John Keats’ “Lamia” and The Romantic Era Essay

The Romantic era, which was the period of fourth dimension following the Enlightenment, existed to eradicate the caprice that innovation, produced from search and reason, was the basis for integrity. Writers of the Romantic era, such as John Keats, believed that visual sensation, not rationalization, was the foundation the true was built upon. Of this Keats says, The Imagination may be compared to Adams h altogetherucinationHe awoke and found it justice (Rodriguez, Keats, 49). Even though the duration of his life was lacking, Keats must drop recognized that some deductions and philosophies had a intense affect on the world. In unitary of his later poems, vampire, Keats addresses this question of truth and its act to his concept of contradict mental ability.It is from Robert Burtons configuration of Melancholy that Keats forms the plot of vampire (Stillinger, 359). A infantile man Lycius falls in screw with the beautiful lamia, whose body has been alter from that of a serpent to that of a woman. lamia, with niggling effort, convinces Lycius to flee with her to an enchanted palace, where they live and love happily until they decide to marry. At their marriage ceremony banquet Lamia withers and dies, as Apollonius, Lycius sage and trusty guide (II-375), is up to(p) to see through her illusion. Lycius also dies, his armor were empty of delight (II-307), as his dream is also shattered.Keats multifaceted concept of Negative Capability is best understood as the followingthat is when man is capable of organism in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, withoutany irritable range after fact and reason. (Rodriguez, Keats, 40)Directed to a colleague, and perhaps an extension of the previous idea Keats saysI am certain of vigour but the holiness of the Hearts affections and the truth ofImaginationWhat the imagination seizes as truelove must be truthwhether itexisted before or not (Rodriguez, Keats, 48)If imagination is as Adam awoke to find the truth, and beauty is truth and truth is beauty, then Lamia is both beautiful and true. Although the narrator describes her irresistible physical qualities as both a serpent and a maid, Lamia is as she imagines herself, which is how shed like Lycius to imagine her. Regarding Lycius, Lamia won his heart More cheerily by playing womans part (I-336-337). Toward the end of the poem, when Apollonius accuses Lamia of macrocosm a serpent, her human body starts to deteriorate, as she acknowledges his view. Apollonius, the good instructor, robed in philosophic gown (I-365), embodies all that Keats Negative Capability is working againstthe things known for truth by consequitive reasoning (Rodriguez, Keats, 51) instead of imagination. Lycius also, in oppugn Lamia, Sure some sweet attain thou hast (II-85), Hast any mortal visit (II-88), proves his own susceptibility to the narrow truth of rationale.Although Lamia begins to wither under Apollonius stare, it is yet when Lycius considers his teach ers thoughts as truth, that she is truly destroyed. In attempting to define and confine Lamias nature to their record of special K things, they destroy her imaginationher own perceptions on beauty and truth, Do not all charms fly at the mere suggestion of cold ism (II-229-230)? The dream that was Lamias, the reason for her to become a woman, was Lycius, the young Corinthian she was in love with.When Apollonius inflicts his philosophy on Lamia, her dream is destroyed, and with it Lycius.