever young no matter how coarse the sands of time. With an outlook opposite of Shakespeare, Keats believes that no matter what he does both he and his works will fade into obscurity. The works of both Shakespeare and Keats also have a palpable difference of tone. Shakespeare maintains a tone of detachment before shifting to a tone of pride. Meanwhile Keats maintains a tone of pessimism throughout “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be.”

Keats was very aware of his own mortality and his poetry reflected the intensity and the passion of a man who didn't have very long to live. His poetry remains some of the densest prose ever penned because, like his brief existence, he had to condense so much life into so little space. The thought of impending death would be enough to make anyone fall into hopeless despair but Keats's incredible talents and commitment to live in the moment perhaps allowed him to three lifetimes.

The poem opens by stating that his lover must behold him at the time of life corresponding to late autumn, when almost no leaves remain on the trees and the birds have flown south. The poet’s calling attention to his old age might seem incongruous, since many lovers might try to hide the fact from their companions. Yet, in this relationship, William Shakespeare not only is being forthright but also seems to be seeking the sympathy of his dear friend. (Lord 3569)