Discuss Keats’ idea of melancholy. 

Answer

Discuss Keats’ idea of melancholy. 

Or, describe melancholy’s relation with beauty and joy with reference to Keats’ “Ode on Melancholy”.

John Keats’s (1795-1821) “Ode on Melancholy,” published in 1819, explores the deep connection between melancholy (sadness), beauty, and joy. Keats suggests that melancholy is not something we should fear or try to avoid. It is something we should embrace because it is closely tied to the beautiful and joyful moments in life.

Handling Melancholy: The poet starts by warning us about how not to handle melancholy. In the first stanza, he advises against turning to things that dull our pain or help us escape sadness. For example, the poet suggests we should not poison ourselves, or seek forgetfulness by going to the mythical river Lethe.

“No, no, go not to Lethe…”

By running away from melancholy, we lose the chance to see its connection to beauty and joy. Instead, Keats tells us that melancholy must be faced head-on and accepted as a natural part of life.

Beauty and Melancholy: In the second stanza, Keats explains how we should respond when melancholy strikes. He uses beautiful images from nature to show us how we can find beauty even in moments of sadness. For example, he mentions a “morning rose” that blooms in the morning and fades by the evening. This rose is beautiful but temporary. The flower’s fleeting nature makes it more special and, at the same time, makes us feel sad because we know it won’t last. Keats writes—

“She [melancholy] dwells with Beauty—Beauty that must die;”

By appreciating beauty, we embrace both beauty and melancholy at once.

Joy and Melancholy: Keats also shows how joy and melancholy are deeply connected. He says that joy is always accompanied by the knowledge that it will end. Keats explores this idea by imagining Joy is always saying goodbye—

“And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips

Bidding adieu;…”

It shows that