Do you think Keats is an escapist?

Answer

Do you think Keats is an escapist?—Give reasons.

John Keats (1795-1821) often seems like an escapist in his poems. This is because he tries to run away from pain and find comfort in beauty, art, or imagination. But he also knows that escaping does not solve real problems.

Keats Wants to Escape Harsh Reality: In “Ode to a Nightingale” (1819), Keats feels sad about life’s struggles—sickness, aging, and death. He knows this world is full of—

“The weariness, the fever, and the fret.”

Here, people “grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies.” The nightingale’s happy song makes him want to leave these worries behind. He imagines flying away with the bird to a magical world where joy never ends. He says to the nightingale:

“Away! away! for I will fly to thee.”

Similarly, in “Ode on a Grecian Urn” (1819), he admires the urn’s frozen pictures. The lovers on the urn never grow old, the trees never lose their leaves, and the music never stops. These scenes let him forget about time and death. For a moment, he pretends art can replace real life.

Escaping Does Not Work: Keats soon realizes that escaping is just a temporary fix. In “Ode to a Nightingale,” the bird flies away, leaving him alone again. The happiness he felt disappears, and he is back to his sad reality.

In “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” Keats admits the urn’s beauty is cold and silent. Though the lover will love her forever, and she will be “fair” forever, they can never kiss.

“Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss.”

The urn’s world is perfect but lifeless. Keats learns that art cannot replace real human experiences, like love or joy.

For these reasons, Keats is not a full escapist because he does not lie to himself. He knows art and imagination cannot fix life’s problems. They only give short breaks from pain. His poems show both—his