Throughout the poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn” John Keats examines the artwork based upon an ancient piece of pottery. He cleverly uses descriptive language to create imagery within each stanza of the poem, which further reveals the underlying idea: how does time impact artwork? Ultimately, Keats emphasizes that the true beauty of art is that it is unaffected by time, and will stay untouched by the constantly developing world around it forever.

Keats describes a different image from the Grecian Urn in each stanza of the poem, and expresses the “stillness” in each piece of artwork. He conveys that “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter… (11), meaning that the story told by the artwork that encompasses the urn is more beautiful than any story that could be spoken, as the images upon the urn will always be unaffected by time. There is no force that is able to change or destroy the images presented upon the urn. In other words, humans are also unable to cause destruction to the beautiful illustrations of nature and lush forestry amongst the urn.

Keats also portrays this elegance of “stillness” through the image of two lovers on the urn. He indicates “Bold lover, never, never canst thou kiss, Though winning near the goal—yet, do not grieve; She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss, For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!” (17).  Keats is suggesting that even though these lovers will never be able to share a kiss, they are not upset, because their beauty and love will never fade as it is “frozen” in time. They will always love one another, and that will never change over time.

In conclusion, Keats showcases the beauty of artwork through its stillness in time, and uses imagery to further express this concept. He believes that the idea of these images being untouched or altered makes them sweeter compared to the mortal things that are affected by time and especially by human beings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

“Study.com.” Ode on a Grecian Urn by Keats: Analysis and Summary, 2003-2018, https://study.com/academy/lesson/ode-on-a-grecian-urn-by-keats-analysis-and-summary.html